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Ancestral commemorative head: A 500-year-old brass bust depicting an African kingAstonishing Artifacts A striking depiction of an African king wearing coral necklaces and braids is one of the thousands of Benin Bronzes that the British looted from Nigeria in 1897.
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Guldhøj folding chair: The only completely preserved chair from Bronze Age EuropeAstonishing Artifacts The remarkably preserved wooden folding chair was likely a status symbol and was found in the grave of a Bronze Age chieftain.
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Crown of Kerch: A 1,600-year-old gold, gem-studded diadem found in the grave of a Hun noblewomanAstonishing Artifacts This crown depicts two birds of prey and was discovered in the grave of a fifth-century noblewoman in Crimea.
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Front face of a stela: A 1,300-year-old carving of a powerful Maya 'Lady Supreme Warlord' that weighs over 1 tonAstonishing Artifacts This monumental carving depicts a powerful Maya queen called Lady K'abel, who ruled an ancient city in Guatemala at the end of the seventh century.
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Fire-flame vessel: An exquisitely crafted 4,500-year-old pot from a mysterious culture in JapanAstonishing Artifacts Archaeologists aren't sure why prehistoric people in Japan made these elaborate vessels decorated with flames.
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Berlin gold hat: A 3,000-year-old ceremonial headdress that a cult used to track the sun, moon and lunar eclipsesAstonishing Artifacts The pointy gold hat reveals evidence of a Bronze Age sun cult whose leader could predict eclipses.
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Rock crystal scraper: 45,000-year-old Neanderthal tool that shows they had an 'eye for beauty of form and color'Astonishing Artifacts A chance find of rare rock crystal tools a century ago paved the way for a better understanding of Neanderthals today.
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Relief fragment with vanquished enemies: A 3,400-year-old depiction of an Egyptian pharaoh crushing western Asian soldiers under his royal chariotAstonishing Artifacts This battle scene painted on stone was repurposed three centuries later to help build an Egyptian tomb.
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Mummy mask with wig: A 1,000-year-old 'false head' found in Peru that was crafted with real human hair and toxic red cinnabarAstonishing Artifacts Stylized masks like this one adorned pre-Inca mummies in Peru hundreds of years ago.
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