Astonishing artifacts: A glimpse into how people lived in the past
Latest about astonishing artifacts

Thule snow goggles: 1,000-year-old Arctic eyewear carved from walrus tusks
By Kristina Killgrove published
These carved snow goggles were a necessary accessory for Arctic existence centuries ago.

Dolní Věstonice Portrait Head: The oldest known human portrait in the world
By Kristina Killgrove published
A tiny head carved from mammoth ivory looks back at us from the Stone Age.

Bayeux Tapestry: A 1,000-year-old embroidery depicting William the Conqueror's victory and King Harold's grisly death
By Kristina Killgrove published
A long roll of cloth embroidered with key scenes from British history is a unique medieval chronicle.

Bad Dürrenberg headdress: An elaborate 9,000-year-old headpiece worn by a female shaman in Europe
By Kristina Killgrove published
A lavish 9,000-year-old grave in central Germany revealed the burial of a powerful female shaman.

Doban-kun: A 'cute' human-shaped counting tool from prehistoric Japan
By Kristina Killgrove published
This anthropomorphic clay tablet was likely used in an ancient ritual by the Jōmon culture in Japan.

Dancing dwarf: A 2,300-year-old ancient Egyptian statue of a godlike man with a muscular 6-pack
By Kristina Killgrove published
This marble statuette is emblematic of Ptolemaic-era art: a mishmash of styles with a decidedly Egyptian twist.

2,000-year-old RSVP: A birthday invitation from the Roman frontier that has the earliest known Latin written by a woman
By Kristina Killgrove published
This wafer-thin wooden tablet from a first-century Roman fort in the U.K. includes a heartfelt birthday party invitation.

Queen Puabi's lyre: A bull-headed music maker played for Mesopotamian royalty 4,500 years ago
By Kristina Killgrove published
A lyre in a treasure-laden royal tomb discovered in Mesopotamia is the earliest stringed instrument ever found.
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