Picture Worlds is the first book to examine the elaborately decorated terracotta vessels of the ancient Greek, Moche, and Maya civilizations. Although these societies were separated by space and time, they all employed pottery as a means for telling stories and giving visual form to core myths and beliefs. But why did these communities reach for painted ceramics as a medium for communication? How were the vessels produced and used? How can we understand these "picture worlds" today? In this book, experts explore these foundational questions, offering introductions to the three civilizations and examining the painted imagery. Readers will be rewarded with a richer understanding of each of these societies, fascinating insights into their cultural commonalities and differences, and fresh perspectives on image making and storytelling-practices that remain vibrant to this day.