Artifacts

There are undoubtedly millions of ancient artifacts from the past that have served to shed light on the lives of our ancestors from many millennia ago. But some ancient mystical artifacts stand out for their uniqueness, their intrigue, or their ability to expand our knowledge about previously unknown aspects of our history. Here we feature many such ancient history artifacts, from amazing examples of ancient technology, to artistic masterpieces, unexplained objects, ancient texts, and mysterious artifacts that shed light on the daily lives of our ancestors.

Khmer artifacts have been looted all over Cambodia, here a looted scene of Koh Ker, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Source: YukselSelvi/Adobe Stock

18 May, 2022 - 15:00 ashley cowie

Cambodia Demands British Museums Return Stolen Khmer Artifacts

Stolen Khmer artifacts from ancient Cambodian temples should be returned now. This is what Cambodian heritage authorities have told London's Victoria & Albert and British Museum who currently...

Left: This juniper tree trunk, found in a pre-Biblical grave in Eilat, Israel is the earliest Asherah idol discovered so far in the Near East. Right: Israelite ceramic figure of a nude woman, identified as an Asherah idol pillar. Source: Left: Uzi Avner / Researchgate ; Right: The Met

17 May, 2022 - 14:42 Nathan Falde

7,500-year-old Juniper Stump Is Believed Oldest Goddess Asherah Idol

Archaeologists excavating an ancient cemetery in Israel have uncovered an idol which they believe dates the worship of the goddess Asherah back an incredible 7,500 years. During excavations that took...

Detail of the "Three Brothers" jewel from two paintings of Elizabeth I, the "Ermine Portrait" and "Elizabeth I of England holding an olive branch" Source: CC BY-SA 3.0

16 May, 2022 - 22:57 Bipin Dimri

What Happened to the Famous Three Brothers Jewelry?

In 1467 AD, the “Three Brothers” jewelry piece was inherited by Charles the Bold from his father Phillip the Good. Charles died in 1477 and was the last Duke of Burgundy. He carried the Three...

The Mšecké Žehrovice head, a famous example of Celtic art. Source: CeStu/CC BY 3.0

16 May, 2022 - 19:00 ashley cowie

Bust Found in Czech Republic Reflects Irish Druidic Customs

The word 'Celt' refers to the people who spoke Celtic languages across Western and Central Europe between 1,200 BC and the 3rd century, and every Celtic nation had its own unique crafts, arts, and...

Killer rabbit in the Smithfield Decretals, c. 1300, British Library, London, UK. Detail. (British Library/CC BY 4.0)

15 May, 2022 - 14:59 ashley cowie

Killer Rabbits Terrorized the Pages of Medieval Manuscripts

In early medieval art and literature fluffy white rabbits, bunnies, and hares were typically motifs of innocence, venerability, and purity. However, more in sync with these animals’ rate of...

Rome’s National Museum of Oriental Art displayed the reconstructed face of a female skeleton which was found in Iran’s Burnt City wearing a fake eye. The museum closed in 2017 and its collections were transferred to the Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography in Rome.

14 May, 2022 - 14:56 Lex Leigh

World’s Oldest Fake Eye from 2800 BC Found in Iran’s ‘Burnt City’

Believe it or not, fake eyes have existed for thousands of years. Besides improving the physical appearance of the patient needing the artificial eye, fake eyes also prevent tissues in the eye socket...

Obverse and reverse of the golden Curmsun disc. Source: Tomasz Sielski / CC BY-SA 3.0

12 May, 2022 - 22:55 ashley cowie

Sweden’s Enigmatic Golden Curmsun Disc

In 2014, a young girl living in Malmö, presented her teacher with a small golden disc brought to Sweden by her Polish grandmother. Little did she know that this small golden artifact, now dubbed the...

English archaeologists have stumble upon a once-in-a-lifetime Romano-British settlement near Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire. This skeleton and a caltrop, a Roman era area denial weapon, similar to police spikes used to stop cars today, were unearthed at the Grange Paddocks site. Source: East Herts District Council

11 May, 2022 - 22:38 Nathan Falde

Archaeologists Stumble Upon Key Romano-British Trade Center

Archaeologists performing excavations near Bishop’s Stortford, an historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, have uncovered the ruins of a Romano-British settlement that served as a commercial...

Bronze Age daggers, like this one found near Lake Neuchâtel, Switzerland, were always assumed to be ceremonial status weapons, but a recent study has shown that they were actually used a lot to butcher animals! Source: Rama / CC BY-SA 3.0 FR

10 May, 2022 - 18:46 Sahir

Bronze Age Daggers Were Tools to Butcher Animals, Not Markers of Status

Excavations of Bronze Age “warrior graves” throughout Europe have nearly always led to the recovery of copper alloy Bronze Age daggers. However, their function has been poorly understood. It has long...

This Italian copy of the Nostradamus manuscript was stolen in the mid-2000s from a library in Rome, but a member of the Italian military’s Cultural Heritage Conservation Command (Carabinieri) spotted it online in a German auction and “saved” it. Source: Carabinieri

10 May, 2022 - 14:47 Nathan Falde

Stolen Nostradamus Manuscript Returned to Library in Rome!

A pilfered copy of the Nostradamus manuscript written by Renaissance-era French physician, astrologer and psychic Michel de Nostredame, has been recovered and returned to the library from which it...

Two more stone giants of Mont’e Prama from the Iron Age have been unearthed in Sardinia. Source: mont’e prama

9 May, 2022 - 22:46 ashley cowie

Two More Disc-eyed Giants of Mont’e Prama Found in Sardinia!

Their purpose is currently unknown, but two more disc-eyed giants of Mont’e Prama have been unearthed on Sardinia. The Mont’e Prama Iron Age burial necropolis on the Italian island of Sardinia has...

Left; Portrait of Francisco Pizarro. Right; The tomb of Francisco Pizarro in the Lima Cathedral held the wrong man’s remains for nearly a century, but modern science has corrected the error with Pizarro’s remains, found in two boxes beneath the cathedral in 1977. Source: Left; Public Domain, Right; RAF-YYC / CC BY-SA 2.0

9 May, 2022 - 18:58 Sahir

Finding Francisco Pizzaro: The Strange Story of Pizarro’s Remains

It’s fair to say that Francisco Pizarro was a highly divisive figure. Indeed, even a mention of him today in some parts of the world can incite blood fueled anguish and hatred of the man responsible...

Discover the fascinating history of eyeglasses. Source: Fxquadro / Adobe Stock

9 May, 2022 - 14:59 Lex Leigh

Crystal-Clear Vision – The Ancient History of Eyeglasses

Eyeglasses are an essential tool for thousands of people across the globe. Unfortunately, glasses didn’t always exist, which caused difficulties for those in the ancient past with poor vision...

Tiny bible (representational image). Source: Kevin Carden / Adobe Stock

8 May, 2022 - 18:58 ashley cowie

Miniature Bible the Size of a Coin Found in UK Library Storage

A miniature Bible surfaced in the vast Leeds library during lockdown. The tiny holy book includes both old and new testaments and was printed on 876 stamp-sized pages. However, nobody knows where...

The Nabateans built this reservoir at the Nabataean city of ancient Hawara, modern Humayma or “Humeima”. Source: Larry W. Mays

8 May, 2022 - 14:58 mrreese

The Sophisticated Water Technologies of the Ancient Nabataeans

The Nabataeans were an ancient Semitic people, dating back to 586 BC, who inhabited northern Arabia and the southern Levant. The desert climate created agricultural difficulties for the Nabataeans,...

Plastered skull, c. 9000 BC, found at Kfar HaHoresh in northern Israel and now at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Source: Gary Todd / CC0

7 May, 2022 - 18:57 Joanna Gillan

Bizarre Mortuary Practices and the Jericho Plastered Skulls

Jericho (also called Tell es-Sultan ) is a city with an incredibly rich history located in the Palestinian West Bank, near the Jordan River, some 55 kilometers (34 mi) from Jerusalem. Besides being...

Excavated walls of the Aztec house, and one of the funerary vessels. Source: INAH

7 May, 2022 - 14:53 Nathan Falde

Aztec House and Floating Gardens Discovered Under Mexico City

Archaeologists performing excavations in Mexico City’s Centro neighborhood dug up more than they bargained for when they uncovered the hidden ruins of an ancient Aztec dwelling, which had apparently...

The Abydos carvings are mysterious carved hieroglyphs which were found on a ceiling beam in the temple of Seti I in Abydos. Source: merlin74 / Adobe Stock

7 May, 2022 - 01:58 Cecilia Bogaard

Helicopter Hieroglyphs? Debunking the “Mystery” of the Abydos Carvings

In the ancient city of Abydos, within the famed temple of Seti I, strange hieroglyphs were discovered on the ceiling. Appearing to depict modern or extraterrestrial vehicles, some claim that the...

: Left; This sturdy mudbrick tower house overlooking the Nile River, found along with the 85 new Egyptian tombs. Right; Funerary permits for the graves found at the site. Source: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

6 May, 2022 - 14:43 Nathan Falde

Discovered: 85 Egyptian Tombs, Spanning More Than 2,500 Years!

The latest excavations in Egypt’s southern province of Sohag have led to the discovery of 85 new Egyptian tombs that date back far into antiquity, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities just...

Vintage goods store owner, Laura Young, with the Roman bust. Source: Laura Young / MySanantonio

5 May, 2022 - 22:38 ashley cowie

Looted Ancient Roman Bust Found In Texas Thrift Shop

A 52 pound, 1st-century Roman marble bust turned up in a Texas store. Having been sold to a local woman for $34.99, the ancient artifact will now be returned to Germany. In 2018, Laura Young, the...

In a first for ancient Anatolia, archaeologists found this stone sarcophagus belonging to the elite bodyguard Tziampo, which was inscribed in Latin with the title “Emperor’s Protector.” Source: TRT

4 May, 2022 - 22:32 ashley cowie

Emperor’s Protector Sarcophagus Is A First For Anatolia

Representing a national first, an ancient sarcophagus bearing the title “Emperor’s Protector” has been unearthed in western Turkey (ancient Anatolia). Furthermore, it's also the first time the...

Thousands of years of oysters and oyster farming by the indigenous peoples of Chesapeake Bay lay hidden in this coastal oyster shell layer. A recent study on oyster farming by indigenous peoples in Australia and North America is supplying new insights for managing highly degraded modern oyster beds. Source: Torben Rick / Smithsonian

4 May, 2022 - 18:52 Sahir

Ancient Australians and Americans Ate Billions of Oysters Over Millennia

Precolonial indigenous communities in Australia and North America harvested and gorged on vast quantities of oysters. Yet, this copious consumption did not cause oyster populations to crash and...

Representative Scythian gold warrior helmet kept in the National History Museum Kyiv. Source: Yurii Zushchyk/Adobe Stock

3 May, 2022 - 14:56 ashley cowie

Russian Soldiers Empty Ukraine Museum Of Scythian Artifacts

Russian soldiers have entered a Ukrainian museum where they stole a priceless collection of ancient artifacts. Their haul included a 2,300-year-old Scythian gold crown. The ancient crown was used by...

The Chiapas cave sacrifice scene, where about 150 toothless skulls were found, as it was discovered in 2012. Source: INAH

1 May, 2022 - 18:44 Sahir

150 Toothless Skulls in Mexico ‘Crime Scene’ Cave are Ancient Sacrifice Victims

In 2012, a citizen alert brought the Mexican police to a cave on the Guatemalan border where a horrific cave sacrifice scene met their eyes. Some 150 skulls and other human skeletal remains lay piled...

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