83 Fascinating Historical Treasures That Have Survived Through Time To Teach Us Something Today

Bats illustrated in a 13th century medieval manuscript.

The footprint of a Roman baby in red clay, which was left during drying, is about 2000 years old. Its location is Vaison-la-Romaine, France.

This photograph shows 10,000-year-old Dabous Giraffes located in Niger.

Ivory carving of a skull and coiled snake with carnelian eyes. Japan, Edo period, 1860.

This 9000-year-old stone mask is the oldest mask in the world, and was found in the Judean Desert in Israel.

A wheelchair made for the Holy Roman Empress Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, 1740.

Egyptian faience beaded fishnet dress dating from the Fourth Dynasty, c. 2550 BCE.

Ancient Greek coins from Syracuse, dating to the 5th century BCE, featuring an octopus, which was an emblem of maritime strength and power.

Two violins crafted in 1748 by French instrument maker Joseph Gaffino.

2,000-Year-Old Mosaics unearthed by the waves in Turkey.

A papyrus illustration of a lady mouse sitting elegantly, being offered a drink by one of the cats standing nearby, while another cat is depicted arranging her hair. Tuna el-Gebel, ca. 1129-1111 BC.

Pictured is an ancient baptismal font adorned with mosaic decoration, originating from the Eastern Roman era. It is currently exhibited at the Sousse Archaeological Museum in Tunisia.

2,500-year-old Scythian comb, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

1,500-year-old Ceramic Maya Figurine with Removable Helmet, from El Perú-Waka', Petén, Guatemala.

A beautiful blue bowl with fish designs was found in Iran dating back to the late 13th to mid-14th century.

The bedroom of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine de Beauharnais within the Château de Malmaison.

Horse Handle Lapis Lazuli Dagger khanjar, Persian, 19th Century CE. The Al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait.

The discovery of a statue depicting Nero being crowned by his mother, Agrippina, at the Sebasteion in Aphrodisias, Turkey, in 1979.

A 17th century Ottoman three-mast tent made of silk and gilded leather. Now on display at the Turkish Chamber in the Dresden Armory.

A temple called Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, hidden in the hills in the far west of Arashiyama with a collection of 1,200 Rakan statues. It's one of Kyoto, Japan's most unique and bizarre temples.

This photograph shows the unbroken seal on Tutankhamun's tomb. It had previously not been touched for 3,245 years. 1922.

Abuna Yem’ata Guh in Ethiopia. Situated at a height of 8,460 ft, the hewn church has to be climbed on foot to reach. It is notable for its architecture, dome & wall paintings dating back to the 5th century.

A 3,000-year-old perfectly preserved sword.

Photographed is the gothic-style articulated gauntlets that once belonged to Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I Augsburg, in South Germany, around 1490.

Hidden in the remote and rugged landscapes of the Pir Panjal range, within the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India, lies a fascinating mystery—the Mysterious Horsemen. These enigmatic stone figures, scattered across at least three secluded locations, have puzzled historians and archaeologists alike. One of the most striking sites is in Gool, located in the Ramban District, where over a hundred of these majestic horsemen stand tall. Some of these statues tower over 8 feet, crafted in lifelike proportions, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle. The sheer number and grandeur of these figures at this single site alone are enough to spark curiosity and wonder. The origins of these horsemen remain shrouded in mystery. Some theories suggest they were the work of the White Huns, also known as the Svet Hunas or Hephthalites—a Central Asian tribe that ruled this region between the 5th and 7th centuries. Mihirkula, one of their most notorious rulers, is often linked to this era. Yet, the true purpose behind their creation and the identity of their makers remain unanswered questions that continue to intrigue researchers.

Pictured here is the lower part of a leg and foot of the statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (reign 161-180 A.D.) found at Sagalassos, Turkey in 2008.

The Hortulus Animae, or "Little Garden of the Soul", is a small prayer book popular in the early sixteenth century. The first known edition of Hortulus Animae, dated March 13, 1498, was printed at Strasbourg by Wilhelm Schaffener of Ribeauvillé, followed by German versions appearing in 1501. Later editions contained woodcuts by the well-known engravers Hans Springinklee and Erhard Schön, with beautiful miniatures in some existing manuscript examples, like the one at Vienna, which has been reproduced as facsimile by Friedrich Dornhöffer. In 1501/1502, Sebastian Brant from Strasbourg translated it into German.

Photographed is an ivory sculpture of a skeleton in a shroud seated on a tomb with an hourglass. This amazing work of art was created in France in 1547.

A 13th-15th Century CE floor mosaic in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Firenzi, Italy.

Photographed here is the tea gown owned by the Countess Greffulhe, who often chose clothing of a brilliant green color because it complemented her auburn hair. France, 1897.

A Roman temple-theater complex rediscovered by chance on February 2000 in Monte San Nicola, Italy. It is located on a tip of a mountain (about 450m above sea level). The complex dates back to the 4th century BCE.

The ceiling of the 2000 years old Hypostyle Hall of the temple of Hathor in Dendera, Egypt.

Hieroglyphic inscriptions on the walls of the temple of Ramesses III (1186–1155 BC) at Medinet Habu, on the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt.

A lira da braccio crafted by Giovanni d’Andrea in Verona, Italy, in 1511, featuring a carved male face on its reverse.

Woman’s hat, known as the brelot, worn as part of the national costume of Bresse from Bourg-en-Bresse, Burgundy, 19th century.

A Roman bronze mask, coated in silver and dating to 100–75 CE. Hinged at the top, it was designed to cover the entire face but could be lifted for clearer vision or fresh air.

A statue of Anubis in Tut Ankh Amun's tomb, taken during the Carter expedition in 1922.

The Parade Armour of Henry II of France, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is believed to date from 1553–55 and its decoration is attributed to the French goldsmith and engraver Étienne Delaune.

Wooden statue of the priest and scribe Kaaper, discovered in his Mastaba in Egypt. The eyes are in rhinestones with copper edges. It is about 4500 years old. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

The Strange Creatures of Medieval Manuscripts.

Illustration of a manticore; detail of a miniature from the Rochester Bestiary, BL Royal 12 F xiii, f. 24v.

A 9,000-square-foot mosaic was discovered in 2010 during the construction of a new hotel in Antakya, Turkey. Turkey. Archaeologists at the site believe the geometric work once decorated the floor of a public building in the previous city of Antioch, one of the most important cities in the Seleucid Empire. Although vast segments of the original mosaic are still intact, others have rippled and disappeared due to a series of earthquakes in 526 and 528 A.D.

The Strange Creatures of Medieval Manuscripts.

A demon carrying Jesus away. Detail from the missal, France ca. 1470-75. Collection: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, MS 425, fol. 48r.

The gilded copper head of a fox. Huaca de la Luna, Peru, Moche civilization, 1st-3rd century AD.

A photograph taken during the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

Ancient remains in Morocco showing the animals that once inhabited the African region.

Archaeologists in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, have discovered a medieval gaming board they believe may be a clue to the location of the long-lost Monastery of Deer, whose monks created the famed illuminated manuscript the Book of Deer, believed to be from the first half of the 10th century. The board, which was found near the village of Old Deer, would have been used to play the Norse strategy game Hnefatafl. “It is a very rare object and only a few have been found in Scotland, mainly on monastic or at least religious sites,” archaeologist Ali Cameron told The Scotsman. “These gaming boards are not something everyone would have had access to.” Layers under the gaming stone have been carbon dated to the 7th and 8th centuries, according to the BBC. Archaeologists have been on the hunt for the site of the Monastery of Deer for several years, and believe that the discovery of the gaming board means they are getting close. Photograph by Michael Sharpe and information from Artsy.

The head of Dionysus, the god of wine, is uncovered in an archaeological dig in the ancient city of Aizanoi, Turkey.

Lioness Devouring a Man, Phoenician Ivory Panel, c. 9-th-8th century BCE. From the palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Nimrud, northern Mesopotamia, Iraq.

Photographed is the Stele of Thonis-Heracleion being raised from the waters of Aboukir Bay near Alexandria, Egypt. It was ordered made by Pharaoh Nectanebo I (378-362 BC) and describes trade and taxation agreements.

A 2,200-year-old Roman bath in central Türkiye that has never stopped flowing at 45°C. Located in Sarıkaya, Yozgat, this monumental thermal complex dates back to the 2nd century BCE. Built in the Roman period, it continued to be used through the Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman eras. What makes it extraordinary is the fact that the hot spring has provided a constant 45°C flow since antiquity.

The Guinigi Tower is a 45m tall fortified tower-house built in the 1300s, with holm oak trees growing in hanging gardens at it's top. This is located in Lucca, Italy.

The level of detail on the Column of Marcus Aurelius in Rome is absolutely mind blowing. A Doric column adorned with a detailed spiral relief, it was built in honor of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled after Trajan's Column. Dedicated to the emperor and his military campaigns during the Barbarian Wars, the monument stands as a testament to his reign from 161 to 180 AD. The column's frieze, approximately 367 feet long, spirals upward 21 times, depicting the emperor’s campaigns against the Germanic and Sarmatian tribes. Its construction likely began after his death in 180 AD and was completed around 193 AD, under the reign of Septimius Severus.

This 1000-year-old manuscript was created by ~16 scribes in a Benedictine Abbey in Trier, Germany. They used gold ink to copy the text of the Gospels onto parchment that had been dyed with a plant-based purple pigment. It is currently housed at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York.

Perseus with the Head of Medusa is a bronze sculpture made by Benvenuto Cellini in the period 1545–1554. The sculpture stands on a square base which has bronze relief panels depicting the story of Perseus and Andromeda, similar to a predella on an altarpiece. It is located in the Loggia dei Lanzi in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy.

A Roman marble sculpture depicting four puppies curled together in sleep, discovered among the ruins of the House of the Faun in Pompeii and dating to the 1st century BCE. The piece is now preserved in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples in Naples, Italy.

Pictured here is a 12th-15th century tombstone located at the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery in Turkey.

The gilt bronze effigy of Edward, the Black Prince, dated to 1376 CE and housed at Canterbury Cathedral. Its remarkably detailed armor makes it one of the most important examples of English medieval funerary art, especially since so few surviving pieces of contemporary armor remain.

Artwork From The Middle Ages
Name of Artwork: St. Wolfgang and The Devil
Artist: Michael Pacher
Year: 1471-1475
Technique: Tempera on Wood

This interesting painting portrays St. Wolfgang standing with the Devil, who is showing him an agreement that they contracted up. The deal was that the Devil was going to help St. Wolfgang build his church, on the condition that the Devil would be able to take the first soul that walked through the entrance. St. Wolfgang, knowing the devil’s condition, cleverly ensured that a pig entered the church first, fulfilling the deal without sacrificing a human soul.

A photo of a man standing on the lap of a statue of Ramesses in Egypt, 1856.

In 2022, archaeologists in Scandinavia have discovered an arrow that has been lost in ice for around 1,500 years, suggesting it predates the Vikings. The discovery was made by researchers with Secrets Of The Ice, the name given to the glacier archaeology program of the Norwegian county of Innlandet. The arrow was discovered nestled between rocks. The research team believes it was encased in ice and was then transported downslope when the ice melted. Lars Holger Pilø, an archaeologist with Secrets Of The Ice, told Newsweek: "We have found more than 200 arrows that have melted out of the ice in recent years in Innlandet County, Norway in the last 15 years. The earliest are 6,000 years old.

A 1,550-year-old Byzantine mosaic found in Istanbul depicts a scene from rural life. It is on display at the Great Palace Mosaic Museum.

The capstone of the Pyramid of Amenemhat III, 1860 BC-1814 BC.

Archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) uncovered a rare die during one of several ongoing excavations in Bergen’s medieval Vågsbunnen district. While more than 30 medieval dice have been discovered in Bergen over the years—making such finds relatively common—this particular die stands out. Unlike a standard die, the Vågsbunnen example features two fives and two fours, with no one or two. This unusual design strongly suggests it may have been used for cheating in games.

This Japanese samurai helmet dates to the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573–1603 CE), a time of intense warfare and political change in Japan. The helmet is covered with boar bristles and decorated with gilded stag antlers, symbols associated with strength and ferocity. Above the visor sits a heart-shaped ornament known as an inome, a stylized image of a boar’s eye. In Japanese art and architecture, this motif was commonly used as a protective symbol, believed to ward off evil and guard the wearer from harm.

This artifact is a Byzantine Ring which dates back to the 12th century. The sides of the octagonal bezel are inscribed in Greek with a quotation from Psalm 26: "Lord, my Light and my Savior, whom shall I fear?" In contrast to this Christian motto, the intaglio depicts the pagan god Pan. It is currently held in the Walters Art Museum.

Photographed is the incredibly lifelike 13th-century statue of Adelaide of Italy located at the Cathedral at Meissen. It was crafted by an anonymous Master of Naumburg.

Duke Karl's Chamber at Gripsholm Castle is the castle's only fully preserved room from the Vasa period, and is one of the oldest Renaissance interiors in Sweden. The décor has been virtually untouched since the chamber was created for Gustav Vasa's youngest son in the 1570s.

This statuette was made to house a relic of St George that Archbishop Ernst of Cologne sent in 1586 to his brother Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria. In the seventeenth century, the statuette was displayed on important feast days on the altar of the Ornate Chapel in the Munich Residence. The bearded face of the saint behind the movable visor is carved from boxwood and resembles that of the man who commissioned the statuette, Duke Wilhelm V.

Archaeologist Friedrich Krefter standing at the ancient gates of Persepolis (Iran), circa 1930s.

Pictured is the Guards of Susa and Persia, reliefs of the eastern staircase of the Apadana, created in the 6th century BC.

Pictured here is the bronze head of an Akkadian ruler, discovered in Nineveh in Iraq, presumably depicting either Sargon (passed c. 2279 BCE), or Sargon's grandson Naram-Sin (reign c. 2255-2218 BCE).

Mount Nemrut is a 2,134-metre-high (7,001 ft) mountain in southeastern Turkey, notable for the summit where a number of large statues are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. It is one of the highest peaks in the east of the Taurus Mountains. In 62 BC, King Antiochus I of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues 8–9-metre high (26–30 ft) of himself, two lions, two eagles, and various composite Greek and Iranian gods, such as Heracles-Artagnes-Ares, Zeus-Oromasdes, and Apollo-Mithras-Helios-Hermes. When constructing this pantheon, Antiochus drew heavily from Parthian and Armenian traditions in order to reinvigorate the religion of his ancestral dynasty. The statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them. At some point the heads of the statues were removed from their bodies, and they are now scattered throughout the site.

Photographed is a ceramic figure representing a dancer with a removable crocodile helmet from the Colima culture. Created between 300 BC and 300 AD, the piece is now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

In an ancient Assyrian relief, we see a child or young man, protected by a cage, releasing a lion from a larger cage. This piece is part of a series depicting the Royal Lion Hunt from the 7th Century BC. It was originally located in the North Palace of Nineveh, near present-day Mosul, Iraq.

Tamgaly, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, is a petroglyph site in the Zhetysu of Kazakhstan, about 170 km northwest of Almaty. There are approximately 5,000 petroglyphs at Tamgaly distributed among 48 sites. Five of the most important sites, designated I, II, III, IV, and V, contain approximately 3,000 of the glyphs. The name Tamgaly in Kazakh and other Turkic languages means "painted or marked place".

A jade standing horned figure from China, Hongshan Culture, 4700-2500 BCE.

This type of portable, boat-shaped arched harp was common during the New Kingdom and is shown in the hands of processional female musicians performing alone or in ensembles with singers, wind instruments, sistrums, and rattles. The end of the arched frame is decorated with the head of a Nubian captive who appears to be bound by the strings of the harp.

Sculpture of Raijin, the god of thunder. Sanjūsangen-dō, Japan, Kamakura period, 13th Century.

This painting of a cave bear, at the Chauvet Cave in France, was drawn with 14 lines around 32,000 years ago. The artist used a technique known as 'stump-drawing' - the use of fingers or a piece of hide to paint the muzzle and to emphasize the outlines of the head and forequarters.

Prehistoric rock carving of a whole bunch of deer. Bayankhongor, Mongolia.

Photographed is a guardian sculpture of a lion-man at the Banteay Srei temple in Siem Reap, Campbodia. It was constructed in the 10th century CE.

The Strange Creatures of Medieval Manuscripts. Illustrations of a medieval seahorse.

A 2000 year old Roman gladiator helmet that survived the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. National Archaeological Museum, Naples.