“Almost Perfectly Preserved”: 35 Antique Items That Hold The Secrets Of History

The story of the only taxidermied blue whale in the world might be sadder than many of us think. The mammal was found on the beach of Askim Bay, close to the city of Göteborg. In the 19th century, the notion of "rescuing" animals that had washed ashore was still quite a foreign concept. Today, rescue and government organizations, volunteers, and marine life sanctuaries conduct rescue operations.

But, back in the day, the unlucky animals would get exterminated. Such was the destiny of the Malm whale. The process was quite inhumane, too: the fishermen who found it first poked its eyes out (so that it wouldn't see them), then axed, speared, and shot the poor thing until it bled out.

The next day, the taxidermist and curator of the Gothenburg Museum, August Wilhelm Malm, bought the whale. Yet, he didn't want it chopped and sent in parts. He concocted a plan on how to transport the animal whole. With the help of three steamboats and two coal barges, the whale was dragged to Gothenburg.

Until the 1930s, the stuffed whale was exhibited with its jaws open, and people could walk inside its belly. There were even benches, carpets, and wall hangings inside it. However, sometime in the 1930s, a couple was found inside "making love," and the museum decided to open the whale's jaws for special occasions only.

The 2,700-year-old Assyrian Lamassu sure looks majestic, but what exactly is a Lamassu, and why is it so significant? In Mesopotamia, Lamassus were protective deities in the form of winged bulls (or lions) with human heads. They were placed at the entrances and gates of significant sites and were symbols of the king's power and their symbolic protectors.

Although they look like statues, they were actually "double-aspect" reliefs that one needed to look at either from the front or from the side. Lamassus could have four or five legs (the one on this list from Dur-Sharrukin has five), but you could only see the five if looking from the side.

King Charles XII of Sweden passed 300 years ago, but the uniform he wore on the day he was shot still remains preserved immaculately. However, there have been some speculations from historians about the circumstances of his passing. Some suggest that the bullet that penetrated the king's skull came from his own men, not his Danish enemies. This theory gained traction because none of his soldiers saw the king get hit; they only witnessed him slump forward in the trenches.

Some speculate that many people wanted King Charles XII to be gone. His successor, brother-in-law King Frederick I, reversed many of Charles's decisions almost immediately after becoming king. He ended the Northern War, canceled the 17% tax on capital, and offed his right-hand man and chief minister, Baron Goertz.

There was also the case of the exit wound: historians speculated that because the hole was larger on the left side, he had to have been shot from the right – the opposite side of the enemy's fortress. Still, in 2022, researchers revisited the case and concluded that it had been shot from the enemy's lines.

What new things have you learned today, Pandas? Was it that Roman soldiers had to wear hats during their conquest of Ancient Egypt so that they didn't overheat? Or was it how a mummified cat's X-ray looks? Let us know in the comments which one of these well-preserved artifacts surprised you the most! And, in the meantime, check out some incredible facts about Ancient Egypt if this list has got you craving more historical stuff.