Objects from the past offer us a tangible connection to history. It could be a book, a documentary, or an ancient artifact. Whether they date back eons, they can show us how people lived in a very different time and make their experiences feel more real.
Just look at these examples from this subreddit, which features relics “made or shaped by mankind throughout history.” They have 146,000 “artifact lovers” and counting, proving our inherent fascination with objects from older civilizations that carry colorful backstories.
This list features some of the community’s most eye-catching posts. Many of these may make you want to dig a little deeper (pun intended), which is always fun if you consider yourself a history buff. Don’t forget to upvote your favorites!
#1 Located At The Granite Quarries Of Ancient Egypt In Aswan, Not Far From The Famous Unfinished Obelisk, Another Huge Piece Of Rock Was Even Closer To Being Freed
Image source: anon
#2 Inky Paw Prints On A 15th-Century Flemish Manuscript
Image source: Vahdo
#3 A Japanese Carved Ivory Banana, Meiji Period (1868-1912)
Image source: innuendoPL
Many of the artifacts featured on this list are centuries old. Yet they remain intact for everyone to marvel at today, and even touch, to a degree. That can make one wonder: how are these objects preserved?
Conservators Laura D’Alessandor and Alison Whyte shared insider details in a 2024 interview with the University of Chicago.
#4 “The Hen Picture” (Hönstavlan) By Johan Pasch, A Surreal 1747 Painting Depicting Swedish Court Ladies As Chickens With Human Heads. National Museum, Stockholm
Image source: CryptographerKey2847
#5 This Is The Actual Pine Branch Left At The Burial Site By The K**ler In Finland’s Most Known Unsolved M**der
Auli Kyllikki Saari (6 December 1935 – 1953) was a 17-year-old Finnish girl whose m**der in 1953 became one of the most infamous cases of homicide in Finland’s history. Her m**der in Isojoki remains unsolved.
s**t-n-water:
I don’t understand, did the k**ler plant that stick as a sort of grave marker on the bog and it was recovered?
Exciting-Detail-58 OP:
Yes. The stick was sharpened with a knife on the other end and when it was struck to the ground it pierced one of victim’s lungs. Investigation concluded that the body must have been in the state of decomposition in order for it to be possible. So perhaps the k**ler has been visiting the site multiple times or the body was buried long after she was k**led.
Image source: Exciting-Detail-58
#6 A 19th Century Ce Snake Bridge On The Macclesfield Canal, In England, Which Allowed The Towpath To Cross The Canal Without The Horse Being Unhitched From The Narrowboat It Was Pulling
Image source: anon
According to Whyte, artifacts go through a rigorous process in which conservators like her determine and maintain the optimal environment for them. Relative humidity and light levels are just two key factors to consider.
“We carry out treatments on objects when necessary, including cleaning, stabilization, repairs, and reconstructions,” Whyte said.
#7 A Group Of Ancient Egyptian Glass Rods, Circa 5th-1st Century Bce, Sold At Christie’s In 2012
Spudbanger:
“To create certain designs, Egyptian glassworkers began stretching lumps of glass into long thin rods called canes. These canes could later be re-heated and moulded, and were sometimes used to decorate vessels, or shaped to create earrings.”
Millefiori designs, invented in Egypt, fused slices of rods, which were coloured and patterned in layers, like sticks of rock, to form patterns likened to a thousand flowers – millefiori.
Image source: anon
#8 ‘schwepped Of Their Feet Both’ Is A Pair Of Paintings Made By The English Artist William Henry Hamilton Trood In 1887 Ce
Image source: anon
#9 In 2016, Archaeologists Found An Ancient Clay Pot With Traces Of 3,000-Year-Old Burnt Cheese, Tossed In An Ancient Trash Heap In Denmark
Image source: anon
During the interview, Whyte and D’Alessandro were conserving a collection of nearly 300 glazed clay bricks dating to the eighth century B.C.E. from the Sin Temple at Dur-Sharrukin, in today’s Khorsabad, Iraq.
As D’Alessandro explains, the excavators photographed and labeled each brick before carefully packing them into more than 40 crates.
#10 The Khufu Ship Is A 4500-Year-Old
Intact Full-Size Solar Barque From Ancient Egypt That Was Sealed Into A Pit At The Foot Of The Great Pyramid Of Pharaoh Khufu In The Giza Pyramid Complex. The Ship Is 43.4 M Long And 5.9 M Wide And Was Identified As The World’s Oldest Intact Ship.
Image source: anon
#11 The Piercing Eyes Of The Antikythera Ephebe, Found In The 1900s Off The Coast Of Antikythera, Greece
Image source: Rich_Presentation827
#12 A Coptic Magical Text (Spell To Acquire A Beautiful Voice), 6th–7th Century Ce, From Egypt. Ink On Papyrus, Now Part Of Beinecke Rare Book And Manuscript Library At Yale University
Fuckoff555:
This papyrus records two different spells. The upper text is a spell to obtain a beautiful singing voice. The petitioner is instructed to prepare special ink so as to inscribe a chalice with powerful signs. Next, the petitioner is told to procure a divination bowl and an offering, and recite a prayer to “Harmozel, the great ruler.” The conclusion of the prayer invokes the power of the Holy Trinity: “Yea, yea, for I adjure you by the left hand of the Father, I adjure you by the head of the Son, I adjure you by the hair of the Holy Spirit.” Harmozel is depicted as a winged angel; his trumpet emits strings of Coptic letters as he blows.
Image source: anon
Whyte then explained that the process of taking them out of the crates required much patience, considering the fragility of the bricks
“Stabilization can involve cleaning to remove any residual dirt from burial, consolidation, and repairs,” she explained. “Consolidation essentially means applying a low concentration of an adhesive to the surface to try to make it stronger.”
#13 Marie Antoinette’s Final Note, Written At 4.30am On The Morning Of Her E**cution, 16th October 1793
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#14 The Sendai City Tomizawa Site Museum, In Northern Japan
Preserves A Fossilized Forest, Where The Remains Of Human Habitation That Occurred 20,000 Years Ago Were Discovered In 1988. The Bottom Picture Shows A Campfire Remains And A Hole Where Stone Tools Were Buried.
Image source: anon
#15 The West Portals Of The Massive Strasbourg Cathedral In France (With A Person In The Foreground For Scale)
Image source: anon
A conservator’s job is to preserve these historical relics and make them stand the test of time for future generations to see up close. It is an essential and arduous undertaking, which is why D’Alessandro takes pride in her work.
“We are the caretakers of a remarkable part of the world’s cultural heritage here at the University of Chicago. And it’s an amazing resource for people locally, as well as researchers from all over the world.”
#16 This Painting Of A Cave Bear, At The Chauvet Cave In France
Was Drawn With 14 Lines Around 32,000 Years Ago. The Artist Used A Technique Known As ‘Stump-Drawing’ – The Use Of Fingers Or A Piece Of Hide To Paint The Muzzle And To Emphasize The Outlines Of The Head And Forequarters.
Image source: anon
#17 A Helmet Shaped Like A Seashell. Japan, 1618
Image source: Objective-Chip3445
#18 An Elamite Silver Cup Found In Marvdasht, Iran
Depicting On One Side, A Standing Woman Wearing A Kaunakes And A Tiara Or Headband, And On The Other Side, A Seated Woman With Long Flowing Hair, Also Wearing A Kaunakes, 3 Necklaces And A Braid Or Hairband. 2000 Bce, Museum Of Ancient Iran.
Image source: anon
It’s amazing how much history can live and survive in a single object. Each artifact on this list offers a sneak peek into a world that existed long before ours. And who knows how many more are still undiscovered?
For now, feel free to join the conversation. Which of these artifacts impressed you the most, and which ones would you love to learn more about? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
#19 A Lady Of The Nights Shoe From Ancient Greece, Engraved With The Word “Follow” (Ακολουθει)
Designed To Leave The Message In Footprints Guiding Potential Customers Who Noticed It.
Image source: Zine99
#20 Quipu Are Record-Keeping Devices Fashioned By The Inca From Knotted Cords
This Large Quipu Has 586 Cords, Organized Into 8 Sections Of 10 Sets, Each With Up To 13 Sub-Levels Of Information. Overall, It Holds 15,024 Items Of Data On Production, Though The Specifics Are Not Known.
Image source: anon
#21 Dress Worn By Countess Katharina Zur Lippe, Who Died On 19 May 1600, Aged 6. It Was Discovered In The Grand Tomb Of The Augustinian Canons In Blomberg
Image source: Saint-Veronicas-Veil
#22 A Jade Cat, Song To Ming Dynasty (960-1644 Ce), Now Housed At The National Palace Museum In Taiwan
Image source: Fuckoff555
#23 The 2nd Century Ce Roman Barbegal Watermill Complex, A Unique Cluster Of 16 Waterwheels In Southern France
The First Known Attempt In Europe To Set Up An Industrial-Scale Complex Of Machines. The Mills Had An Estimated Production Capacity Of 25 Tonnes Of Flour Per Day.
Image source: anon
#24 Roman Carnelian Intaglio Depicting A Grasshopper Driving A Chariot Being Drawn By Two Butterflies, C. 1st Century B.c – 1st Century A.d
Image source: JankCranky
#25 Duke Karl’s Chamber At Gripsholm Castle
The Castle’s Only Fully Preserved Room From The Vasa Period, And Is One Of The Oldest Renaissance Interiors In Sweden. The Décor Is Virtually Untouched Since The Chamber Was Created For Gustav Vasa’s Youngest Son In The 1570s.
Image source: anon
#26 Baroque Pulpit In Parish Church In Dobroszów, Poland. Built C. 1750, Rebuilt In 1856, Created By An Unknown Local Sculptor, Made Of Wood
Image source: Snoo_90160
#27 The Cliff Tombs Of The Lu Kings From The Western Han Dynasty (202 Bce– 9 Ce), Located In Shandong Province, China
Image source: anon
#28 18th-Century French Reliquary
Image source: ryguy_1
#29 The Bay Tree Fabergé Egg, Decorated With Nephrite And Precious Stones, With A Little Bird Inside
Given To Empress Dowager Maria Feodorovna On Easter By Her Son, Emperor Nicholas II. Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1911.
Image source: MunakataSennin
#30 In 2017, During Construction Work At An IKEA Parking Garage Near The Via Tiburtina, In Rome
Archaeologists Uncovered The Remains Of A Roman Road, Believed To Have Been Used Between The 2nd-4th Centuries Ce, And Which Still Bore The Marks Of Wagon Wheels Carved Into Its Stone Surface.
Image source: anon
#31 The Temple Of Hephaestus (C. 430 Bc)
A Doric Peripteral Temple At The North-West Side Of The Agora Of Athens, Is One Of The Best-Preserved Greek Temples Anywhere. It Remains Standing Largely Intact Today. The Building Keeps The Frieze, Pronaos, Cella And Opisthodomos Structures.
Image source: WestonWestmoreland
#32 The Silver Coffin Of The Pharaoh Psusennes I (Reign C. 1047-998 Bce)
Now Housed At The Egyptian Museum In Cairo. Since Silver Was Considerably Rarer In Egypt Than Gold, Psusennes I’s Silver Coffin Represents A Sumptuous Burial Of Great Wealth During Egypt’s Declining Years.
Image source: anon
#33 A Demon Flattening Someone Out And Preparing To Cut Them Into Soba Noodles. From The Hell Scroll Made By The Japanese Artist Nichōsai (1772-1801 Ce)
Image source: anon
#34 Lira Da Braccio With Male Face On The Back, Made By Giovanni D’andrea. Verona, Italy, 1511
Image source: MunakataSennin
#35 A Sasanian Blue Glass Cup With A Silver Base, Given As A Gift To The Empress Kōmyō (701-760 Ce). Now Housed At The Shoso-In Repository In Nara, Japan
Image source: anon
#36 The Alabaster Upper Effigy And Lower, Cadaver Effigy Of Alice Chaucer, Duchess Of Suffolk (Died In 1475 Ce), Located In Ewelme Church In Oxfordshire, England
Image source: anon
#37 The Crown Of Empress Eugénie, Commissioned By Napoleon III For His Wife In 1855, Was Damaged In The Spectacular Robbery Of The Louvre Museum, Which Occurred On October 19, 2025
Image source: Octave_Ergebel
#38 The Round Tower, At The Kilmacduagh Monastery In Ireland
, Is Notable Both For Being Well-Preserved But Also Because Of Its Heavy Lean, Over Half A Metre From The Vertical. The Tower Is Over 30 Metres Tall, And Probably Dates From The 10th Century Ce
Image source: anon
#39 A Miniature From The Fol. 82v Of The Book Of Hours
Depicting A Hedgehog With Grapes On Its Quills. It Was Believed In Medieval Times That Hedgehogs Had Spikes So They Could Roll Over Fruit To Carry Home To Their Children. From Paris, CA. 1420-1425 Ce, Now Housed At The Morgan Library.
Image source: anon
#40 The Gilt Bronze Effigy Of Edward, The Black Prince Dated To 1376 Ce, And Found At Canterbury Cathedral
Due To Its Highly Detailed Armour, The Effigy Is Considered One Of The Most Important Examples Of English Medieval Funerary Art Given That So Few Examples Of Contemporary Armour Survive.
Image source: anon
#41 Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Golden Armor, Used During The Winter Siege Of Osaka Castle In 1614-1615 Ce. Now Housed At The Kunōzan Tōshōgū Museum In Japan
Image source: anon
#42 Prehistoric Headdress From Britain, C.8000 Bce: This 10,000-Year-Old Headdress Was Crafted From The Skull And Antlers Of A Red Deer
Image source: SixteenSeveredHands
#43 The Basilica Therma In Sarıkaya, Turkey, Is A 2nd Century Ce Roman Bath Which Has Been A Continuous Supply Of Hot Water Since Ancient Times Without Any Interruption
Image source: anon
#44 Mummy Lamp – C. USA, 1923, Louis V. Aronson
Image source: oneiricmonkey
#45 The Pyramid Of The Sun, 230 Meters Wide. Teotihuacan, Mexico, 2nd Century Ad
Image source: MunakataSennin
#46 A Postcard From The Turn Of The 20th Century
Cartoon Artwork Depicting A Woman Using A Parasol To Swat Away The Stork Bringing Her A New-Born Child. The Caption Reads, “And The Villain Still Pursues Her.”
Image source: CryptographerKey2847
#47 An Old Picture Of The Excavation Of The Templo Mayor, The Main Temple Of The Mexica People In Their Capital City Of Tenōchtitlan, Which Is Now Mexico City
The Aztecs Began Construction Of Templo Mayor Sometime After 1325 Ce, And The Temple Was Rebuilt Six Times.
Image source: anon
#48 Reliquary In The Shape Of A Three-Legged Fish, From Germany, C.900-1350 Ce
This Reliquary Was Crafted From Rock Crystal And Silver-Gilt, And It Was Designed As A Vessel For Relics Of Mary Magdalene.
Image source: SixteenSeveredHands
#49 Golden Requilery Containing Anne Of Brittany’s Heart From The 16th Century
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#50 This 1000-Year-Old Manuscript Was Created By About 16 Scribes In A Benedictine Abbey In Trier, Germany
They Used Gold Ink To Copy The Text Of The Gospels Onto Parchment That Had Been Dyed With A Plant-Based Purple Pigment. Now Housed At The Morgan Library & Museum In New York.
Image source: anon
#51 E****tioner’s Sword With Inscription That Reads “When I Raise This Sword, So I Wish That This Poor Sinner Will Receive Eternal Life”, Germany, Late 17th Century
Image source: Haunting_Homework381
#52 A Turquoise And Gold-Inlaid Bronze Mirror, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Warring States Period (C. 475–221 Bce), From China
Image source: anon
#53 An Old Photo Of The Interior Of A Pullman Train Car From The 1890’s
Image source: anon
#54 The Topplerschlösschen Is A Small Late Medieval Residential Tower In The Tauber Valley, In Germany
Built In 1388 Ce By Heinrich Toppler, The Mayor Of Rothenburg, As A Summer Residence. The Fully Preserved Building Is Furnished With Furniture From The 16th To The 19th Centuries.
Image source: anon
#55 Memento Mori Carved From Ivory, Hung From A Rosary. Crafted In The 16th Century
Image source: readytocomply13
#56 An Amethyst Umbrella Handle In The Shape Of A Seated Bulldog, Paris, Circa 1860
Image source: Saint-Veronicas-Veil
#57 Little Duck Carved Out Of A Whale Tooth. Japan, 18th-19th Century
Image source: MunakataSennin
#58 A Set Of Ancient Roman Surgical Instruments Discovered During Excavations In Pompeii
Image source: Objective-Chip3445
#59 A Large Mosaic At The Late Antique Roman Villa Of La Olmeda, In Spain, Depicting Mythological And Hunting Scenes. 3rd-4th Century Ce
Image source: anon
#60 Tabarzin (Saddle Axe) Depicting Birds Of Prey Attacking Herons. Iran, 1739-1740
Image source: MunakataSennin
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