History isn't just about old books and faded pictures. It's like a treasure chest waiting to be discovered, full of objects that tell stories from the past. Today, we'll unveil some incredible artifacts that defy expectations. Imagine a 3,700-year-old clay tablet proving geometry wasn't just a modern concept! We'll also marvel at a Viking ax – a testament not just to their fierceness, but also to their surprising artistry. There are many more such fascinating relics in the collection below.
These remarkable finds don't just give us important insights into our history but also remind us of the intelligence and creativity that have influenced human civilization for thousands of years.
Related: The First of Their Kind: The First Ancient Artifacts
1. A fabric womb made by Angélique Du Coudray, a French midwife who was commissioned by King Louis XV to reduce infant mortality
2. In ancient Rome, roads were dotted with white stones (cats' eyes) that reflected moonlight and served as street lights to help people walk after dark. Pictured is a Roman road in Pompeii
3. This 14th-century door at Exeter Cathedral, UK, is said to be the oldest existing cat flap
4. An Egyptian rock crystal of a chubby hinpopotamus amulet, Middle Kingdom, ca. 2050-1650 BC
5. A detail from Heraclitus's "Unswept Floor" mosaic, showing a mouse eating a walnut. 2nd century AD, now on display at the Vatican Museums.
6. Roman Army Knife (201-300 AD). It has a spoon, knife, fork, spike, spatula, and pick, allowing the user to clean between their teeth after eating. It was part of the equipment of the Roman legion.
7. An 1800-year-old porcelain horse from the Han Dynasty. It is presently kept in the Sanxingdui Museum in China.
8. Carved from a single piece of marble in 1740 by Italian sculptor Agostino Fasolato, the Fall of the Rebel Angels depicts 60 fallen angels
9. An adorable ancient Egyptian otter statue
10. The 2000-year-old clothes of the Huldremose woman, a female bog body found in 1879 from a peat bog near Ramten in Jutland, Denmark
11. This Roman brick from Cherchell, Algeria has a perfect 2000-year-old imprint of a human hand
12. A megalithic monument in Spain that is older than the pyramids has been recently uncovered from its watery hiding place by a drought
13. Ax from the Viking era, before and after conservation (10th-11th century)
14. Gilded silver and rock crystal vessel, made in Nuremberg, Germany, around 1580
15. A Horreo is a traditional granary or storage building that was commonly found in the northwest region of Spain, particularly in Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria
16. This clay tablet, dating back 3,700 years, showcases the early use of applied geometry – even before Pythagoras was a name!
17. Details of Henry's Dolphin Armor, the future King Henry II of France, created by Negroli Francesco in Milan in the 1540s. Now on display at the Army Museum in Paris
