We usually learn history through the written word. While those sources can tell us a great deal, there’s something different (and oftentimes more powerful) about seeing the actual objects that people once forged, carried, and treasured. Suddenly, distant events and long-gone civilizations become much easier to imagine.
Luckily for us nerds, there’s a subreddit dedicated to sharing fascinating historical artifacts from around the world. Whether we’re talking about ancient artwork and weapons or everyday tools and personal belongings, it’s packed with all sorts of remarkable gems. Here are our favorites.
#1 Cylindrical Hematite Weights From Warka In Iraq. Old Babylonian Empire, 2000-1600 Bce, Now Housed At The British Museum
Image source: Fckoff555
#2 Meymand Is A Very Ancient Village In Iran
It Is Believed To Be A Primary Human Residence In The Iranian Plateau, Dating Back To 12,000 Years Ago. Many Of The Residents Live In The 350 Hand-Dug Houses Amid The Rocks, Some Of Which Have Been Inhabited For As Long As 3,000 Years.
Image source: Fckoff555
The subreddit that collects these pictures has more than 172,000 members, and its popularity echoes the words of the American Historical Association, which said that most people care about history for reasons transcending classroom requirements.
“There are obviously many reasons why people take [an] interest in history,” the organization wrote. “These interests can be deeply self-serving or altruistic, conscious or subconscious, voluntary or compulsory, to list just a few competing possibilities.”
According to its survey of 1,816 Americans, 39% say they are driven mostly by the desire to be more informed about past events, 33% find learning about the past entertaining, 19% view it as important knowledge to be shared with children, and 2% claim it’s because something is required for class, while the rest (roughly 8%) report having no interest in past events.
#3 Dagger With Openwork Blade And Carved Ivory Handle Depicting Hindu Figures. Madurai, India, 1600-1645
Image source: MunakataSennin
#4 Portrait Of A Woman. Faiyum, Egypt, Roman Period, 3rd-4th Century Ad
Image source: MunakataSennin
#5 Turkish Tent Captured By Polish Forces During The Battle Of Vienna (1683)
Created C. 1683, Made Of Linen And Cotton, Richly Decorated, Wawel Royal Castle National Art Collection, Kraków, Poland.
Image source: Snoo_90160
You might wonder why we are still finding so many of these traces, but the truth of the matter is that we likely have much, much more to uncover beneath us as urban development, natural environmental shifts, and the use of advanced scanning technologies continue to reveal what was previously hidden.
For example, a group of scholars from the University of Colorado, the National Museum of Mongolia, and partners from around the world analyzed melting ice patches in western Mongolia, which function as natural “freezers,” preserving organic materials that would normally decay.
The team’s fieldwork has revealed artifacts such as woven ropes, hunting tools, and animal remains that can be dated to more than 1,500 years ago! These objects, often astonishingly well-preserved, are helping researchers reconstruct aspects of ancient pastoral and hunting cultures in the Altai region, including the technologies used and the importance of big-game hunting alongside herding practices.
#6 The Building Of Wells Cathedral In England, Dedicated To St. Andrew The Apostle, Started In 1175 Ce And Went On For Almost 300 Years
In 1338 Ce, The So-Called St. Andrew’s Cross Arches Were Added To The Building To Support The Central Tower, Giving The Cathedral Its Unique Appearance.
Image source: Fckoff555
#7 The Marlik Cup, Dating Back To Around 1400 Bc, Features Four Mythical Winged Bulls In Lifelike And Dynamic Poses, With Their Wings Extended Outward As If They Are About To Take Flight
Discovered At Marlik Village In Northern Iran, It Is Housed At The National Museum Of Iran.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#8 The Wine Cellars Of Hercegkút In Hungary, 18th-19th Century Ce
Image source: Fckoff555
#9 A Roman Temple-Theater Complex Located 450 Meters Above Sea Level In Caserta, Dating Back To The 2nd Century Bc
It Was Accidentally Discovered In 2000 By A Local Pilot Flying His Ultralight Helicopter, Who Noticed Its Unusual Layout From The Air After A Fire Had Cleared The Vegetation.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
And sometimes, even artificial intelligence—which has been receiving a lot of criticism and is constantly questioned over whether it can truly benefit society—can also prove itself useful in unexpected ways.
Last year, AI was reported to have helped identify traces of ancient civilizations more than 5,000 years old hidden beneath some of the world’s largest deserts, including areas in the heart of the Dubai desert, all without a single shovel being used.
In simple terms, new technology like AI is now being used alongside advanced ground-scanning tools to make archaeology faster and more effective. Special radar systems can “see” through sand, plants, and even ice to reveal shapes and structures buried underground. When this radar data is combined with AI that is trained to recognize patterns from past discoveries, it becomes much easier to spot possible human-made structures across huge areas.
#10 The Wallace Amethyst. In The 20th Century, Wallace Chan Developed The Wallace Cut Technique, An Inner Layered Intaglio. China
Image source: luis-mercado
#11 A Men’s Gilded Leather Shoes From Norfolk
Dating To 1890-1899 Ad. Crafted With Meticulous Attention To Detail, These Ankle Boots Are A Blend Of Silvered Leather, Black Silk Brocade, And Gold Gilded Accents.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#12 Double Chromatic Harp With Two Sets Of Strings That Cross Near Their Midpoint
One Row Of Strings Has The Naturals For A C Major Scale, Like White Notes On A Modern Piano, While The Second Set Of Strings Has The Accidentals, Or Black Notes, Late 19th Century.
Image source: KatyaRomici00
#13 Detail Of The Right Foot Of Hercules, From The “Hercules And Lichas” Marble Statue Made By The Italian Sculptor Antonio Canova In 1795
The Sculpture Is Now On Display At The National Gallery Of Modern Art In Rome.
Image source: Fckoff555
However, it may be worth not focusing too much on the “sparkle” alone. The aforementioned survey from the American Historical Association also found that people prefer to encounter history on its own terms and actively investigate it, rather than passively receive it.
This is reflected in the 64 percent who said they would rather learn by reading or examining historical documents and artifacts, compared to the 36 percent who preferred to receive information directly from an expert.
But, “how well those results would hold up in practice, especially when learners encountered ambivalent, confusing, or even contradictory readings and evidence, is debatable,” the organization writes.
#14 Roman Statue Of Two Greyhounds, Discovered In The Villa Of Antoninus Pius, Mid 2nd Century
Image source: Jokerang
#15 The Criel Mound In West Virginia, Built In 250–150 Bc. Inside The Mound, There Was 2 Skeletons Near The Top, And 11 At The Base
Image source: Fckoff555
#16 The Hoxne Hoard, The Largest Hoard Of Late Roman Silver And Gold Discovered In Britain
It Was Accidentally Found By A Man When He Set Out With A Metal Detector To Find A Hammer He Had Lost In A Farm. The British Government Rewarded Him With £1.75 Million. He Found His Hammer Afterwards.
Image source: Fckoff555
#17 Jade Cicadas, Meant To Be Placed On The Tongues Of The Dead To Signify Rebirth. China, Han Dynasty, 202 Bc–220 Ad [2323×3000]
Image source: MunakataSennin
Looking into history and examining artifacts on your own often reveals contradictions to what you already think you know. And that shouldn’t be avoided.
When we challenge our understanding rather than simply sticking to what we already believe, we strengthen our critical thinking skills.
But to do that, we also need credible expert perspectives to help guide our interpretation and separate reliable information from misleading or incomplete accounts.
#18 In 1994, Archaeologists Uncovered A Life-Sized Marble Statue Of Roman Emperor Hadrian, Clad In Full Armor
Remarkably Well-Preserved, The Statue Highlights The Importance Of Troy Under Roman Rule And Recalls Hadrian’s Visit To The City In 124 Ad, When He Sponsored Major Renovations.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#19 Napoleon’s Private Bathroom, Featuring A Unique Recessed Bathtub, Located Within His Apartment At The Villa Pisani In Stra, Northern Italy
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#20 A Kimono Decorated With Skeletons, From Japan, 1840-1860 Ce, Now Housed At The Victoria And Albert Museum In London
Image source: Fckoff555
#21 A Woman Is Attacked By The Kamikiri (“Hair-Cutter”) On Her Way To The Toilet. Translation In Comments. Print By Utagawa Yoshifuji. Japan, 1868
Image source: MunakataSennin
#22 The 3,200 Year Old Hypostyle Hall Of The Karnak Temple In Egypt, With 134 Massive Columns Covered In Hieroglyphs (And My Son To Scale)
Image source: intofarlands
#23 Dress Worn By Archduchess Mary Of Austria On Her Wedding To Louis II Of Hungary In 1515
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#24 Close Up Of Pictograph Of European Man, Probably A Spaniard, At Vaquero Alcove In Texas
This Was Obviously Painted By A Native Who Had Personally Witnessed The Man. Photo: The University Of Texas At Austin Texas Archeological Research.
Image source: CryptographerKey2847
#25 Part Of The Letter From Persian King Tahmasp To Ottoman Sultan Suleiman
It Was Written After The Ottomans’ Swift Retreat From Iran In 1554: “The Roman Entered Here, Shit Himself, And Left The Next Day. You Failed To Stay Even For A Single Day Here.”
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#26 Planetarium Table Clock, Circa 1770
Image source: [deleted]
#27 James Vi Of Scotland’s Earliest Surviving Letter, Thanking His Foster Mother For Sending Him Some Fruit (1570s)
Image source: WilliamofYellow
#28 The Moss-Covered Gravestone Of The Wine And Textile Merchant Antoine Michel Wemaer (1763-1837 Ce), Located In The Central Cemetery In Bruges, Belgium
Image source: Fckoff555
#29 Vicars’ Close Is A Mid-14th Century Ce Dead End Street In Wells, Somerset, That Is Reportedly Europe’s Oldest Residential Street With The Original Buildings Still Intact
Image source: Fckoff555
#30 Dornröschen, A Marble Sculpture By German Artist Louis Sussmann-Hellborn
Created In 1878, Depicts The Fairy Tale Character Sleeping Beauty. She Lies Surrounded By Roses, With A Spindle Resting At Her Feet
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#31 A Photograph Of My Great-Grandfather, Who Served In The Military During The Qajar Empire, With A Note:
“At A Time When Only The Royal Family Had Access To Cameras, I Took My Family’s Very First Photograph, Hoping It Would Reach Future Generations. Friday Afternoon, August 12, 1896.”
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#32 A Remarkable 2,000-Year-Old Parthian Statue, Likely Depicting A Queen, Has Been Seized By Iranian Police While Being Smuggled
Experts Are Currently Analyzing The Statue To Determine Its Exact Date And Identity, Which Is Expected To Provide Significant Historical Insights.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#33 A Big Mad Letter Written By A Boy Called Theon To His Father In The 2nd Or 3rd Century Ad
Theon Was Grumpy Because His Father Was Not Going To Take Him To The Big City, Alexandria.
Image source: CryptographerKey2847
#34 Persian Cuneiform Lives On As Students Study And Write It At The Research Center For Cuneiform Studies, Iran
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#35 The Ancient City Of Hegra, In The Arabian Desert, C.50 Ce
This Rock-Hewn City Was Built By The Nabataeans, And It Originally Served As A Center For International Trade, But It Was Later Transformed Into A Necropolis With More Than 100 Monumental Tombs.
Image source: SixteenSeveredHands
#36 On The Left Is A Photo Of Juana Maria, A Native Californian Woman Who Was The Last Surviving Member Of Her Tribe, The Nicoleño
And Who Lived In A Whalebone Hut (Pictured On The Right) On San Nicolas Island Alone For 18 Years Before She Was Found In 1853 And Taken To Santa Barbara.
Image source: Fckoff555
#37 The Bracelet Of Pharaoh Amenemope Has Been Stolen By A Restoration Specialist At The Egyptian Museum And Melted Down
Dated Back To 1000 Bc, It Contained Spherical Lapis Lazuli Beads And Was Sold For Only $4,000 At A Gold Workshop In Cairo.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#38 Preserved Meat Sample From Franklin Expedition, 1845-1848
Image source: myrmekochoria
#39 At Persepolis In Iran, Dating 518 Bc
This Stone Lion Greets The Viewer With A Smiling Face From The Front, Yet As You Move To The Side, The Same Lion Appears Fierce And Angry. It Is A Masterpiece Of Ancient Persian Art That Captures Both Serenity And Aggression.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#40 90 Years Ago Today, Local Villagers In Shami Accidentally Unearthed A 2-Meter Statue While Digging In The Area
Shortly After, It Was Moved To The National Museum Of Iran And Dated To 50 Bc. The Shami Statue Is Now Considered The Single Most Important Work From The Parthian Empire.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#41 Unmaintained Portion Of The Great Wall Of China Slowly Being Reclaimed By The Gobi Desert
Image source: Fckoff555
#42 Lock Of Lucrezia Borgias Hair On Display At The Pinacoteca Ambrosiana In Milan, Italy
Image source: CryptographerKey2847
#43 The Canadian Ice Man Is A Naturally Mummified Body Of A Young Man, Found In British Columbia In 1999
With A Well-Preserved And Woven Hat, An Iron Knife With A Wooden Handle And A Coat Made Of 100 Small Pelts Of The Arctic Squirrel With Sinew From A Moose. C. 1450–1700 Ce.
Image source: Fckoff555
#44 Calculating Machine Made By Philipp Matthäus Hahn
It Was The First Calculator That Could Add, Subtract, Divide And Multiply In One Machine, And Had An 11-Digit Capacity. Germany, Duchy Of Württemberg, 1770-1774
Image source: MunakataSennin
#45 Archaeologists Unearthing A Remarkable 2,700-Year-Old Assyrian Lamassu At Ancient Dur-Sharrukin, In What Is Now Modern-Day Iraq
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#46 Byzantine Mosaic Of A Man Feeding A Donkey. 5th Or 6th Century Ce. Housed In The Istanbul Archaeological Museum In Turkey
Image source: CryptographerKey2847
#47 The Medieval Tombstone Of A Bride And Groom M*rdered At Their Wedding Along With All Their Guests
The Scene Depicted Here Is Their Wedding. 10th Century Ad, Noratus Cemetery, Armenia.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#48 Victorian Era Radiator With Built-In Food Warmer
Image source: Lepke2011
#49 Workers Excavating Persepolis For The First Time, Winter 1930, Iran
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#50 Frida Khalo’s Prosthesis And Plaster Corset
Image source: bitsxbotanicals
#51 During An Invasion Of Naghadeh Around 1200 Bc, One Of The Soldiers Grabbed A Golden Bowl From The Treasury And Tried To Escape With It
He Fell And Died Clutching It, Bending The Bowl Under His Weight. Discovered Beneath His Skeleton In 1958, It’s Now Housed At National Museum Of Iran.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#52 A 17th Century Emerald (Colombian) Carving Of A Hindu Saint, With Ruby And Gold Inlays. Part Of The Lord Glenconner’s Collection
Image source: luis-mercado
#53 Priceless Illyrian Gravestones In North Macedonia Are Kept Hidden From The Public, Smoked On, & Damaged By Trash And Other Objects
Museum Curators Turned Away A Reporter Who Wished To See The Gravestones, Telling Him – “This Has Nothing To Do With Illyrians”
Image source: DeepTune_
#54 This Is The Gaddi Torso, A Fragmentary Ancient Roman Marble Sculpture From The 2nd Century Bce
Image source: Handicapped-007
#55 A 1,500-Year-Old Byzantine Mosaic Has Just Been Uncovered In Modern-Day Turkey During A Clean-Up That Turned Into An Excavation
Featuring Geometric Panels And An Inscription Reading “Tittos Domestikos,” It Likely Belonged To A Civil Administrator’s Building.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#56 An 8th-Century Quran Manuscript Being Restored In Egypt
Considered One Of The Oldest Surviving Quran Manuscripts, It Has 1087 Leaves Weighting Around 80kg, Each Made Of One Entire Animal’s Skin.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#57 Approaching The Temple Of Hatshepsut, A 3,400 Year Old Temple Built By Perhaps The Most Powerful Woman Of Antiquity
Image source: intofarlands
#58 The Display Of A Reproduction Of The Parthenon Or Elgin Marbles
Here Shown Is The Outward Facing Frieze. At The New Acropolis Museum. The Original Marbles Are At The British Museum
Image source: Handicapped-007
#59 The Golden Larnax (Chest With The Remains) And Crown Of Alexander’s Father, Philip II Of Macedon
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#60 Chapel Of San Baudelio De Berlanga, 11th Century, Soria, Spain
It Was Built In The Middle Of Nowhere, In Lands That Were Frontier Between Christianity And Islam. A Plain Stone Square From Outside, Its Palm Tree Shaped Central Column And Frescoes Make This Church Next To Unique…
Image source: WestonWestmoreland
#61 Two 500-Year-Old Persian Helmets Crafted From Gilded Steel, Featuring Ornate Metal Face Masks
These Remarkable Helmets Were Gifted By Iran To Russia In 1534 Ad, And They Remain Preserved At The Kremlin Armoury Museum In Moscow.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#62 Mummy Portrait Of A Woman. Fayum, Egypt, 2nd Century Ad
Image source: MunakataSennin
#63 The Garmsar Salt Cave Features Massive Salt Pillars That Support Its Ceiling
Formed And Shaped By The Achaemenid Empire During Salt Extraction In 550–330 Bc. Located In The Iranian County Of The Same Name, The Cave Has 27 Mines, And The One Shown Here Is A Popular Tourist Attraction.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#64 Between 2008 And 2014, Scientists Rappelled Down Cliffs, In Southern Spain, To Reach A Dozen Bearded Vulture Nests And Begin Analyzing What Was Inside Them
They Discovered A 750-Year-Old Shoe, Along With More Than 200 Other Human Artifacts
Image source: Fckoff555
#65 The Giant Bath Tub For Alexander Of Russia In Babolovsky Palace, St. Petersburg (1801-1825)
The Tub Was Originally A Chunk Of Granite From A Finnish Island, Weighed Over 160 Tonnes. A Team Was Given The Task Of Turning The Rock Into A Bathtub, And It Took A Decade To Get The Job Done.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#66 Roman Anthropomorphic Dice In The Form Of Squatting Figures
The Silver Dice Work Much Like Conventional Dice, With Their Various Sides Numbered With 1 To 6 Red Dots. 1st-2nd Century Ce, British Museum.
Image source: Fckoff555
#67 Spider Web Snuffbox, Paris, 1747-48
Image source: [deleted]
#68 Breastplate Armor Of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, 1549
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#69 Mirror Work Inside The 1,000-Year-Old Shah Cheragh Shrine In Shiraz, Iran
One Of The Holiest Sites In Shia Islam, It Is The Resting Place Of The Son Of The Seventh Imam, Known In Persian As Shah Cheragh (“King Of Light”).
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#70 A Cherub Carved In Malachite, With Inset Diamond Eyes, Mounted Over A Gold Ring. United States, Late 19th Century
Image source: luis-mercado
#71 Hellenistic Greek Cast Glass Pomegranate Vase, Tinted With Colloidal Gold To Achieve The Burgundy Shade, 2nd Century Bce
Image source: luis-mercado
#72 4000-Year-Old Ropes In An Egyptian Cave At Mersa Gawasis
Which Was Apparently Used As A Port In The Reigns Of Senusret I To Amenemhat Iv Of The 12th Dynasty, And Served As A Loading Point For Expeditions To Punt During The Reign Of Hatshepsut (C. 1479-1458 Bce)
Image source: Fckoff555
#73 Swords Of The Aegean, The Intersection Of Anatolian And Mycenaean Cultures
These Blades Are A Distinct Category Of Weapons That Originated In The Aegean Region, Particularly During The Late Bronze Age Dating From 1600 To 1200 Bc.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#74 The Flooded Crypt Of The Basilica Di San Francesco In Ravenna, Italy,10th Century
Image source: PaTaY-oK-1429
#75 Portrait Of Pigeon’s Egg Head
An Assiniboine Warrior Who Was Murdered By His Tribesmen Because They Couldn’t Believe His Stories About The Settlers’ Cities. Painting By George Catlin, 1831.
Image source: MunakataSennin
#76 Ivory Sculpture Of A Fisherman With Net And Basket. Japan, Meiji Period, 1868–1912
Image source: MunakataSennin
#77 Portrait Of An Unidentified Man That Was Placed Over The Face And Upper Torso Of His Mummy
Dated To 150-170 Ad, It Is Painted In Encaustic On A Panel Of Linden Wood, And It Was Originated In Roman Egypt.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#78 An 18th Century Bce Old Babylonian Letter Written By The Student Iddin-Sin To His Mother Zinu
In Which He Complaints About The Poor Quality Of Clothes His Mother Sent Him Compared To Those Of His Peers, Noting That Even The Adopted Son Of One Of His Father’s Servants Had Better Clothing.
Image source: Fuckoff555
#79 This Paperweight, Made Of Haematite Carved In The Shape Of A Grasshopper, Looks Pretty Modern
But It Was Hand-Carved Between 1800-1700 Bc, In Ancient Babylonia (In Modern-Day Iraq) British Museum.
Image source: Handicapped-007
#80 In A Stunning Find Deep In The Woods Of North Jura, Poland, Metal Detectorists Have Found A Roman Sword From 2,000 Years Ago
The Sword Was In Three Pieces, Which Researchers Think Might Mean It Was Part Of A Burial Or Ceremony.
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#81 Portrait Of Two Brothers From Roman Egypt, 140 Ad
Image source: Party_Judgment5780
#82 Golden Wreath Of Greeks Dating Back To 300 Bc,the Hellenistic Era
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
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