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

Latest about astonishing artifacts

A glossy, blue statuette of a blue hippo.

'William the Hippo': The ancient Egyptian statuette deliberately crippled to prevent it wreaking havoc in the afterlife

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Ancient Egyptians feared hippos, to the point that they removed three of the statuette's legs so it wouldn't cause chaos in the afterlife.

Ancient Egyptians
A large blue diamond encircled with smaller white diamonds as see at a museum.

The Hope Diamond: The 'cursed' blue gemstone coveted by royalty

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

One of the most desired gems in the world is believed to be cursed. But what is the Hope Diamond's history, value and worth?

Archaeology
An ancient clay tablet with inscriptions engraved on it photographed against a black background.

Gilgamesh flood tablet: A 2,600-year-old text that's eerily similar to the story of Noah's Ark

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

The baked clay tablet tells the tale of an epic flood.

Archaeology
A tall carved statue in a museum

Shigir Idol: World's oldest wood sculpture has mysterious carved faces and once stood 17 feet tall

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Crafted out of the trunk of a larch tree, this towering figure features several human faces.

Archaeology
A small sculpture of a horse

World's 1st carved horse: The 35,000-year-old ivory figurine from Vogelherd cave

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Carved out of ivory, the figurine was created during the Upper Paleolithic.

Archaeology
Two carved sculptures of heads as seen in a museum.

No two are alike: The colossal stone heads of Olmec in Mexico

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

The massive statues likely depict rulers from the ancient Olmec civilization.

Archaeology
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