All  

Store Banner Desktop

Store Banner Mobile

Artifacts

There are undoubtedly millions of ancient artifacts from the past that have served to shed light on the lives of our ancestors from many millennia ago. But some ancient mystical artifacts stand out for their uniqueness, their intrigue, or their ability to expand our knowledge about previously unknown aspects of our history. Here we feature many such ancient history artifacts, from amazing examples of ancient technology, to artistic masterpieces, unexplained objects, ancient texts, and mysterious artifacts that shed light on the daily lives of our ancestors.

History Fuzz Podcast logo

Podcast: History Fuzz: Episode 07: Professor Brian S. Bauer: Island of the Sun and the Inca ceque system

In this episode, Dr. Brian S. Bauer, a Full Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, takes us on a journey through his archaeological investigations of...
An amulet dating back to the 5th century AD was recently unearthed during excavations, depicting Solomon on horseback spearing the devil.

A 5th Century Amulet Depicting Prophet Solomon Has Been Found in Hadrianopolis

During the excavations carried out in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in the Eskipazar district of Karabük, an amulet depicting Solomon on horseback spearing the devil, dating back to the 5th...
Clay object thought to contain early alphabetic writing.

Theory of Alphabet Origins in Syria Gains Traction

The roots of alphabetic writing may stretch back much further than previously believed. Evidence unearthed at the ancient site of Umm el-Marra in northwestern Syria suggests that the alphabet's...
Ornate Etruscan artifacts that were seized by Italian police.

Italian Police Seize Stolen Etruscan Treasures, Including a Princess’s Sarcophagus

In a significant operation against the illicit trade of antiquities, Italian police have recovered a trove of Etruscan funerary treasures in Umbria, believed to have belonged to ancient aristocratic...
Hathor with sistrum

Rattling the Divine: The Mystical Role of the Sistrum

The sistrum was one of the most sacred musical instruments in ancient Egypt and was believed to hold powerful magical properties. It was used in the worship of the goddess Hathor, mythological...
Arslan Kaya inscription

Arslan Kaya’s Lost Inscription Links to Materan, the Great Mother Goddess

The legendary Arslan Kaya monument (i.e., lion rock), features a heavily damaged inscription that has been difficult to decipher for ages, and is 2,600 years old. Now, a professor and archaeologist...
Aztec death whistle

Aztec Death Whistle Will Mess Up Your Mind, Study Reveals

One of the most remarkable ancient musical instruments ever discovered is the so-called Aztec death whistle. Newly published research seems to confirm the correctness of the ‘death whistle’ label, as...
Swan helmet

The Swan Helmet of Tintignac, the Pinnacle of Gaulish Elegance

France has always been the heartland of the Celtic world. Once the home to the fierce Gallic tribes, this nation is dotted with their remnants and their lasting heritage. One such remnant is the...
Left; Drinking vessel in shape of Bes head; El-Fayūm Oasis, Egypt. Right; Prof. Tanasi with the 3D digital model of the mug.

Professor Finds First Physical Evidence Egyptians Drank Hallucinogenic Cocktails

By Cassidy Delamarter A University of South Florida professor found the first-ever physical evidence of hallucinogens in an Egyptian mug, validating written records and centuries-old myths of ancient...
Funnelbeaker burial Neolithic stone

Rare Funnelbeaker Ritual Burial Site Found in Sweden

A unique prehistoric ceremonial site from southern Sweden dating back to the Neolithic period, or what the archaeologists are calling ‘the peasant stone age’, has been found in Hammar in Skåne. A...
: Images show progression of the wheelset design during execution of the topology optimization algorithm in this study

Emerging Research on the Development of the Wheel

The wheel, one of humanity’s most transformative inventions, remains shrouded in mystery. Historians agree it revolutionized transportation and labor efficiency, yet no one knows exactly when or...
Khipu no. 780 at Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Santiago,

A Step Closer to Reading the Inca Khipus Data Recording System

Karen Thompson /The Conversation For more than a millennium, many Andean peoples used an object called a “khipu” (also spelled “quipu” and pronounced “key-poo”) to record and communicate information...
Section of Watling Street uncovered on the Old Kent Road

2,000-year-old Roman Road Unearthed under London’s Old Kent Road

A section of a nearly 2,000-year-old road running from the ancient Roman port at Dover through London to the West Midlands has been found under Old Kent Road in south-east London! Considered one of...
Left; Talia Yashuv of the Hebrew University at the excavation site of Nahal Ein Gev II in northern Israel. Right; the experimental spindles and whorls.

12,000-Year-Old Stones Reveal Possible Early Use of Wheel-Like Technology

In an exciting discovery from Israel’s Nahal-Ein Gev II archaeological site, a collection of perforated, donut-shaped stones may represent some of the earliest evidence of wheel-like technology in...
Samos Artifact

Ancient Samos and the Museum of Mysterious Artifacts

The island of Samos in Greece is an island about 1.5 km from the shores of Turkey, which has a long history dating back to 4,000 BC. The name ‘Samos’ is thought to have Phoenician origin and...
Left; On the Construction of the World in Book of Divine Works (Liber divinorum operum), about 1210-40 CE. Hildegard of Bingen (Saint)Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment. Biblioteca Statale di Lucca, Ms. 1942, fol. 9, sec. XIII Right; Visitors in the Lumen exhibition.

Getty Museum’s Revealing Double Feature on Medieval Light and Astrology

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles is inviting visitors to explore the intersection of science, art, and mysticism in the Middle Ages with two captivating exhibitions, Lumen: The Art and Science...
A photo of the Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan

Why Did the Egyptian Masons Put Down Tools on the Largest Obelisk Ever?

The Unfinished Obelisk is an ancient Egyptian obelisk located in Aswan. This obelisk is known for its massive size, as well as for the fact that the work that was carried out on it was never finished...
Sima Qian

Qian Sima and the Shiji - the Devotion of a True Historian

Active during the Han Dynasty period in China’s history, Sima Qian is widely considered to be the father of Chinese historiography. A celebrated historian, he is best known for his seminal work, the...
One of the huge rock art panels at the Cerro Azul outcrop of the Serranía De La Lindosa, Colombia.

Colombian Rock Art Shows Ancestors Traversing the Spiritual Realm, 12,500-Years-Ago

Home to one of the most spectacular global rock art traditions, the Serrania de la Lindosa rock paintings in Colombia, as old as 12,500 years, contains tens and thousands of paintings, including...
Left, finders with the coins, right, the coins by a tree.

Treasure Trove of Rare 17th-Century Coins Discovered in Poland

In a remarkable find near the town of Pomiechówek, Poland, a father and son from the Triglav Historical and Research Association, Sławomir and Szymon Milewscy, have unearthed a hoard of rare 16th and...
: A slate slab from the Stone Age site of Gönnersdorf shows a fish trap.

15,800-year-old Engravings of Fish Traps Are Oldest Depictions of Fishing

LEIZA, MONREPOS and Durham University At the Ice Age site of Gönnersdorf near Neuwied am Rhein, researchers from the Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioral Evolution MONREPOS...
modified horns Egypt

Modified Sheep Skulls From 3700 BC Found In Egypt's Mortuary Complex

Intentionally modified sheep skulls, gauged by the deliberate deformities, have been uncovered at the ancient mortuary complex in Hierakonpolis, Upper Egypt, dating to about 3,700 BC. Numbering 6 in...
Starfish varieties found at the Tula site, plus beautiful mosaic and Toltec jug.

Toltec Starfish Deposit at Tula Reveals Deep Cosmic and Ocean Ties

Five starfish in a highly elaborate ritual deposit at the Toltec site of Tula have been found – an exhibition of how central the ocean and its creatures were to the economy, religion, and artistic...
History Fuzz Podcast logo

Podcast: History Fuzz: Episode 06: Dr. Robert Weiner. Anasazi ceremonial ways and the Mount Wilson Meridian

In this episode, Dr. Robert Weiner, an archaeologist in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, offers a deep dive into the ancient Chacoan road networks in the U.S...

Pages