Artifacts

Today, the rongorongo script survives on less than 30 objects.

Did the People of Easter Island Invent a Writing System From Scratch?

Radiocarbon dating has found that a tablet inscribed with the mysterious rongorongo script predates European contact

The five-inch-long Bronze Age dress fastener may have once been worn by an "important person,"

Metal Detectorist Finds a Rare 3,000-Year-Old Dress Fastener

The gold accessory is one of only seven artifacts of this kind discovered in England and Wales

The missile was declared "inert" by members of the Bellevue Police Department’s bomb squad.

Inert Cold War-Era Missile Discovered in a Washington Man's Garage

A resident of Bellevue, Washington, attempted to donate the historic artifact to a museum, which alerted authorities

An image of an archaeologist excavating the wooden funerary bed and a reconstruction of the artifact (top right)

Archaeologists Discover Rare Roman Funerary Bed Buried Beneath London

The wooden bed was likely dismantled IKEA-style before being buried alongside a high-status individual

A gold Asante necklace was among the items turned over to British forces in 1874.

Los Angeles Museum Returns Artifacts to Ghana That Were Taken by British Forces in 1874

Museum officials traveled to the city of Kumasi to return the objects on the 150th anniversary of their seizure

The rows of shallow pits were carved into a rock ledge in what is now the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in central Kenya.

These Pits Carved Into Rocks in Kenya Might Be Ancient Game Boards

An archaeologist thinks the small, carved holes were used by herders for games of mancala up to 5,000 years ago

The scroll is part of a vast library found in the ancient town of Herculaneum.

Three Students Just Deciphered the First Passages of a 2,000-Year-Old Scroll Burned in Vesuvius' Eruption

The trio used artificial intelligence to decode sections of the text, which appear to be a philosophical exploration of pleasure

A visual reconstruction of the workshop, which was active near the start of Britain's Iron Age

Archaeologists Discover a 'High-End' Blacksmith's Iron Age Workshop

Found in Oxfordshire, the "smithy" was active at the beginning of a transformative era in Britain

A 1,700-year-old mosaic jade mask and a carved femur bone found inside an ancient Maya tomb at Chochkitam, Guatemala

Archaeologists Discover 1,700-Year-Old Jade Mask Inside the Tomb of a Maya King

Located in Guatemala, the tomb also held rare mollusk shells, carvings and other funeral offerings

The recovered pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz

Thief Who Stole Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Avoids Prison

Terry Martin has been sentenced to one year of supervised release for swiping the iconic "Wizard of Oz" shoes from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005

An excavation of the dry Papowo Biskupie lakebed unearthed over 550 bronze artifacts.

Bodies and Treasure Found in Polish Lake Could Be Connected to Ancient Water Ritual

New research suggests the Chelmno group followed their water burials with mass deposits of bronze jewelry and artifacts

The gauntlet pieces were found in northeastern Switzerland.

'Sensational' Medieval Armor Discovered Near a Castle in Switzerland

The rare 14th-century gauntlet is one of the best-preserved artifacts of its kind ever found in the country

The three-inch blade is one of the earliest surviving examples of a runic inscription in Denmark.

Engravings on 2,000-Year-Old Knife Might Be the Oldest Runes Ever Found in Denmark

The letters on the blade read "hirila," which experts say may translate to "small sword"

One side of the silver medal depicts Zeus holding Nike in the palm of his hand, while the other side features the Acropolis in Athens.

Winners Got Silver Medals at the First Modern Olympic Games in 1896

A rare example of the nearly 130-year-old silver medal just sold at auction for $112,000

Churchill's custom-made dentures helped him maintain his distinctive speaking style.

Winston Churchill Wore False Teeth to Deliver Historic Wartime Speeches. Now, They're for Sale

The British prime minister likely acquired the custom gold-mounted dentures around the beginning of World War II

A recently reconstructed brass Roman arm guard, now green and discolored, "gleamed gold" 2,000 years ago.

Experts Solve 'Ancient Jigsaw Puzzle' by Reassembling Roman Armor Broken Into 100 Pieces

The fragments of the brass arm guard were discovered at an ancient fort complex in Scotland over a century ago

The artifact was found during a two-week dig by a volunteer group in the village of Norton Disney.

Another Mysterious Roman Dodecahedron Has Been Unearthed in England

More than 100 such ancient artifacts have been found throughout Europe, but nobody knows what they are

Many of the graves onsite were protected by tile or terracotta coverings.

Archaeologists Unearth Ancient Roman Cemetery Full of Jewelry, Coins and Clothing

Discovered north of Rome, the burial ground lies near what was once an upper-class villa

Chicago's Field Museum announced its decision to cover certain display cases several days before new federal regulations went into effect.

Field Museum Covers Native American Displays to Comply With New Regulations

The federal rules require museums to obtain consent from tribal leaders before displaying or researching cultural heritage items

The envelope was sent twice: once on May 2, 1840, and again on May 4, 1840.

First Known Piece of Mail Sent Using a Stamp Goes to Auction

The 183-year-old envelope is a rare example of two early forms of prepaid postage: Mulready envelopes and adhesive stamps

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