25 Fascinating Artifacts and Their Stories

Historical objects hide many deep stories. They are time capsules and can tell a lot about the past. View a gallery of unique artifacts that deserve a place of honor in a museum.

Tania

5:21 PM EDT, April 6, 2022

#1 Oldest Surviving Pair of Levis Jeans, 1879

#2 Dr. Irving Finkel Holding a 3770 Year Old Tablet

The tablet tells the story of the god Enki talking to the Sumerian king Atram-Hasis (the character Noah in earlier versions of the flood story) and giving him instructions on how to build an ark which is described as a round coracle 220 feet in diameter.

#3 A Training Mannequin Constructed by Angélique-Marguerite du Coudray in the 18th century

The woman was a midwife at the court of King Louis XV. On his orders, she traveled around France and educated women in the countryside about obstetrics. This was to reduce infant mortality.

#4 This Ring was on a Finger of a Lady buried in a Viking grave in Birka (a city near Stockholm)

Archaeologists do not quite know where the Viking woman got the jewelry from the Abbasid caliphate. It is possible that the woman received it as a gift from someone who had contact with Muslims. There is also evidence that the Vikings made their way to the Middle East.

#5 Bronze Aquamanila, a Vessel for Ritual and Domestic Sprinkling of Water on Hands

The specimen was made at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. The aquamanila depicts Aristotle being ridden by Filis. She holds the philosopher's hair with a commanding gesture and pats him on the buttock.

Aristotle accused Alexander the Great of devoting too little time to philosophy and focusing his attention on his wife Philis. The woman decided to humiliate the old man and told him that she would spend the night with him, but on one condition. The philosopher was to play the role of a horse and carry Philis on his back. Aristotle agreed to this. Alexander watched everything with laughter.

#6 Here is a Couple that Lived about 3000 Years Ago in What is now Ukraine

The burial was found in Ternopil and is from the Vysotsky culture (Bronze Age). The husband was buried after his death, while the woman was most likely buried while still alive. This may be evidenced by the position of her body. According to pathologists, it would have been difficult to place the deceased in such a position.

It is possible that the woman drank poison before entering the grave. She decided to join her husband to go to another world together. Ceramics and bronze jewelry were also found in the grave.

#7 In Ancient Rome, Cobbled Roads Were Interspersed with Small White Stones

They were called tiger eyes. They were highly visible at night and made it easier to get around after dark. The picture shows a fragment of a road in Pompeii.

#8 A Mayan Ceramic Figurine with a Removable Helmet

It is about 1,500 years old. It was found in Guatemala at the El Perú-Waka' archaeological site.

#9 Traveling Perfume Holder made in walnut shell.

This coif was made in 19th century France.

#10 Painting Pallet with Engraved Name of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

It was made around 1390-1352 BC. It was made of ivory. It has 6 recesses for pigments (green, red, yellow, black, blue, brown).

#11 Matthias Ring

An unusual 16th century ring made of gold. The length of the diamond with a sharp tip is 3.5 cm. The artefact probably comes from southern Germany. Allegedly the King of Hungary - Matthias Corvinus was to give it to his beloved Beatrix of Aragon. Most probably it is a legend and the ring was owned by Elisabeth Bathory called the Bloody Countess of Čachtice.

#12 Helmet in the Shape of a Seal from Kodiak Island (off the Coast of Alaska), 18th century

#13 Pluto and Proserpine - Sculpture by Italian artist Giovanni Bernini.

It was created in 1621-22 and was made of marble.

#14 One of Stalin's Pipes

It depicts the dictator himself playing chess with Franklin D. Roosevelt. Stalin received it as a gift from an American chess team that was in the USSR in 1945.

#15 Ivory Sculpture

Created in Japan in 1860

#16 In 1965, 4 Huts were Uncovered in the Ukrainian Village of Mezyrich

They were made from 149 mammoth bones. They may be as much as 15,000 years old.

#17 One of the First Photos after the Discovery of the Terracotta Army in 1974

#18 This Photo was Taken Immediately After the Opening of Tutankhamun's Tomb

#19 Enameled and Gilded Swan with Crown and Chain around the Neck

Made around 1400 in France or England. It was a sign of loyalty to a king or noble family. The de Bohun family and the House of Lancaster used it as their coat of arms. The jewel refers to the Arthurian legend about a mysterious knight who, on a boat pulled by swans, was supposed to save a certain ruler and her kingdom. In return, she was to never ask his name.