40 Ancient Discoveries That Continue To Fascinate The Modern World
Long before modern technology, ancient civilizations were creating objects that still amaze us today. From intricate jewelry and mysterious tools to everyday items preserved through centuries, these discoveries reveal the skill, creativity, and knowledge of our ancestors.
The “Museum of Artifacts” Facebook page shares striking glimpses into this distant past. Here are some ancient discoveries that continue to fascinate the modern world and remind us how much history still has to teach us.
#1 Cat Gargoyles And Grotesques, European
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#2 The Blaschka Glass Sea Creatures Are A World-Renowned Collection Of At Least 10,000 Of Scientifically Accurate And Highly Detailed Glass Models Of Marine Invertebrates Created By Father And Son Leopold And Rudolf Blaschka, In Dresden Between 1863 And 1880 Ce
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#3 A 350 Year Old Pocket Watch Carved From A Single Colombian Emerald, Found Hidden In A London Cellar
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#4 Ancient Roman City Beneath Street Level, Hidden Just Below Modern-Day Life In Verona, Italy. 1st Century BC
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#5 Chemiserie Niguet In Brussels, Belgium, Is An Art Nouveau Store Built In 1896 By The Architect Paul Hankar. It Currently Houses A Flower Shop
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#6 1930 Henderson Kj Streamline Motorcycle, A Rare Example Of Art Deco Design
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#7 An Opalescent Glass Art Deco Sculpture By French Artist Lucille Sevin, For Etling. Early 20th Century
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#8 Art Deco Silvered Bronze And Alabaster Wall Light Designed By Albert Cheuret, Circa 1925
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#9 The Oseberg Ship, A 9th Century Viking Ship Discovered Almost Perfectly Preserved In A Burial Mount In Norway
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#10 Vibrant Collection Of Vintage Czech Glass Cat Charms! 😻 Popular In The Early 20th Century, These Unique Little Figures Were Often Cracker Prizes
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#11 2,000-Year-Old Roman Sapphire Hololith Ring
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#12 Poison Cabinet Inside A Fake Bible, 1600s
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#13 Prehistoric Flute From Germany, C.40,000 BCE: This Is One Of The Oldest Musical Instruments Ever Discovered, And It Was Carved From The Wing-Bone Of A Griffon Vulture
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#14 Cats Return As Historic Cat Door Reopens In Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace
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#15 Art Deco Uranium Glass Automobile Hood Ornamament By Lalique, Circa 1930
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#16 Two Separate Violins Crafted By French Instrument Maker Joseph Gaffino In 1748
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#17 Miniature Wooden Sculptures Were Carried Out Over A Very Short Period Of Time Between 1500 And 1530 In Flanders And/Or The Netherlands
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#18 Notation Knives Are Rare 16th Century Ce, Renaissance Serving Knives With Musical Notation Engraved On Their Blades, Used To Sing Prayers Before And After Meals
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
These knives, likely produced in Italy around 1550, were part of sets where each knife represented one voice part in a multi-voiced choral piece. One side of the blade carries the “Benedictio mensae” (blessing of the table), sung before the meal: “Quae sumpturi sumus bene dicat trinus et unus” (“May the three-in-one bless that which we are about to eat”). The other side features the “Gratiarum actio” (saying of grace), sung after: “Pro tuis deus beneficiis gratias agimus tibi” (“We give thanks to you, God, for your generosity”). The musical notation on the knives is polyphonic, with two known sets: Group A (six voice parts) and Group B (four voice parts). Despite their name, the knives are not a single artifact but a set of specialized cutlery designed to serve as partbooks—musical instruments in a social and spiritual context. They are extremely rare, with only 20 known examples.
#19 Austrian Art Nouveau Baby Crib. Manufactured By Gebrüder Kohn In Around 1895 – 1899
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#20 Moche Necklace With Gold Beads In The Shape Of Toads (1-800 Ad) | Museo Larco – Lima, Peru
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#21 Neolithic Amber Bear Amulet, CA 1750 – 650 B.C
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#22 Rosslyn Chapel. It Has Been Described As A Library In Stone. Built Between 1446-84. Roslin Midlothian, Scotland
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#23 How Could Someone, 450 Years Ago In 1652, Make Marble Look More Comfortable Than An Actual Bed?
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“Sleeping Hermaphroditus” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Rome.
#24 Cutlery Designed By Salvador Dali, 1957
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#25 One Of The Most Exquisite Italian Armors Ever Made, Forged By Milanese Master Lucio Piccinino For Alessandro Farnese Between 1575 And 158
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Farnese later gifted it to his uncle, Ferdinand II of Tyrol
It is now housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
#26 Christmas Tree For The German Frontlines In 1st World War
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#27 The Oldest Paved Road You Can Walk In Europe Is The Minoan Royal Road In Crete, Greece, Which Is Over 3.500 Years Old
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A 50km roadway connecting the ancient sites of Knossos, Gortyn & Lebena.
If you go to Knossos, you will step exactly where the Minoans walked 4.000 years ago.
#28 The Brick Spiral Staircase Inside The Tower Of The Moot Hall In Maldon, England. C.1420 Ce
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#29 Mughal Spectacles Set With Flat Cut Emerald Lenses, In Silver And Gold Frames Mounted With Old-Cut Smaller Diamonds And Emeralds, India, Lenses Circa 17th Century, Frames 19th Century
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#30 2,000-Year-Old Roman Gold Ring Featuring A Rock Crystal Carved With A Portrait Of Titus Carvilius Gemello
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#31 Cat Paw Prints Preserved In 12th-Century Floor Tiles At St Peter’s Church, Wormleighton, England
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#32 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
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
The ship is 43.4 m long and 5.9 m wide and was identified as the world’s oldest intact ship.
#33 Ancient Greek Coins With Octopuses
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#34 Retro-Futuristic Mid-Century Faucet. (1950s-1960s)
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#35 ‘Schwepped Of Their Feet Both’ Is A Pair Of Paintings Made By The English Artist William Henry Hamilton Trood In 1887 CE
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#36 Marble Detail By Riccardo Gatti
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#37 A Piano Made Of Mother-Of-Pearl And Tortoiseshell, From 1853, New York City
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#38 Bronze And Crystal Sword From China, C.450-250 BCE:
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
The hilt of this sword was crafted from rock crystal, turquoise, and gold, and the blade is covered in a greenish-blue patina that was naturally produced over time.
#39 Angels Ascending The Ladder To Heaven On The West Front Of Bath Abbey In England, 1520 CE
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
#40 Dornröschen, A Marble Sculpture By German Artist Louis Sussmann-Hellborn Created In 1878, Depicts The Fairy Tale Character Sleeping Beauty
Image source: Museum of Artifacts
She lies surrounded by roses, with a spindle resting at her feet.
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