Astonishing artifacts: A glimpse into how people lived in the past
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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.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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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.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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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.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Hatnefer's heart scarab: An exquisite ancient Egyptian gold necklace inscribed with the Book of the DeadA scarab beetle set in gold shows that ancient Egyptians thought the heart was the most important organ in the human body.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Hårby Valkyrie: A 1,200-year-old gold Viking Age woman sporting a sword, shield and ponytailThis tiny figurine may represent a mythical warrior maiden who assisted Odin, the Norse god of war.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Apulian rhyton: A 2,300-year-old Spartan-hound-shaped cup that was likely used at boozy bashesThis dog-shaped vessel was likely used for pouring wine, oil or blood in ancient rituals in what is now Italy.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Lviv pysanka: World's oldest Easter eggA decorated duck egg discovered in a trash pit is the world's oldest "pysanka."
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Słupcio: A 6,000-year-old amber 'gummy bear' that may have been a Stone Age amuletThis little bear carved out of amber might have been an amulet for a Stone Age hunter.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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Pfyn culture flint tool: World's oldest known 'Swiss Army' knifeOver five millennia ago, Stone Age people in Central Europe crafted wooden handles for their stone tools.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
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