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.

23 May, 2017 - 22:52 Veronica Parkes

A Literary Treasure: The Oldest Surviving English Poem - Beowulf and His Epic Battles

Perhaps the oldest surviving long poem in Old English, Beowulf is commonly seen as one of the most important works of Old English Literature. While the date of the poem’s composition is still debated...

21 May, 2017 - 13:59 dhwty

The Monolith of Tlaloc: Did Moving This Massive Stone Statue Incite the Fury of the Aztec Rain God?

The Monolith of Tlaloc is a giant stone carving of the Aztec god of rain, water, lightning, and agriculture, Tlaloc. This monolith was once located near the town of Coatlinchan (which translates as ‘...

Famous stone head of the Olmec civilization.

20 May, 2017 - 13:57 Clyde Winters

Is the Cascajal Tablet the Key to Understanding Giant Olmec Heads?

Bryan Hilliard’s “Does the Cascajal Block provide evidence of a written language of the Olmecs?” published by Ancient Origins, discussed the finding by many Mexican researchers that the symbols on...

The Antikythera Mechanism, National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece

18 May, 2017 - 18:58 Theodoros Karasavvas

115 Years Since Sensational Discovery of The World’s First Analogue Computer

Every time ancient Greece is mentioned most people automatically think of democracy, the Olympic Games, mythology and philosophy. It seems that not many are aware of how advanced the ancient Greeks...

17 May, 2017 - 23:02 Mark Oliver

This 2,800-Year-Old Stele Tells A Bible Story From A Different Point Of View

As soon as you fit the words “Bible” and “history” into the same sentence, people start reacting. Most people are in one of two camps: either every word of the Bible is completely, literally true, or...

Image of the North America Nebula, an emission nebula in the constellation Cygnus, close to Deneb (the tail of the swan and its brightest star)

16 May, 2017 - 14:09 jim willis

The Riddle of the Rock Piles—Effigies and Enigmas: A Southeastern Mystery Story – Part I

Southeastern United States: 2000 years ago | For hundreds of years, people had been accustomed to gathering in this special place near the great river at the sacred time of the winter solstice...

15 May, 2017 - 14:05 Clyde Winters

The Exceptional Inscription on the Pokotia Monument – Evidence of Sumerian Script in Bolivia?

There is a very intriguing inscription on the back of the Pokotia Monolith. What makes it stand out is that it was written in linear Sumerian. Even more exciting is that it provides further evidence...

The Stone Age remains of a mother cradling her baby.

11 May, 2017 - 01:52 Kerry Sullivan

Mother Found Still Cradling Baby After 4800 Years

Oftentimes, few people are interested in the findings of archeological digs – broken pots, scattered bones, it usually takes a sign of cannibalism or extraordinarily old carbon dating to draw the...

5500-year-old shoe in hand of researcher

9 May, 2017 - 22:59 Caleb Strom

The Everlasting Shoe: What Does This 5,500-Year-old Shoe Found in a Cave Tell Us About Ancient Armenians?

As any archaeologist knows, very few things other than stone last for a long time. In a moist, warm climate, most organic material such as hemp, cloth, wood, and leather will decay, leaving nothing...

9 May, 2017 - 01:58 ancient-origins

Forget Death and Seek Life! Fascinating Insights into The Human Condition in 4,000-Year-Old Epic of Gilgamesh

“Forget death and seek life!” With these encouraging words, Gilgamesh, the star of the eponymous 4000-year-old epic poem, coins the world’s first heroic catchphrase. At the same time, the young king...

Some of the original 9 axe heads or “Celts’ plus the spearhead found by the Korstad brothers.

7 May, 2017 - 14:04 ancient-origins

Hobbyist Metal Detectorists Find Hoard of 3000-year-old Axes in Farmer's Field in Norway

Some 3,000 years ago, 24 axes were cached in Stjørdal municipality, about 44 km (27.3 miles) east of Trondheim. They're now seeing the light of day once again. In late April, a sensational discovery...

4 May, 2017 - 14:00 Willem Witteveen

Why No Nose? The Ancient Breath of Life and Remarkably Powerful ‘Living Statues’

Why was is so important for bodies and images to remain intact after death in Ancient Egypt? And what was the power of ancient statues and reliefs – that they would be a danger to a Pharaoh? For the...

Reconstruction of Chinese paper armor, on the right

2 May, 2017 - 14:04 Caleb Strom

Ancient Chinese Paper Armor Put to the Test – You Won’t Believe How Strong It Is!

While Greco-Roman civilization was developing in the West, an equally advanced and complex civilization was emerging in the land along the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers on the western coast of the...

1 May, 2017 - 18:53 Kerry Sullivan

The 10 Most Expensive Antiques Ever Sold at Auction

How do you know what the greatest treasure of human history is? You ascribe a monetary value to it of course. Some artifacts may appear priceless but at an antique auction house, everything has a...

Payava's tomb from Xanthos, now in the British Museum.

28 April, 2017 - 02:01 Natalia Klimczak

Culturally Mixed Messages in the Tomb of Payava: Is it Greek or Persian?

The Tomb of Payava is a decorative rectangular tomb that was transported in the 19th century from a site in Turkey to England is one of the most remarkable artifacts related to Lycian culture...

26 April, 2017 - 18:52 dhwty

Brazen Bull: Gruesome Ancient Greek Torture Device Turned Screams into ‘Music’

The Brazen Bull (known also as the ‘Bull of Phalaris’, the ‘Bronze Bull’ or the ‘Sicilian Bull’) was a type of ancient torture and execution device from ancient Greece. The story of the Brazen Bull...

Ponferrada Castle, ‘Castle of the Templars, Leon, Northern Spain. 12th century Castle of Ponferrada by night.

23 April, 2017 - 23:04 Natalia Klimczak

The Mysterious Stories of Castle Ponferrada: Knights Templar, the Camino de Santiago and the lost Sword of Jacques de Molay

Every pilgrim who is traveling along the French route of the Camino de Santiago, going to Santiago de Compostela, will pass through the Ponferrada in the Spanish section. Most of them have no idea...