Interesting specimens that have managed to survive the test of time.
The world is far more fascinating than most people give it credit for. The popular way to think would have you assume that history is full of useless stories of people we can't relate to, but we're here to tell you that that couldn't be further from the truth.
From old knight's helmets to lost monoliths to sunken treasure, here are 44 perfect examples of artifacts from the past that make our ancient ancestors seem a bit more like us.
1
"A Fabric Womb Made By Angélique Du Coudray, A French Midwife Who Was Commissioned By King Louis Xv To Reduce Infant Mortality"
2
"An Egyptian Rock Crystal Of A Chonky Hinpopotamus Amulet, Middle Kingdom, Ca. 2050-1650 Bc"
3
"In Ancient Rome, Roads Were Dotted With White Stones (Cats' Eyes) Which Reflected The Moonlight, Acting As Street Lights To Help People Walk On The Street After Dark. Pictured Is A Roman Road In Pompeii"
4
"This 14th Century Door At Exeter Cathedral, UK, Is Thought To Be The Oldest Existing Cat Flap"
5
"Detail From The “Unswept Floor” Mosaic Made By Heraclitus, Showing A Mouse Eating A Walnut. 2nd Century Ce, Now On Display At The Vatican Museums"
6
"Roman Army Knife (201-300 Ad); Has A Spoon, Knife, Fork, Spike, Spatula And Pick Allowing The User To Even Clean Between Their Teeth After Eating. It Was Part Of The Equipment Of Roman Legions"
7
"A 1800-Year Old Ceramic Horse. Han Dynasty (202 Bce– 9 Ce, 25–220 Ce), Now Housed At The Sanxingdui Museum In China"
8
"Fall Of The Rebel Angels, Carved Out Of A Single Piece Of Marble In 1740 By Italian Sculptor Agostino Fasolato, It Depicts 60 Fallen Angels"
9
"Details Of The Dolphin's Armor Of Henry, The Future King Henry II Of France, Made By Negroli Francesco In Milan In The 1540s. Now On Display At The Army Museum In Paris"
10
"An Adorable Ancient Egyptian Otter Statue!"
11
"A Roman Bronze Colander From Pompeii, Italy, 1st Century Bc"
12
"A 2,000-Year-Old Green Serpentine Stone Mask Was Found At The Base Of The Pyramid Of The Sun In Teotihuacan, Mexico"
13
"Great Zimbabwe Was A Medieval African City Known For Its Large Circular Wall And Tower. It Was Part Of A Wealthy African Trading Empire That Controlled Much Of The East African Coast From 11th-15th Centuries Ce. Great Zimbabwe Is The Name Of The Stone Ruins Of An Ancient City Near Modern Day Masvingo, Zimbabwe. People Lived In Great Zimbabwe Beginning Around 1100 Ce, But Abandoned It In 15th Century Ce. The City Was The Capital Of The Kingdom Of Zimbabwe, Which Was A Shona (Bantu) Trading Empire. Zimbabwe Means “Stone Houses” In Shona"
14
"The 2000-Year-Old Clothes Of The Huldremose Woman, A Bog Body Recovered In 1879 From A Peat Bog Near Ramten In Denmark"
15
"Frog, By The Japanese Artist Matsumoto Hoji. 1814 Ce"
16
"Abuna Yem’ata Guh In Ethiopia. Situated At A Height Of 8,460 Ft, The Hewn Church Has To Be Climbed On Foot To Reach. It Is Notable For Its Architecture, Dome & Wall Paintings Dating Back To The 5th Century"
17
"14000 Years Old Bisons Sculptures Found In Le Tuc D'audoubert Cave. Ariege, France"
18
"Roman Brick From Cherchell, Algeria With A Perfect 2000 Year-Old Imprint Of A Human Hand"
19
"A Megalithic Monument In Spain That's Older Than The Pyramids Was Recently Uncovered From Its Watery Hiding Place By A Drought"
20
"Château De Chenonceau, Indre-Et-Loire, France"
21
"Rock Engravings Of Val Camonica In Brescia, Italy"
22
"Ancient Near Eastern Clay Vessel With Two Feet (1000–800 Bc), From Northern Iran"
23
"Thonis-Heracleion Was One Of Egypt's Greatest Ports, But It Slowly Submerged Into The Sea From C.100 Bce-800 Ce"
24
"A Black Mug. Southern Italy, 2400(!) Years Old"
25
"Gilded Silver And Rock Crystal Vessel, Crafted In Nuremberg, Germany, Circa 1580"
26
"A Horreo Is A Traditional Granary Or Storage Building Commonly Found In The Northwest Region Of Spain, Particularly In Galicia, Asturias, And Cantabria"
27
"Ancient Greece Toys. About 2300 Years Old"
28
"Michelangelo's Secret Drawing Room Was Found Under A Church In Florence, Italy, In 1975 And Is Now Open To The Public"
29
"Rhyton In The Shape Of A Dog's Head, Greece, Circa 480 Bc"
30
"Pictured Above Is The Marble Lace Neckerchief Carved By French Sculptor Louis-Philippe Mouchy (1734 - 1801), Who Masterfully Created The Marble Statue In 1781"
31
"Viking's Blacksmith Tools And Weapons Found In Grave, Ca. 800 A.d. Norway"
32
"Wedding Mantua Worn By Helena Slicher, Over 2 Meters Wide. The Netherlands, 1759"
33
"3,700-Year-Old Ancient Clay Tablet Containing Applied Geometry. A Millennia Before The Birth Of Pythagoras"
34
"Holy Trinity Church, A Historical Building In Hrastovlje, A Village In Southwestern Slovenia, It Is A Romanesque Church From 12th Century Ce. Church Stands Behind A Wall That Local Population Built To Protect Itself From Turkish Attacks In 16th Century Ce"
35
"Ivory And Ebony Chess Pieces Shaped Like Insects. Italy, 1790"
36
"Octopus Vase From Palaikastro. Greek, 1500 Bce"
37
"The Giant Flag Of The French Ship Le Genereux, Which Was Captured By One Of Admiral Nelson's Captains Sir Edward Berry At The Battle Of Malta Convoy In 1800. (With Humans For Scale)"
38
"A Little Alpine Refuge That Was Built More Than 2700m Above Sea Level In Italy’s Dolomite Mountains (Mount Cristallo) Is Among Most Dramatic Reminders Of Wwi"
39
"Medieval City Walls (12th-13th Centuries Ce) Of Provins, Seine-Et-Marne, France. The Historic Walled City Of Provins Is An Outstanding And Authentic Example Of A Medieval Fair Town In Champagne, A Region That Was An Important Centre Of Exchange, And Which Witnessed, Together With The Rise Of Trading Fairs In 11th Century Ce, The Beginning Of Significant International Trade In Europe"
40
"Gold Ring, Roman Egypt, 1st Century Ad"
41
"A Steam-Powered Elevator In The House Of Guard Captain S. Muyaki In St. Petersburg, Russia. Circa 1902-1903"
42
"One Of Two Huge Marble Lustration (Ritual Purification) Urns That Were Brought To The Hagia Sophia From Pergamon During The Reign Of The Ottoman Sultan Murad III"
43
"Johann Sebastian Bach's Handwritten Personal Copy Of His Mass In B Minor, Held By The Berlin State Library, And Added To Unesco's Memory Of The World Register"
44
"Ship's Biscuit With Inscription. Great Yarmouth, England, 1885"
45
""Devil In The Glass". Cast In Glass, The Small Figure Of A Devil Is Made Of Black Lead"
