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27 Artifacts That Might Make You Like History Even More If You Weren’t Interested Already (New Pics)
Have you ever wondered what life was like during the 1500s or what Olympic medals looked like in the early 1900s? You will likely need to do a lot of digging to find out.
We’ll save you all that research time by presenting a list of fascinating photos featuring unique artifacts that date back centuries. These images also come with a brief backstory that may stir your curiosity further.
If you enjoyed our previous pieces on remarkable ancient keepsakes, you will likely appreciate this one, as well.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Great Grandpop's 1912 Olympic Medal. He Placed 8th In Pole Vaulting. This Medal Is Just For Participating
Mason Kronol 8 months ago
My husband worked with a woman who was in the WNBA and won gold in olympics for USA women basketball. She was super nice and super tall! I'm 5' 8" and usually wear a bit of a heal. She was so tall. I'm not used to that. I hope WNBA comes back to our area. my husband even enjoys it and had mad respect for this lady who while looked like she could model could also pummel him🤪
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Panda Cat 7 months ago
As part of Generation Jones we did not ask for or want participation trophies! It must have been something the Greatest Generation or early Boomers came up with and foisted on their children. I remember receiving a 6th place ribbon for hurdles or sprinting during Middle School. I saved it because it struck me as so odd.
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ronniebeaton00 7 months ago
OLD JOKE ALERT! Person 1: "Are you a pole vaulter?" Person 2: "Nein, I am German. How did you know my name was Valter?"
Nitka Tsar 7 months ago
It would be Walter. The German name I mean. And the pronounciation would be a bit different. …
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David Beth 8 months ago
I got participation ribbons and trophies pretty regularly in the early to mid-80s. It's certainly not a "modern" invention.
Panda Cat 7 months ago
It wasn’t your Generation Jones parents who chose to give you them!
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Katchen 8 months ago
I bet you’ve participated in many Olympics yourself, of course.
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#2
17th Century Silver Skull Watch, Louvre Museum
Ece Cenker 8 months ago
A memento mori in the form of a watch. Tempus fugit, tehrefore carpe diem.
LB 8 months ago (edited)
Haha I was going to write: tempus fugit, mötherfückers!
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#3
Reticulated Ball, China, 19th Century
martymcmatrix 8 months ago (edited)
They're also known as Chinese »puzzle balls«, equivalent to a nowadays Rubik's cube......it was carved out of a single piece of material...the spheres / layers must be rotated until they were aligned specifically as they create a unique pattern, which is supposed to be the intended solution of the puzzle ball...🧩 🤹🏽 🙋🏽
Tim Douglass 8 months ago
These things got made because there was a time when societies valued art and creativity. Rich people and rulers would employ and support artists so that they could spend all their time working on something like this - sometimes for years to produce a single example. I wish someone would pay me to do nothing but produce beauty for the world, but our world doesn't value beauty for it's own sake, only for the money that can be exchanged for it.
Julia Mckinney 8 months ago
My dad had one of the older ones, no idea where it went when they moved but I wanted it.
RedMarbles 8 months ago
I can see why one of these with 14 layers was referred to as "devil's work" in the 16th century. Really mind-blowing creations.
Despite the disparity in time, ancient history continues to have a perceptible influence on modern society. Lawyers, for example, still use Latin words from ancient times, while many landmark buildings still feature Roman architecture.
As the National Geographic Society points out, “it is no surprise that a once-booming empire was able to impact the world in so many ways and leave a lasting legacy behind.”
#4
The Sword Of Goujian Was Discovered Untarnished And Retains Sharp Edges After ~2500 Years
Wild Cream 8 months ago
“The Sword of Goujian is a tin bronze sword, renowned for its unusual sharpness, intricate design and resistance to tarnish rarely seen in artifacts of similar age. The sword is generally attributed to Goujian, one of the last kings of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period…. The sword was found sheathed in a wooden scabbard finished in black lacquer. The scabbard had an almost air-tight fit with the sword body. Unsheathing the sword revealed an almost untarnished blade, despite the tomb being soaked in underground water for over 2,000 years.” From wiki 😊
#5
3000 Year Old Trousers. The Oldest Known Existant Pair
Elizabeth 7 months ago
Yes - such remarkable decoration, well concieved and executed!
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Eugene the Jeep 8 months ago
Must belong to a man. We never want to get rid our favorite clothing no matter the condition.
Cee Cee 8 months ago
According to sciencedirect.com and thought to be worn by horse riders and those needing to be mobile. Also shows four different types of weaving techniques. Area where they were found is very dry hence the incredible preservation.
Wild Cream 8 months ago
One of my favourite things about BP is all the extra info pandas add to the posts 😊 thanks for doing that, it’s pretty cool of you.
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Ece Cenker 8 months ago
"The world's oldest pants, a 3300-year-old wool trousers discovered in the vast Yanghai cemetery near Turfan, northwestern China" says the Reddit page whence this post comes.
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Portentia9 8 months ago (edited)
The level of grossly uneducated people that "write" for the internet is mind-boggling. Commenters are worse in that they can barely write or speak proper English in any context.
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#6
Photographed In 1974, Freshly Excavated 2000 Year Old Terracotta Warriors Still Showing The Original Color Scheme Before Rapid Deterioration
BeKind&Rewind 8 months ago
These statues and the whole story behind them are completely amazing. Each one has a different face.
ronniebeaton00 7 months ago
I saw some of these amazing statues in Edinburgh in the mid 80s. They were part of a travelling exhibition, and I believe it was the first time they'd been on display in the UK.
Ancient Egypt also developed many concepts that continue to influence our lives today. The hieroglyphics, for example, are widely regarded as a foundational element of the modern alphabet. Mummification, meanwhile, has provided valuable insights into human health, disease evolution, and prevention.
“Today, they remind us that plenty of impressive inventions are rooted in the ancient past,” archeology journalist Sam Walters wrote in an article for Discover Magazine.
#7
The Claw Of A Moa, A New Zealand Bird That Went Extinct 600 Years Ago, Has Been Preserved
Hippopotamuses 8 months ago
This would have made life really 'interesting', if the beast were still alive.
glowworm2 8 months ago
Keep in mind that bird was much bigger than an ostrich.
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RedMarbles 8 months ago
"The two largest species, Dinornis robustus and Dinornis novaezelandiae, reached about 3.6 metres (12 ft) in height with neck outstretched, and weighed about 230 kilograms (510 lb)" (from wikipedia).
Lee Gilliland 8 months ago
Moas ran nine feet or so. This would have been able to eviscerated a cow.
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Preserved Loaf Of Bread From Pompeii
Katchen 8 months ago
“Preserved” does not mean to me what it means to the writer of this caption.
Wild Cream 8 months ago
Like is this even bread any more or has it been consumed by the green 😂
Load More Replies... The Other Guest 8 months ago
Max Miller recreated this bread on his Tasting History channel (sans the burning, of course): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw2qrt6tOKw&t=10s
Lee Gilliland 8 months ago
It was made with deep creases so it would tear easier.
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#9
Snapshot Of The Models For 'American Gothic'
Richard Graham 8 months ago
The woman is artist Grant Wood's sister, Nan Wood Graham, and his dentist, Dr. Byron McKeeby.
🇺🇦 🇵🇸 TribbleThinking 8 months ago
When I saw the photograph, my thought was that he must have really disliked his sister!
RedMarbles 8 months ago
He did not seem to capture her as accurately as he did his dentist.
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We often look at ancient history with fascination and awe, and these artifacts are a testament to that. However, many historians believe that these stories should be told as they happened, including the unsavory details.
University of Warwick professor Michael Scott points out how the Greek and Roman civilizations once normalized “a spectrum of misogynist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, and homophobic ideas.”
#10
Hercules Armor Of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II, 1555-1560
BeKind&Rewind 8 months ago
What an absolute work of art! Imagine all of the sweat equity the maker put in. Just wow.
Wild Cream 8 months ago (edited)
And these days, something modern like this wouldn’t even be that impressive because we’d know it’s probably just a modern machine controlled by a computer. But back when this was done by hand - wow!!
Load More Replies... Lee Gilliland 8 months ago (edited)
I laughed when Game of Thrones had the knights wearing this kind of armor into battle. Stuff like this was strictly for jousts and ceremonies.
RedMarbles 8 months ago
Although it seems Game of Thrones did not take place in our world :)
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Lowrider 56 7 months ago
Must be ceremonial, it would be in rough shape had it been used in battle.
Dieter Aab 7 months ago
And rather squeeky too, unless taken for regular lubrication.
Load More Replies... znhgww9rs6 8 months ago
it's a work of art and remarkable craftsmanship, especially for the time period
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#11
Axe With Intact Shaft Uncovered At Rødbyhavn, Denmark. Dates To The Stone Age, About 5,500 Years Ago
#12
Strange And Beautiful
Scott believes modern-day classicists and ancient historians must challenge how stories about ancient civilizations are often presented, particularly as educational materials.
“[We must] highlight both the similarities and the differences between us and them, as well as pushing back the boundaries so that everyone can learn from the past,” he said in an interview with the University of Warwick online publication.
#13
One Of The Few Authentic Old Jolly Rogers In The World
Lee Gilliland 8 months ago
There are three left, although one is questionable. https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/g1r6lq/there_are_only_three_preserved_pirate_flags_in/
Load More Replies... Love my fur baby 7 months ago
I upvote because I appreciate that these artifacts have been shared.
#14
Ancient Greek Helmets, Classical Period, From Olympia Museum Store Room
Brian Droste 8 months ago
Does anybody know ow why they are green? Were they made out of copper?
TiNaBoNiNa 8 months ago
The Bronze Age lasted ~ from 3000 BCE to 1200 BCE. Greece emerged during this period, so it makes sense that these helmets are made from bronze.
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#15
A 19th-Century "Cluster Of Rats" Carving From Japan
Wild Cream 8 months ago
Not a depiction of a king rat, but I understand the instinct to say this when you hear “cluster of rats”
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Panda Cat 7 months ago
https://ridiculouslyinteresting.com/2012/10/07/a-cluster-of-rats/
Load More Replies... Panda Cat 7 months ago
Not all ivory came from elephants. Walrus, narwhal, and mammoth were also used. If it was mammoth during the last 4,000- 5,000 it was scavenged, and not from the living animal. Worldwide demand for ivory was much lower during the middle ages than it was at the peak so they may not have been killing the elephants for it.
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These artifacts and the snippets of information are bite-sized history lessons for everyone. Just by looking at them, we gain insight into how people lived their lives and how societies functioned.
Historian Stephanie E. Effevottu summed it up perfectly: “History is the study of both change and continuity.”
#16
The Engagement Ring Napoleon Gave To Josephine
C L 8 months ago
Was it redesigned? The ring shows the points going in opposite directions, the picture show them pointing away from each other.
Wild Cream 8 months ago
“Points going in opposite directions” and “pointing away from each other” mean the same thing, don’t they?
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#17
12,000 Year Old Petroglyphs Discovered In India That May Hold Clues To A Previously Unknown Civilization
Pferdchen 8 months ago
This might be more impressive if it didn't show Sumerian reliefs as inserts. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indus_valley_civilization_%22Gilgamesh%22_seal_(2500-1500_BC).jpg
El Cucuy 8 months ago
I think they are trying to compare the Indian petroglyphs to the Sumerian ones. Peculiar similarity.
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#18
Tipu's Tiger, Life-Sized Wooden Mechanical Organ From 1793
Rebecca McManus 7 months ago (edited)
Used to see that in the Horniman museum when I was a kid
#19
The Roman Wine Of Speyer Is The Oldest Wine Of The World That Is Still Liquid. The Bottle Has Been Dated Between 325 And 350 Ad. It Was Found In 1867 In A Grave And Is Today In A Museum
Wild Cream 8 months ago
It’s not :) but still more liquid than any other wine this age
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Kira Okah 8 months ago
Most wines are not made for aging, this one most likely wasn't either.
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Major Harris 8 months ago
but, does it pairs best with beef and dishes or chicken and white sauce dishes?
#20
Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron That Has Been Found In England (More Than A Hundread Of These Have Been Found All Over Europe, But Nobody Knows What Are They For)
Littlemiss 8 months ago (edited)
They just discovered a few hundred odd cat treat dispensers. That's what it looks like to me.
DowntownStevieB 8 months ago (edited)
I feel like these were for erecting their tents. Poles can pop into the holes for the frame and the other bumps hold the fabric parts in place.
LauraDragonWench 8 months ago
I don't see why they can't be anything more spectacular than children's toys. They look perfectly sized and shaped to entertain young kids.
Kira Okah 8 months ago (edited)
If they were just common children's toys, why are they made of bronze rather than something cheaper, and why aren't there more of them?
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JK 8 months ago
Most likely theory is that they were used for surveying/building roads, measuring distances and the like. The glove weaving has been pretty much debunked, especially as you'd expect to find more in populated areas if it was a standard knitting tool, plus the have been found in the warmest climates of the roman empire, but very few in the coldest (where gloves are usually more necessary)
Kira Okah 8 months ago
No they didn't, a single person speculated that they did, using a form of knitting that didn't exist prior to the 16th century. It's quite disproven.
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Shakespeare's Last Surviving Handwritten Play Script
JB 8 months ago
Oddly, not one of his plays, but one his company did - Sir Thomas More. "Hand D" is thought to be Shakespeare.
the sixthgirl 8 months ago
Nice job recognizing that. I was struggling to read any of it, and I'm actually pretty familiar with Early Modern English.
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Chewie Baron 8 months ago
Not sure why you were downvoted, as it’s a line from a Stat Trek film.
Load More Replies... superfluous 8 months ago
"last surviving" KNOWN "handwritten play script". Technically there could be others in existence that haven't been found.
#22
19th-Century Mysterious Carved Coffins That Were Found In Edinburgh
persephone134 8 months ago
I saw them at the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh. They are the size of doll house furniture. Perhaps some very macabre, custom-made doll house.
April Morris 8 months ago
So, they had Goths back in the 19th century, huh? My niece will be delighted although she won't crack a smile. 😆
#23
Enouy's Percussion Revolver
The patent was referring to a bizarre contraption that was later nicknamed the "ferris wheel". It is a rotating wheel of sorts which has eight spokes, each carrying an individual cylinder of six chambers. This amounts to 48 shots in total, making Enouy's revolver one of the highest-capacity revolvers in the world! Certainly, for the mid-1800s, this was an impressive feat.
Norm Gilmore 8 months ago
Agreed. A blog I read on it described it as 'very heavy, unbalanced and unwieldy'
Load More Replies... Love my fur baby 7 months ago
Would definitely need "concealed carry" permit.(US) and wheeled cart.
#24
Agreement That Ended World War II, Showing That Canada Signed In The Wrong Place
Wild Cream 8 months ago
To be fair, we’re a bunch of silly (Canada) gooses up here 😊 but don’t mess with us.
Load More Replies... Doogie Bowser 7 months ago
If that's our worst snafu, we're still way ahead of other countries 🇨🇦
#25
A 1,500-Year-Old Byzantine Church Was Found Beneath A Highway
LauraDragonWench 8 months ago
"Its" = possessive. "It's" = contraction of "it" and "is." Sorry, I hate being this person, but I also hate needless ignorance.
Wild Cream 8 months ago (edited)
English isn’t her first language. She actually speaks it quite well and is very easy to understand, despite the occasional mistake. It’s not “needless ignorance,” it’s someone who is still learning another language. How would you like it if someone called you ignorant because you stumbled while speaking a language you’re still trying to learn? Smh. Click the bottom left link under the photo (“Israel Antiquities Authority Official Channel”) and watch the video, and then come back and tell me if you think she’s still needlessly ignorant.
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#26
19th-Century Map Of A Woman's Heart
superfluous 8 months ago
OMFG! I don't know if I'm more offended or amused! By a lady??? Drain the purse??? Male traps in the Province of Deception?? I'm gonna go with eewww.
Owen 8 months ago
There is so much wrong with this, but I love the idea of the Pyramids of Fashion.
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Rebecca Taylor 7 months ago
This so called lady hated other females. This offensive to women of that time period. Or maybe a man made it and thought they will hurt me if I say it was me. Lets blame in on a women.
the sixthgirl 8 months ago
"Land of Oblivion" has been renamed "Friend Zone" by disaffected modern men.
#27
An Islamic Artefact, The Black Stone, Was Found In Kaaba
It is said that it was white originally, but when Angel Gabriel brought it from heaven, it turned black from absorbing the sins of humans.
Ravenkbh 8 months ago
I guess it didn't absorb all of them. Gabriel should have brought a bigger stone.
Panda Cat 7 months ago
i think it’s on the outside. It wasn’t necessarily Islamic initially. I can’t remember exactly what the black box in Mecca had originally but they had to remodel or rededicate it in order for it to become something for Islam. 🕋 I know that’s a terrible description but I’m not going down that rabbit hole right now.
Load More Replies... Hippopotamuses 8 months ago
Great marketing! But if it absorbed the sins of humans, why do babies still have to be baptised?
Julie Rogers 8 months ago
It's an Islamic artifact, and Muslims don't practice baptism.
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RamiRudolph 8 months ago
So did it just absorb the sins up to that point...? Because there are still many sins being commited in the world.
The Cute Cat 8 months ago
It is not "found in kaaba".. It is part of kaaba when Abraham built it
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