Many are not big fans of history books, and we get it - pages full of the small print and extensive polemic aren’t everyone’s bag. But don’t let the dullness of some historical literature deter you from enjoying the stories our world has to tell. One of our favorite ways to learn historical facts and stories is through historical objects, so we decided to bring you along on a fun journey through time with these images. These 20 age-old artifacts have survived through the ages, and they’re here to tell the stories of their owners and creators.
1. The beautiful Hercules armor of Emperor Maximilian II of Austria (1555)
2. The Da Vinci Globe is a 1504 globe made of ostrich eggs. It is the oldest globe to show the Americas.
3. Abuna Yemata Guh is a church in Ethiopia famous for its wall paintings that date back to the 5th century. The place of worship is located at a height of almost 8.5 thousand feet, and it can only be reached on foot.
4. A Japanese Samurai helmet shaped like an octopus that dates back to the 18th century
5. This beauty is a 17th-century Ottoman tent at the Turkish Chamber on the Dresden Armoury. The richly decorated tent is made of silk and gilded leather.
Related Article: 23 Immaculately Preserved Antique Artifacts
6. Here is a fact about Michelangelo's Moses sculpture that will amaze you. Do you see the tiny muscle in the forearms of the sculpture? It's only visible when someone lifts their little finger. Moses is lifting his pinky - so the muscle can be seen.
7. These odd buildings made of clay and wood are one of the oldest functioning windmills. They are located in the village of Nashtifan, Iran, and they have been milling grain for 1,000 years.
8. This crystal spearhead was discovered in Spain. It's believed to be around 5,000 years old.
9. A Roman toddler accidentally left this footprint on fresh tile 2,000 years ago in Vasio Vocontiorum (now Vaison-la-Romaine, France).
10. The person who took this photo found these two books at Goodwill - Pliny the Younger’s letters (1711, left) and Greek Mythology (1771, right).
11. This is one of the oldest wagons in the world. The 4,000-year-old oak wagon was found near the Lchashen village near Lake Sevan, Armenia.
12. Uncovering the 2,000-year-old glass mosaics of the Ancient Greek city of Zeugma (today in Turkey).
13. This gold and sapphire ring dates back to the 14th century. It was found by an amateur treasure hunter in the Sherwood Forest, famous for being the hiding place of the legendary Robin Hood.
14. This 16th-century German hunting knife is also a calendar and a gun. It is proof that people loved multifunctionality even back then!
15. These elaborate miniature palaces and mosques are actually Ottoman-era birdhouses!
16. This ceramic Maya figurine is 1,500 years old. It was found in El Perú-Waka', Guatemala, and it has a removable helmet.
17. This is the first-ever drawing of the moon created by Galileo Galilei. The astronomer was studying it through his telescope and then drew what he saw in 1609.
18. A pair of impeccably preserved cotton and silk stockings from 1830.
19. This Viking-era ring was discovered in a 1200-year-old grave near Stockholm. The inscription says 'for Allah,' and it's evidence that the Vikings made contact with the Abbasid Caliphate.
20. A close-up look at the breastplate decorations on the armor of Ferdinand I, the Holy Roman Emperor (1549).
Share these beautiful artifacts with those who enjoy learning history!
