Despite what it can sometimes feel like in a dull classroom, history is a lot more than just “random” dates and dead people. It shaped and continues to shape the world around us. Through the things our ancestors left behind, it can be a lot easier to see just how similar they were to us.
The “Museum of Artifacts” page shares interesting and cool items from history. We got in touch with the page’s creation and administrator to learn more. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to comment your thoughts below.
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#1 It Is Not A Real Rope Net, But That It"S Meticulously Carved In Marble. "Disinganno", Francesco Queirolo, 1753-1754, Sansevero Chapel (Naples, Italy)
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#2 A Fabric Womb Made By Angélique Du Coudray, A French Midwife Who Was Commissioned By King Louis Xv To Reduce Infant Mortality
From 1760 to 1783, she traveled all over France, visiting poor rural women and sharing her extensive knowledge with them. It is estimated that she trained some 10,000 women. Du Coudray also invented the first lifesize obstetrical mannequin, for practicing mock births, and published a well-received midwifery textbook
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#3 In Ancient Rome, Roads Were Dotted With White Stones (Cats' Eyes) Which Reflected The Moonlight, Acting As Street Lights To Help People Walk On The Street After Dark. Pictured Is A Roman Road In Pompeii
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
Bored Panda got in touch with the admin and creator of “Museum of Artifacts” and they were kind enough to answer some of our questions. Naturally, we wanted to hear the history behind the page itself.
“So a museum of artifacts was created 9 years ago, first on Facebook and Tumblr. As a history freak I found there is no place where you can find artifacts. So I started to post and then, quickly the community grew so much. There are hundreds of thousands of people who love history but not only in the books.”
#4 This 14th Century Door At Exeter Cathedral, UK, Is Thought To Be The Oldest Existing Cat Flap
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#5 An Egyptian Rock Crystal Of A Chonky Hinpopotamus Amulet, Middle Kingdom, Ca. 2050-1650 Bce
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#6 Fall Of The Rebel Angels, Carved Out Of A Single Piece Of Marble In 1740 By Italian Sculptor Agostino Fasolato, It Depicts 60 Fallen Angels
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
The page has gotten quite large and now also includes a separate blog, the aforementioned Facebook page and an Instagram account. So we wanted to hear the admins' thoughts on what actually made it so wildly popular. “When you see a small amber bear that was made 5k years ago, when you see carbonized bread from Pompeii or a dinosaur skeleton that was folded in a super funny way you can imagine that those people were just like us.”
#7 Detail From The “Unswept Floor” Mosaic Made By Heraclitus, Showing A Mouse Eating A Walnut. 2nd Century Ce, Now On Display At The Vatican Museums
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#8 14000 Years Old Bisons Sculptures Found In Le Tuc D'audoubert Cave. Ariege, France
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#9 The 2000-Year-Old Clothes Of The Huldremose Woman, A Bog Body Recovered In 1879 From A Peat Bog Near Ramten In Denmark
It consists of a checked woollen skirt, a checked woollen scarf and two skin capes. Now on display at the National Museum of Denmark
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
“They love to see and share objects, sometimes truly amazing, that were part of someone’s lives thousands of years ago,” they shared. We wanted to know how finding things to post worked from the admin side. “Museum of Artifacts is run by one person alone, non profit, never posted a single ad or referral.” Pages like this have the added benefit of making parts of history more accessible to the general public.
#10 An Adorable Ancient Egyptian Otter Statue!
Dating to c. 640 - 30 BCE, it depicts a bronze otter on its hindlegs, forepaws raised in praise of the sun. The solar disc of Ra rests upon its head.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#11 Roman Army Knife (201-300 Ad); Has A Spoon, Knife, Fork, Spike, Spatula And Pick Allowing The User To Even Clean Between Their Teeth After Eating. It Was Part Of The Equipment Of Roman Legions
This folding eating gadget has a three-pronged fork, a spoon,a spatula,a pick, a spike and an iron knife that has eroded away. There is a hinge to allow each item to be folded out when it was needed, or folded away for ease of transporting it. The spike might of helped in extracting the meat from snails, and the spatula in scraping sauce out of narrow-necked bottles. Some have even suggested the pick with the tiny spoon on the end could have been used to remove earwax.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#12 A Megalithic Monument In Spain That's Older Than The Pyramids Was Recently Uncovered From Its Watery Hiding Place By A Drought
The "Spanish Stonehenge" is about 7,000 years old, some 2,000 years older than Stonehenge itself.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
Given the sheer amount of content the page shares, we also wondered if they had any favorites. “Toys or doodles made by kids a long time ago amazes us. And there are still more questions like Gobekli Tepe, in which we still don’t know much about our past, which was complex and advanced.”
#13 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
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#14 A Black Mug. Southern Italy, 2400(!) Years Old
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#15 A 2,000-Year-Old Green Serpentine Stone Mask Was Found At The Base Of The Pyramid Of The Sun In Teotihuacan, Mexico
It's believed that these offerings were left as part of a ritual to inaugurate the construction of the pyramid, hence its location at the lower level. The mask itself is extremely lifelike, which gave rise to the theory that it's actually a portrait. This would be incredible, as archaeologists have little information about the people who constructed Teotihuacan. There are also conflicting theories about the exact use of the pyramid. Even the name isn't original.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
The admin shared a person's favorite, old bison sculptures found in Le Tuc d'Audoubert cave, in Ariege, France. “14k years ago and such artistic talent,” they shared with Bored Panda. So be sure to give them a follow. You can find more on their Facebook page, Instagram and other sites.
#16 A 1800-Year Old Ceramic Horse. Han Dynasty (202 Bce– 9 Ce, 25–220 Ce), Now Housed At The Sanxingdui Museum In China
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#17 Gilded Silver And Rock Crystal Vessel, Crafted In Nuremberg, Germany, Circa 1580
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#18 A Roman Bronze Colander From Pompeii, Italy, 1st Century Bce
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#19 Frog, By The Japanese Artist Matsumoto Hoji. 1814 Ce
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#20 In 1965, Excavations In Mezhyrich, Ukraine, Revealed The Presence Of 4 Huts, Made Up Of A Total Of 149 Mammoth Bones
These dwellings, which are about 15,000 years old, are some of the oldest shelters known to have been constructed by pre-historic man.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#21 For The First Time In 12,000 Years, The Teeth Of A Leopard Statue Saw Daylight In 2021 At Karahantepe, Türkiye
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#22 Roman Brick From Cherchell, Algeria With A Perfect 2000 Year-Old Imprint Of A Human Hand
The handprint is seemingly that of a large Roman man, who pressed his hand into the brick as it lay out to dry before firing. Closer inspection reveals the fingerprints and skin textures of the man.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#23 Ax From Viking Era, Before And After Conservation 10th–11th Century
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#24 Château De Chenonceau, Indre-Et-Loire, France
Arguably one of the most impressive inhabited bridges still in existence, the present-day structure, dating back to the 16th century, was constructed upon an arched bridge spanning the Cher River. This unique design allowed the owner to access the hunting grounds located on the opposite side of the river.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#25 Pictured Above Is The Marble Lace Neckerchief Carved By French Sculptor Louis-Philippe Mouchy (1734 - 1801), Who Masterfully Created The Marble Statue In 1781
The statue was commissioned as a posthumous tribute to the Duke of Montausier, Charles de Sainte-Maure. The nobleman was one of the guardians of the Great Dauphin of France, Louis, son and heir of the Sun King, Louis XIV.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#26 Great Zimbabwe Was A Medieval African City Known For Its Large Circular Wall And Tower. It Was Part Of A Wealthy African Trading Empire That Controlled Much Of The East African Coast From 11th-15th Centuries Ce. Great Zimbabwe Is The Name Of The Stone Ruins Of An Ancient City Near Modern Day Masvingo, Zimbabwe. People Lived In Great Zimbabwe Beginning Around 1100 Ce, But Abandoned It In 15th Century Ce. The City Was The Capital Of The Kingdom Of Zimbabwe, Which Was A Shona (Bantu) Trading Empire. Zimbabwe Means “Stone Houses” In Shona
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#27 Ship's Biscuit With Inscription. Great Yarmouth, England, 1885
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#28 An Ancient Glass Bowl With Blue And White Canes. Greek Or Roman, 100–1 Bce, Now Housed At The J. Paul Getty Museum In Los Angeles
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#29 "Memento Mori", German Mammoth Ivory Skeleton - Second Half Of The 18th Century
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#30 Gold Ring, Roman Egypt, 1st Century Ad
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#31 In 1663, The Partial Fossilised Skeleton Of A Woolly Rhinoceros Was Discovered In Germany. This Is The “Magdeburg Unicorn”, One Of The Worst Fossil Reconstructions In Human History
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#32 A Steam-Powered Elevator In The House Of Guard Captain S. Muyaki In St. Petersburg, Russia. Circa 1902-1903
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#33 Ancient Greece Toys. About 2300 Years Old
Kids of Ancient Greek times had a number of Ancient Greek toys to play with, in their leisure and free time. Some of them included- dolls, rattles, tops, swings, etc. Along with these, many other items of play have been unearthed by archaeologists. These were a key part of Ancient Greek childhood.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#34 Bison Sculpted From Mammoth Ivory. Found At Zaraysk, Russia. About 20,000 Years Old
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#35 Johann Sebastian Bach's Handwritten Personal Copy Of His Mass In B Minor, Held By The Berlin State Library, And Added To Unesco's Memory Of The World Register
The Mass in B minor (completed in 1749) is widely regarded as one of the supreme achievements of classical music.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#36 Michelangelo's Secret Drawing Room Was Found Under A Church In Florence, Italy, In 1975 And Is Now Open To The Public
The discovery of the secret room in the 19th century sparked renewed interest in Michelangelo’s lesser-known works. Today, the room is considered a hidden gem of Renaissance art, offering a glimpse into the private world of one of history’s greatest artists and the influential patrons who supported him.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#37 Wedding Mantua Worn By Helena Slicher, Over 2 Meters Wide. The Netherlands, 1759
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#38 3,700-Year-Old Ancient Clay Tablet Containing Applied Geometry. A Millennia Before The Birth Of Pythagoras
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#39 Ivory And Ebony Chess Pieces Shaped Like Insects. Italy, 1790
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#40 Carved Ivory Japanese Netsuke Depicting A Human Skeleton Posing On A Large Human Skull, C. 1750-1850
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#41 Rock Engravings Of Val Camonica In Brescia, Italy
It is one of world's largest and most mysterious collections of prehistoric petroglyphs, crafted by enigmatic Camuni civilization over 10,000 years and recognized as Italy's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#42 Holy Trinity Church, A Historical Building In Hrastovlje, A Village In Southwestern Slovenia, It Is A Romanesque Church From 12th Century Ce. Church Stands Behind A Wall That Local Population Built To Protect Itself From Turkish Attacks In 16th Century Ce
Such defensive architectures are found throughout territory settled by Slovenians and are called tabor. Church in Hrastovlje differs from all other pilgrim churches in that its bell-tower is located on western side and in that all other pilgrim churches have small wooden towers.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#43 Rhyton In The Shape Of A Dog's Head, Greece, Circa 480 Bc
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#44 Ancient Near Eastern Clay Vessel With Two Feet (1000–800 Bc), From Northern Iran
A tall vessel with an oval, almost bag-like body, a somewhat elongated neck with an everted rim and a pair of narrow curving handles that spring from the oblique shoulder to the neck. The lower portion of the vessel splits into two legs with well-modeled feet. Details such as ankle bones and the arch of each foot are rendered by modeled forms rather than incised lines. The overall effect is that of a wine- or waterskin rather than a ceramic vessel. It is likely that this association was intentional- as the light porous ceramic body of the vessel allows water to evaporate slowly through the sides, thus slightly cooling the remaining contents.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#45 The Only Bucket Made Of Wood That Has Survived From Roman Times
The characteristic spout allowed the liquid to be poured out easily. The object was aboard a river ship sunk 1,800 years ago on the Rhine.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#46 Viking's Blacksmith Tools And Weapons Found In Grave, Ca. 800 A.d. Norway
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#47 Thonis-Heracleion Was One Of Egypt's Greatest Ports, But It Slowly Submerged Into The Sea From C.100 Bce-800 Ce
Here, we see a stele from the reign of the Pharaoh Nectanebo I (r.380-360 BCE) being excavated in 2000 CE, the same year as city's rediscovery.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#48 A Horreo Is A Traditional Granary Or Storage Building Commonly Found In The Northwest Region Of Spain, Particularly In Galicia, Asturias, And Cantabria
These structures are typically raised off the ground on pillars or stilts to protect the stored grain or food from moisture and pests. Horreos are characterized by their unique architectural design, featuring a rectangular or elongated shape with slatted walls or vents to allow for air circulation. The construction of horreos dates back centuries, with some examples dating as far back as the Middle Ages. They were originally used to store and preserve crops such as corn, wheat, and other grains, as well as other food items like potatoes and beans. The elevated design of horreos helps to keep the stored goods dry and safe from rodents and insects. Horreos are not only functional structures but also hold cultural significance in the regions where they are prevalent. They are often decorated with intricate carvings, symbols, or patterns, reflecting local craftsmanship and traditions. In addition to their practical use for food storage, horreos have become iconic symbols of rural life in Spain, attracting tourists and visitors who appreciate their historical and architectural value.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#49 A Little Alpine Refuge That Was Built More Than 2700m Above Sea Level In Italy’s Dolomite Mountains (Mount Cristallo) Is Among Most Dramatic Reminders Of Wwi
This incredible refuge has been built inside one of the peaks of the massif, with brick walls, a slanted roof, two doorways and four windows framed in wood. Some of the windows are shuttered.
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
#50 Details Of The Dolphin's Armor Of Henry, The Future King Henry II Of France, Made By Negroli Francesco In Milan In The 1540s. Now On Display At The Army Museum In Paris
Image credits: museum.of.artifacts
