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Other Artifacts

Other Artifacts covers many items which have been recovered from the past and give us insights into ancient human worlds. From loaded Roman dice to the Shroud of Turin, these items help tell the stories of the varied culture and everyday lives of our ancestors. 

Front view of the Cup of the Ptolemies
9 February, 2016 - 03:14 Natalia Klimczak

Getting to the Bottom of the Captivating Cup of the Ptolemies

The Cup of the Ptolemies is one of the most spectacular ancient cups to have survived the ages. This attractive artifact has also gained a fascinating story over the years of its existence. The cup...
Funerary cones.
7 February, 2016 - 14:58 dhwty

Examining Cryptic Grave Goods: What Are the Ancient Egyptian Funerary Cones?

Funerary cones are a type of funereal object from ancient Egypt. It is well known that the ancient Egyptians were extremely concerned about the afterlife, and that they did all they could to provide...
From Mal Corvus Witchcraft & Folklore artifact private collection owned by Malcolm Lidbury.
6 February, 2016 - 03:49 dhwty

Weird Witch Bottles, Historic Efforts to Ward Off Evil Spells and Witchcraft

Witch bottles (known also as ‘spell bottles’) are apotropaic devices (things believed to have the power to avert evil influences). These objects are believed to protect their owners from the negative...
A modern statue of a Viking with the mythical horned helmet
4 February, 2016 - 00:46 Mark Miller

Exposing the Roots of the Viking Horned Helmet Myth

Yes, some helmeted Vikings traveled around Europe, West Asia, and even North America raiding and pillaging. It is a myth, though, that their helmets were decorated with horns, antlers, or wings. But...
A traditional imzad instrument, made by local craftswomen and played only by women.
25 January, 2016 - 21:52 Mark Miller

Reviving the Music of their Foremothers: A Traditional Tuareg Instrument for Women Makes a Comeback

A traditional stringed gourd instrument of the Tuareg people in Africa, played only by women because of the threat of a curse upon men who play it, is making a comeback. Only two women were known to...
A Māori warrior.
25 January, 2016 - 01:05 dhwty

Mokomokai: Preservation of the Tattooed Maori Heads of New Zealand

Mokomokai are preserved heads that are produced by the Māoris of New Zealand. These are not just any heads, but heads that have been decorated by moko. Moko is a traditional art form practiced by the...
Multi-facet basalt artifact, Georgia, USA.
22 January, 2016 - 03:48 Indigenous Peop...

Jackson County Artifact Adds Mystery to History of the Region: What are the Symbols and Who Made Them?

History is sometimes slow to share its secrets, but it did recently for a rural Jackson County man while he was clearing an area of his property. As a longtime resident and avid artifact collector,...
Replicas of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond – The Mountain of Light.
15 January, 2016 - 14:54 Olga Gonzalez

Mountain of Light: The History and Lore of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond

One of the most famous diamonds in the world, and once considered to be the world’s largest, the Koh-i-Noor is deeply shrouded in mystery and myth, alongside factual origins. The diamond in its...
Some of the Abydos boats in their brick-built graves.
21 December, 2015 - 14:48 dhwty

The Abydos Boats: Transporting the Pharaohs Through the Afterlife

The Abydos boats are a fleet of ships discovered in the sands of Abydos, Egypt. Sea vessels played an important role in ancient Egypt, not only in the everyday life of its people, but also in its...
Ice skaters from the series Le Supreme Bon Ton, No.9.
16 December, 2015 - 14:45 Alicia McDermott

Gliding Over 5,000 Years of Frozen Waters: A History of Ice Skating

Ice skating has been called the oldest human-powered means of transportation. During the winter it is easy for one to imagine our ancient ancestors gliding across frozen lakes in search of food or...
“Tourist art” bullroarer decorated with a kangaroo design.
14 December, 2015 - 14:46 dhwty

The Bullroarer: An Instrument That Whirls Through Cultures and Time

Music is believed to have been made by human beings since prehistoric times. Paleolithic tombs suggest that one of the earliest and longest-surviving artifacts that can be called a ‘musical...
Main: A painting titled “Sylvan Men” by Albrecht Durer, 1499; “sylvan” means of the forest. (Wikimedia Commons). Inset: The Wild Man has a long history in humanity’s legends and myths. This photo shows the spoon handle found near Ipswich. (Photo by Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service)
14 December, 2015 - 00:56 Mark Miller

Medieval Wild Man relic discovered by treasure hunters has roots in ancient history

English metal detectorists have found a Medieval spoon handle depicting a figure of the Wild Man, a hairy, club-wielding legend who existed on the edges of civilization from ancient times. Stories...
The mysterious whereabouts of the Ark of the Covenant has long captured the attention of archaeologists and treasure-seekers alike.
15 November, 2015 - 20:55 ancient-origins

The Lost and Coveted Treasures of King Solomon

In the Hebrew Bible, the third king of Israel, Solomon, is depicted as a wise, powerful, and immensely wealthy king, who ruled between 965 BC and 925 BC. It is written that he reigned over a...
Kaolin ceramic vessel with ceramic stopper, 10cm x 4 cm
16 October, 2015 - 14:56 Indigenous Peop...

Looking for Answers: Unknown North American Artifact Unearthed in Pennsylvania

An artifact recovered from a hilltop site overlooking the Delaware River in Eastern Pennsylvania, along with other artifacts recovered during a ten-year investigation reveals there is much to be...
The Folkton Drums were found in East Yorkshire, England, and are on display in the British Museum.
13 October, 2015 - 00:49 Mark Miller

Study sheds new light on mysterious Stone Age drums

Archaeologists have used sophisticated techniques to study the enigmatic Folkton drums—three solid, decorated chalk cylinders dating back thousands of years that were found years ago in the grave of...
Painting of the second Peacock Throne from the Red Fort in Delhi, India. (1850) The first Peacock Throne was taken as a war trophy by the Persian King Nader Shah in 1739 and has been lost ever since.
10 October, 2015 - 03:40 dhwty

Thrones of Gods and Kings: Symbols of Power through History

The Iron Throne from the Game of Thrones is perhaps one of the most iconic objects in 21st century pop culture. The concept of the throne, as many already know, has been in existence for a much...
A Neolithic axe created by the Aboriginals of what is now Australia.
1 October, 2015 - 03:36 Patricia Anderson

Written in Stone: Neolithic Weapons and Tools of the Australian Aboriginals

The groundswell of interest world-wide in artifacts from our prehistoric past reveals our shared humanity at a time when no written records exist to bear testimony to it. Indeed, 99% of our history...
Bronze Age pot of the proto-Celtic Urnfield culture, sporting ritualistic symbols and mathematical markings.
25 September, 2015 - 00:30 luvartifacts1

Urnfield Vase Reveals 3,300 Year Old Lunar and Metaphysical Encoding

A vase dating back to Bronze Age Europe has strange symbols and abstract markings. Examination of the pottery has revealed a prehistoric mathematical approach to sacred numbers, as well as a moon...
Along the River during the Qingming Festival painting
21 September, 2015 - 19:28 Mark Miller

5-meter long ancient scroll painting is one of the most precious treasures of China

People lined up to wait for six hours to see one of China’s most famous artworks, an exquisite 12 th century scroll painting depicting the Song Dynasty capital of Haifeng during the festival of...
Ten Spectacular Golden Treasures of the Ancient World
13 September, 2015 - 21:35 aprilholloway

Ten Spectacular Golden Treasures of the Ancient World

Throughout the centuries, people have long been captivated by the prospect of finding a long lost treasure. While many have dedicated their entire lives to the search for gold before ‘striking it...
Detail, the sides and faces of the enigmatic Zbruch Idol.
9 September, 2015 - 15:05 lizleafloor

Rare and Enigmatic Zbruch Idol: 4-Headed Slavic God Pulled from a River

In 1848, a four-headed monolith was pulled from a muddy river bottom in Ukraine after a thousand year exile. The enigmatic stone pillar was inscribed with stoic faces and strange symbols, and the...
Funerary Mask, from Malagana 200BC-200AD on exhibit with the exhibit "The Spirit of Ancient Columbian Gold".
14 August, 2015 - 21:54 lizleafloor

The Malagana Treasure: Gold and Greed, A Lost Civilization Plundered

When a Colombian sugarcane plantation worker and his tractor plunged into a hole which had suddenly opened up in the earth, the spectacular discovery buried under the soil would lead to a large-scale...
The Lydenburg Heads: The Earliest Iron Age Art South of the Equator
17 July, 2015 - 14:00 dhwty

The Lydenburg Heads: The Earliest Iron Age Art South of the Equator

The Lydenburg Heads are a set of terracotta heads discovered in the eastern Transvaal of South Africa. One of the heads has been dated to around 500 AD, and it is believed that the rest of the heads...
The Mycenaean Death Mask of Agamemnon
16 July, 2015 - 22:17 dhwty

Questioning the Mycenaean Death Mask of Agamemnon

The German archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann is perhaps one of the luckiest archaeologists in history. His discovery of the Mask of Agamemnon was not his first, but second remarkable discovery...

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