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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.

Emile Fradin and the artifacts found at Glozel, with sketches of pottery

The Glozel Controversy – Amazing Historical Discovery or Elaborate Hoax?

The discovery of a cavern filled with artifacts in Glozel, France in 1924 was an astonishing find. Initially brought to light by a farmer plowing his fields, the cavern yielded more than 3,000...
Leonardo da Vinci inventions

Five da Vinci inventions that could have revolutionized the history of technology

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous artists in history. His genius, however, was not just in his art; Leonardo was also a brilliant inventor in the fields of civil engineering, chemistry,...
A trepannated skull from Neolithic period

Evidence of successful brain surgery and ancient pharmaceutical warehouse found in Turkey

Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of ancient surgery among the remains of people who lived in a settlement near Istanbul, Turkey, between the 11 th and 6 th centuries B.C. A skull, buried among...
An Ulfberht sword displayed at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, Germany

A Step Closer to the Mysterious Origin of the Viking Sword Ulfberht

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times Ulfberht was like a Medieval luxury brand for swords—but unlike your Gucci purse, the swords were of such high quality they were almost … mystical. Dozens of these...
Coligny Calendar:  The 1,800-Year-Old Lunisolar calendar banned by the Romans

Coligny Calendar: The 1,800-Year-Old Lunisolar calendar banned by the Romans

In 1897, the Gaulish Coligny Calendar was discovered in Coligny, Ain, France. The bronze calendar was found broken into 73 pieces, which together form a 5 foot wide, 3.5 foot high bronze tablet. When...
High-tech pottery center discovered at Bronze Age China site

High-tech pottery center discovered at Bronze Age China site, 3,000 years before Industrial Revolution

High-tech pottery crafting methods have been discovered at the Erlitou Bronze Age site in China, dating the mastery of delicate celadon ceramics back 3,000 years before Europe. This ancient, high-...
Arbatel: An Occult Grimoire with a Positive Message

Arbatel: The Magic of the Ancients – An Occult Grimoire with a Positive Message

The Arbatel de magia veterum ( Arbatel: Of the Magic of the Ancients ) is a Renaissance-period grimoire – a textbook of magic – and one of the most influential works of its kind. Unlike some other...
Antikythera Mechanism

New analysis of Antikythera Mechanism reveals clues to one of history’s greatest puzzles

A new study of the world famous Antikythera mechanism has revealed fascinating new information about the puzzling artifact, including that the maths used for its eclipse prediction appears to be...
Picatrix: The Ancient Arabian Book of Astrology and Occult Magic

Picatrix: The Ancient Arabian Book of Astrology and Occult Magic

The Picatrix is an ancient Arabian book of astrology and occult magic dating back to the 10 th or 11 th century, which has gained notoriety for the obscene natural of its magical recipes. The...
Phaistos Disc

New Research suggests recent phonetic decipherment of the Phaistos Disc is implausible

Last month, Dr Gareth Owens, a researcher at the Technological Educational Institute of Crete, claimed to have cracked the code of the enigmatic Phaistos Disc , a 4,000-year-old artifact containing...
The Cyrus Cylinder and the ancient proclamation of human rights

The Cyrus Cylinder and the ancient proclamation of human rights

More than 2 millennia before the French Revolution introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens , an ancient Near Eastern monarch issued a charter that is considered to be the...
Silphium - the ancient contraceptive herb

Silphium, the ancient contraceptive herb driven to extinction

As an institution of spiritual authority, the Catholic Church wields much influence over the attitudes and beliefs of millions of people around the globe. From scriptural doctrine to less refined...
The Lady of the Spiked Throne

The Lady of the Spiked Throne and her Mysterious Entourage

The Lady of the Spiked Throne refers to a mysterious artifact from the Indus Valley civilization that has been dated to the 3 rd millennium BC. It depicts a woman in a position of power seated in a...
Roman nanotechnology

Roman nanotechnology inspires next-generation holograms for information storage

The Lycurgus Cup, as it is known due to its depiction of a scene involving King Lycurgus of Thrace, is a 1,600-year-old jade green Roman chalice that changes colour depending on the direction of the...
Death of Socrates

Poison: The Good, the Bad and the Deadly

For thousands of years poisons have been both a deadly threat and a protective tool used around the world. Poisons have played a dominant role in our history and legends, persisting both as evil...
1,000-year-old Middle Eastern recipe book

1,000-year-old Middle Eastern recipe book claims to have the ultimate hangover cure

Written nearly a thousand years ago, the Kitab al-tabikh (book of cookery) written by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq, is the most comprehensive work of its kind. It includes more than 600 recipes for culinary...
Pozzo di San Patrizio  - St Patrick’s Well

The engineering marvel of the Pozzo di San Patrizio

The Pozzo di San Patrizio is an ancient well in Orvieto, Umbria, central Italy, built between 1527 and 1537 at the behest of Pope Clement VII who had taken refuge at Orvieto during the sack of Rome...
Takenouchi

The Takenouchi Manuscripts and the Story of Humanity Never Told

The Takenouchi manuscripts are a set of mysterious documents that were rewritten by a man named Takenouchino Matori 1,500 years ago in a mixture of Japanese and Chinese characters, transcribed from...
Hero of Alexandria and his Magical Jugs

Hero of Alexandria and his Magical Jugs

The most famous and successful of the scientists and engineers from the 1 st century was Hero (Heron) of Alexandria, who was conjuring up all kinds of weird and wonderful mechanical gadgets and steam...
The ancient manuscripts of Dunhuang

The ancient manuscripts of Dunhuang

Dunhuang is situated in the north western part of Gansu province in the west of China. The ancient town occupied a strategic position at the crossroads of the ancient Southern Silk Route and the main...

Earliest surviving copy of epic poem, The Brus, brought back to life

One of the two oldest surviving copies of 'The Brus' – a medieval poem famous for its vivid, early description of the Battle of Bannockburn – has been restored in time for the battle’s 700th...
150,000-Year-Old Pipes in China

150,000-Year-Old Pipes Baffle Scientists in China: Out of Place in Time?

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times Oopart (out of place artifact) is a term applied to dozens of prehistoric objects found in various places around the world that seem to show a level of technological...
Invention of Wheel - Sumer

The revolutionary invention of the wheel

In today’s world, technology is developing at an unprecedented rate. The latest gadget today is tomorrow’s antique. As a result of this rapid development of technology, we often take things for...
Unwrapping Egyptian Mummies

Egyptian Mummies – to unwrap or not to unwrap?

Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt at the end of the 18 th century sparked a European interest in ancient Egypt. This ‘Egyptomania’ has gripped Europe ever since, and is still visible today. It was gold,...

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