90 Unusual Artifacts Offering A Closer Look At Everyday History

Fascinating relics that bring old stories back to life

Damjan

Published in Interesting
15 Feb 2026

90 Unusual Artifacts Offering A Closer Look At Everyday History

Ask people what their favorite school subject was, and most will mention math, language, or science. Few immediately say history. In classrooms, it often felt like a long list of dates, names, and events to memorize for a test. But outside textbooks and exams, the story of the past is far more engaging than many expect.

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When you shift focus from timelines to real objects left behind by earlier generations, history becomes tangible. Everyday tools, personal belongings, and unusual inventions can reveal more about a time period than a chapter summary ever could. They show how people lived, what they valued, and how they solved problems with the materials they had.

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That’s the idea behind the “Museum of Artifacts” page, where contributors share photos of rare and curious historical items they’ve discovered or preserved. Each piece acts like a small time capsule. Some are oddly designed, some surprisingly elegant, and others simply raise new questions about their original purpose.

Looking through these finds turns learning into exploration rather than study. Instead of abstract facts, you see physical proof of real lives and forgotten moments. Scroll through the collection, and you’ll find that the past is not dull or distant - it’s detailed, human, and often unexpected.

"The Blaschka Glass Sea Creatures Are A World-Renowned Collection Of At Least 10,000 Of Scientifically Accurate And Highly Detailed Glass Models Of Marine Invertebrates Created By Father And Son Leopold And Rudolf Blaschka, In Dresden Between 1863 And 1880 Ce"

"A 350 Year Old Pocket Watch Carved From A Single Colombian Emerald, Found Hidden In A London Cellar"

"Ancient Roman City Beneath Street Level, Hidden Just Below Modern-Day Life In Verona, Italy. 1st Century BC"

"Cat Gargoyles And Grotesques, European"

"Chemiserie Niguet In Brussels, Belgium, Is An Art Nouveau Store Built In 1896 By The Architect Paul Hankar. It Currently Houses A Flower Shop"

"1930 Henderson Kj Streamline Motorcycle, A Rare Example Of Art Deco Design"

"An Opalescent Glass Art Deco Sculpture By French Artist Lucille Sevin, For Etling. Early 20th Century"

"Art Deco Silvered Bronze And Alabaster Wall Light Designed By Albert Cheuret, Circa 1925"

"The Oseberg Ship, A 9th Century Viking Ship Discovered Almost Perfectly Preserved In A Burial Mount In Norway"

"Poison Cabinet Inside A Fake Bible, 1600s"

"2,000-Year-Old Roman Sapphire Hololith Ring"

"Prehistoric Flute From Germany, C.40,000 BCE: This Is One Of The Oldest Musical Instruments Ever Discovered, And It Was Carved From The Wing-Bone Of A Griffon Vulture"

"Vibrant Collection Of Vintage Czech Glass Cat Charms! 😻 Popular In The Early 20th Century, These Unique Little Figures Were Often Cracker Prizes"

"Cats Return As Historic Cat Door Reopens In Istanbul’s Topkapı Palace"

"Art Deco Uranium Glass Automobile Hood Ornamament By Lalique, Circa 1930"

"Two Separate Violins Crafted By French Instrument Maker Joseph Gaffino In 1748"

"Miniature Wooden Sculptures Were Carried Out Over A Very Short Period Of Time Between 1500 And 1530 In Flanders And/Or The Netherlands"

"Notation Knives Are Rare 16th Century Ce, Renaissance Serving Knives With Musical Notation Engraved On Their Blades, Used To Sing Prayers Before And After Meals"

"Austrian Art Nouveau Baby Crib. Manufactured By Gebrüder Kohn In Around 1895 - 1899"

"Moche Necklace With Gold Beads In The Shape Of Toads (1-800 Ad) | Museo Larco – Lima, Peru"

"Neolithic Amber Bear Amulet, CA 1750 - 650 B. C"

"Rosslyn Chapel. It Has Been Described As A Library In Stone. Built Between 1446-84. Roslin Midlothian, Scotland"

"How Could Someone, 450 Years Ago In 1652, Make Marble Look More Comfortable Than An Actual Bed?"

"Cutlery Designed By Salvador Dali, 1957"

"Christmas Tree For The German Frontlines In 1st World War"

"One Of The Most Exquisite Italian Armors Ever Made, Forged By Milanese Master Lucio Piccinino For Alessandro Farnese Between 1575 And 158"

"The Oldest Paved Road You Can Walk In Europe Is The Minoan Royal Road In Crete, Greece, Which Is Over 3.500 Years Old"

"Ancient Greek Coins With Octopuses"

"The Brick Spiral Staircase Inside The Tower Of The Moot Hall In Maldon, England. C.1420 Ce"

"Mughal Spectacles Set With Flat Cut Emerald Lenses, In Silver And Gold Frames Mounted With Old-Cut Smaller Diamonds And Emeralds, India, Lenses Circa 17th Century, Frames 19th Century"

"2,000-Year-Old Roman Gold Ring Featuring A Rock Crystal Carved With A Portrait Of Titus Carvilius Gemello"

"Cat Paw Prints Preserved In 12th-Century Floor Tiles At St Peter's Church, Wormleighton, England"

"The Khufu Ship Is A 4500-Year-Old Intact Full-Size Solar Barque From Ancient Egypt That Was Sealed Into A Pit At The Foot Of The Great Pyramid Of Pharaoh Khufu In The Giza Pyramid Complex"

"Marble Detail By Riccardo Gatti"

"Dornröschen, A Marble Sculpture By German Artist Louis Sussmann-Hellborn Created In 1878, Depicts The Fairy Tale Character Sleeping Beauty"

'Schwepped Of Their Feet Both' Is A Pair Of Paintings Made By The English Artist William Henry Hamilton Trood In 1887 CE"

"Bronze And Crystal Sword From China, C.450-250 BCE:"

"Angels Ascending The Ladder To Heaven On The West Front Of Bath Abbey In England, 1520 CE"

"A Piano Made Of Mother-Of-Pearl And Tortoiseshell, From 1853, New York City"

"Retro-Futuristic Mid-Century Faucet. (1950s-1960s)"

"An English Regency Ear Trumpet, Dating To The 1820s"

"Pocket Sundial And Compass, Circa 1630"

"So This Creepy Looking Brown Leather Onesie Is Actually A Legit 19th Century Inuit Sealskin Whaling Suit From Greenland (Pre-1834)"

"Victorian-Era Rocking Chair, 1801-1900"

"The German Messenger Dog Gas Mask Was A Unique Yet Crucial Piece Of Gear During World War I"

"A Staircase In Persepolis, Ceremonial Capital Of The Persian Empire, Iran, 500 BC"

"Scissors Designed In Art Nouveau Style, Late19th/Early 20th Century."

"The Tomb Of Thomas Sayers (1826-1865), Who Was An English Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighter, Located In Highgate Cemetery In London"

"The Kiss", A 12,000-Year-Old Rock Painting At Pedra Furada In Brazil"

"Wheelchair Made For Holy Roman Empress Elisabeth Christine Of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, 1740"

"Monster's Mouth, Chimneypiece, 1552-3, By Alessandro Vittoria, 1525-1608 Italian, Palazzo Thiene, Vicenza, Italy"

"This Is The “Gate Of Paradise,” An Ilkhanid Mihrab Widely Regarded As The Pinnacle Of Persian-Islamic Tilework"

"Lira Da Braccio With Male Face On The Back, Made By Giovanni D'Andrea. Verona, Italy, 1511"

"1,800 Years Old, The Ceramic Dancing Figures From China, 220 Ce"

"German Padlock And Key, About 400 Years Old"

"Study Of Bird Wings, Leonardo Da Vinci"

"400-Year-Old Topiary Maze Located In The Cloister Garden Of The Pazo De San Lorenzo De Trasouto In Santiago De Compostela, Spain"

"Antique Figural Salem Witch Steel Scissors From The 1900s. Germany"

"The Newel Post And Balustrade Of An Amazing Staircase In Château De Chantilly. It Was Destroyed In The French Revolution And Restored In The 1870s"

"An Ancient Egyptian Wig, Made From Human Hair, Dating To The New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BC)"

"Rat Coin Purse From The 1900s"

"A Roman Soldier’s Frying Pan With Folding Handle, Dated 3rd Century AD"

"German Fork And Spoon Set, Dates To Around 1600-1630. Made Of Red Coral, Silver And Gilt Metals"

"Bird-Shaped Perfume Bottle With Stopper. Probably England. Date: C. AD 1880–1890. Medium: Pale Blue Blown Glass With Gilded Metal Mounts"

"The Piercing Eyes Of The Antikythera Ephebe, Found In The 1900s Off The Coast Of Antikythera, Greece"

"Whaler Made Scrimshawed Whale Ivory Sea Horse Pie Crimper, Circa 1850"

"Clay Guard-Dog Figurines From North Palace In Nineveh, In Present-Day Iraq. About 2,700 Years Old, Just 7cm Long (3 In), With Inscriptions Of Their Fierce Names ~ Loud Is His Bark / Biter Of His Foe / Catcher Of The Enemy / Expeller Of Evil / Don’t Think, Bite!"

"Equestrian Statue Of Marcus Aurelius, Rome, 176 Ad. One Of The Greatest Surviving Works Of Roman Imperial Art, It Is The Only Large Bronze Imperial Equestrian Statue To Survive, Largely Because M. A. Was Confused With Christian Emperor Constantine And Escaped Being Melted Down"

"This Is An Ancient Egyptian Gold Ring With A Carved Jasper Frog, Dating From 600–30 BC"

"A Stone Gargoyle Of A Man Putting His Foot In His Mouth On The Wall Of The Ruins Of Rufford Abbey In Nottinghamshire, England"

"Toy From Ancient Greece, C.450 BCE: This Doll Was Crafted In The Form Of A Woman With A Rolling Pin, And It Has Articulated Joints That Allow The Rolling Pin To Be Pushed Back And Forth"

"Sanxingdui Head With Gold Foil Mask: They Were A Civilization In China Contemporary, But Culturally (And Probably Linguistically) Different From Shang, The Bronze Age Chinese"

"The Imperial Sceptre Of The Roman Emperor Maxentius (306 - 312 Ce) - The Only Surviving Example Known"

"Bronze Turkey Feet Candle Holders CA. 1890"

"Napoleon's Private Bathroom, Featuring A Unique Recessed Bathtub, Located Within His Apartment At The Villa Pisani In Stra, Northern Italy"

"English Carved Bone Scrimshaw Sailors Dice Holder And Dice. Circa 1880"

"A Large Roman Mosaic From The Thermal Baths Of Urvinum Hortense, Now Housed At The Museo Città Di Cannara In Italy. 1st-2nd Century CE"

"A 45 Meters Long Paracas Geoglyph Of An Oculate Being, Found In The Desert Of Jumana, In Peru, In 1982. 500 BCE"

"A Very Scarce Lion Head "Yatagan". Indopersia, Circa 1800"

"Antique French Moon And Star Tambour Lace Boudoir Pillows From The Monica Roberts Collection, Circa 1910"