-
Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuriesThere are more than 50 theories for the function of this 12-sided, pentagonal-faced bronze object — but archaeologists have never quite figured it out.
46 Commentsromans -
Penguin Vessel: 1,600-year-old Nazca depiction of a cold-water Humboldt penguin that lives in tropical PeruA rare penguin-shaped pot reveals the Nazca's interest in depicting the wildlife around them.
americas -
Monomachos Crown: The 1,000-year-old crown honoring 'the one who fights alone' found by a farmer in a fieldOne of only three surviving Byzantine crowns, it depicts a man and two sisters who jointly ruled the empire in the 11th century.
archaeology -
Assyrian swimmers: 2,900-year-old carving of soldiers using inflatable goat skins to cross a riverA carved panel found at Nimrud depicts Assyrian soldiers swimming across a river and using inflatable goat skins as floaties.
7 Commentsmiddle-east -
Tarkhan Dress: World's oldest known outfit was worn to an ancient Egyptian funeral 5,000 years agoThe world's oldest known dress is a simple V-necked garment that was overlooked as rags for decades.
12 Commentsancient-egyptians -
Sun Chariot: An ornate Bronze Age treasure that may have featured in an ancient Nordic religious ceremonyThis gold-covered bronze object may depict a "divine" horse pulling the sun behind it.
archaeology -
Prosciutto di Portici: A portable sundial that looks like a pork leg — and it was likely owned by Julius Caesar's father-in-law before Mount Vesuvius eruptedThis small bronze sundial was a portable way of telling time, but it may have made you hungry.
romans -
Ram in the Thicket: A 4,500-year-old gold statue from the royal cemetery at UrThis statue covered in gold leaf and semiprecious stones may have been used in ancient Mesopotamian sunrise rituals.
4 Commentsmiddle-east -
Oseberg tapestry: Viking Age artwork from a boat burial that may depict the Norse tree of lifeThis tapestry also contains one of the only known depictions of a horned Viking helmet.
vikings
