10000 best r/artefactporn images on Pholder | 10,000-Year-Old Sandals from Fort Rock Cave in Oregon, c.8000 BCE: these sandals are the oldest known footwear ever discovered; they were found beneath a layer of volcanic ash that was deposited during the eruption of Mount Mazama in 7,600 BCE [3962x5282]

10,000-Year-Old Sandals from Fort Rock Cave in Oregon, c.8000 BCE: these sandals are the oldest known footwear ever discovered; they were found beneath a layer of volcanic ash that was deposited during the eruption of Mount Mazama in 7,600 BCE [3962x5282]

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Massive swords of Hungarian origin dating back to the 14th century, now on display at the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul. The one in the middle (the biggest) is 270 cm long [2048x1366]

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Life size wooden statues of the Nio Guardians at Sanjusangen-do, a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. 12th century CE, Kamakura Period [1280x972]

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The russian court dresses of the Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana Nikolaevna, eldest daughters of Tsar Nicholas II, which they wore for the first and last time in 1913 [1492x1092]

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A snake sculpture from U Thong District in Thailand. 6th-11th century CE, now housed at the Bangkok National Museum [1536x2048]

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Bodhidharma receives the severed arm of his disciple Hui Ke, depicted on a mural at Daewonsa Temple. Hui Ke cut off his own arm and gave it to Bodhidharma as a symbol of devotion. Korea, Joseon period, 17th century [3300x3738]

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In 1785, an amazing golden Roman ring was discovered in a field near Silchester (southern England). As it turns out, the artifact changed its owners. [1200x962]

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The world's oldest pants, a 3300-year-old wool trousers discovered in the vast Yanghai cemetery near Turfan, northwestern China [2066x3072]

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The original stuffed toys owned by Christopher Robin, which inspired the Winnie the Pooh series of books. On display at the Children's Room of the New York Public Library. [1020x687]

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A camel petroglyph at the Bir Hima complex which covers the time period of 2500–1000 BC. Najran province in southwest Saudi Arabia [900x530]

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Tutankhamun’s tomb, burial chamber, KV62. King’s Valley, Luxor (Thebes). Circa 1325 B.C. [5090x3991].

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Kentucky man finds over 800 Civil War-era coins buried in his cornfield. The Great Kentucky Hoard includes hundreds of U.S. gold pieces dating to between 1840 and 1863, in addition to a handful of silver coins. Eighteen of the individual coins found can sell for six figures apiece [1154x732]

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A 14th century brass head from Ife. Now on display at the Museum of Ife Antiquities in Nigeria [2538x3918]

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Seeing the light for the first time after millennia. A Medusa painted on the centre of a shield decorating the facade of the Macedonian Tomb of Agios Athanasios, . Excavation photo, 325-300 B.C. Greece. [3500x2875]

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160-year-old perfume found in the shipwreck of the Mary Celestia off the coast of Bermuda. [1020x1530]

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A note from the year 1436 identifies the owner of this sapphire ring as Duke Ernest the Iron (1377–1424 CE). This makes it the oldest, unequivocally attributable object inventoried among the medieval treasures of the House of Habsburg. Now housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna [1080x1780]

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Chalcidian-type helmet found in Ukraine, ca. 500 BC [526 x 700]

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A flintlock alarm clock that ignited gunpowder to wake you up. Made in the 1600s [3024x4032]

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The Ransom Room in Cajamarca, Peru, where the last Inca Emperor Atahualpa was kept prisoner. Atahualpa offered Pizarro to buy his liberty by filling the room where he was kept prisoner with gold and the 2 following rooms with silver. Pizzaro took the treasure, but still executed him [700x923]

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Old photo of ruins in Pompeii from 1890s. It was hand colored. [750x538]

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Tiny Greek owl carved in purple fluorite, 4th-3rd century BC. The owl was the symbol of the goddess Athena and by extension the city of Athens. [946x1000]

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Round box with many little butterflies under the lid. Japan, Meiji Period, 1870-1900 [1000x1288]

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The intricately carved violin of Domenico Galli, made in 1687. Now on display at the Galleria Estense in Modena, Italy [1121x2747]

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Fishing hooks and serrated spearheads made of bone, dating to around 8000 B.C. Found in peat bogs in Zealand, Denmark. (4010X3008)

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Statue of a young child playing with a theatre mask, 1st century AD, Villa Ludovisi (655x900)

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Egyptian tomb mural from the reign of Amenhotep III, showing female musicians playing and dancers moving to the music. ~1370BC, British Museum [2500x1837]

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Bust of a 15-year-old Marie Antoinette - Jean Baptiste Lemoyne, 1771 [866x1297]

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Skeletons by the Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyosai (1831-1889) [1200x1749]

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Jesus and Mary [763x1173], Persian Miniature, 1550-1600 CE

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A Roman swiss army knife, the first multipurpose tool from the 2nd/3rd cent. AD (1024X753)

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A selection of some of the books and manuscripts I've acquired since the New Year. Dates range from the late 15th to very early 20th century, including an illuminated Book of Hours, an Aristotelian manuscript, and more. I'll make individual posts of some of the highlights eventually. [1536x2048]

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Roman mosaic with women in bikinis Extremely interesting mosaic floor from Villa Romana del Casale – a luxury villa in Sicily. The work shows women in bikinis practising sports (weightlifting, discus throwing, running and playing ball). [1024x665]

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A 19th century chinese carved ivory reticulated brush pot, Qing dynasty [750x1309]

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On the left: a helmet made of iron and bronze found in a ship burial in Vendel, Sweden. 700 CE, Vendel Period (550-800 CE), now housed at the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm. And on the right: a reconstruction of the helmet [1449x1128]

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Roman mosaic depicting aquatic life(first century BC),found in house VIII.2.16 in Pompeii.It is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.[2360x2418]

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4th ~ Century CE Roman amber pins. These were found in 2020 at the feet of an individual who was buried in sarcophagus at a necropolis in the French city of Autun. [960x843]

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The word Iran on a golden coin of the founder of Sasanian Empire, Ardashir I (211–224 AD), indicating that Iran was recognized as Iran before it was ever known as Persia, a term which the Greeks used. The native word Iran was used by its citizens since at least 1000 BC. (500×239)

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3 days ago the egyptian authorities have discovered 13 completely sealed 2,500-year-old wooden coffins in the desert necropolis of Saqqara [1912x1068]

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The witch weighing scale (heksenwaag, 1545) in Oudenwater, The Netherlands. If you were accused of witchcraft, you could go here, and be weighed, and get your name cleared.[1080x1616]

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The 11,500 years old Shigir Idol is the oldest known wooden sculpture in the world and may have stood more than 5 m high. It's now on display at the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore in Yekaterinburg, Russia [1079x1134]

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Rectal speculum. Roman, 199-500 AD [1400x1080]

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Temple of Greek Goddess Aphrodite Found Underwater at Heracleion city, Egypt. Hidden for more than 1200 years. It was founded between 664 – 525 B.C. Gold jewelry, fine ceramics, marble statue and animal shaped amphoras. [6000x5335].

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Carving of an octopus. Japan, 19th century [1600x1900]

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Egyptian statue depicting Kaaper the chief lector priest. Made from sycamore wood, the eyes are inlaid; the rim is made from copper, the white is opaque quartz and the cornea is rock crystal. Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, ca. 2494-2345 BC. From Saqqara necropolis. Egyptian Museum, Cairo [1800x1339]

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Phra Navai, the Siamese (Thai) ambassador to France, and his son Pho Xai. Photo taken in Paris by Gaspard-Felix Tournachon, 1861 [1788x2350]

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The exquisitely carved dome of Luna Vasahi, a 13th century Jain temple built entirely of white marble. Located in Rajasthan, India [2500x3770]

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Shell with 6 molded pearls shaped like Buddhas. 3 have fallen out. China, Qing dynasty, around 1850 [1429x1868]

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Interior of the Shah Cheragh “King of Light” [7464 x 5182] mosque in Shiraz, Iran. Persian reflective mirror lighting was first made in 1517 CE during the Safavid empires and was later used for Safavid and Qajar palace adornment.

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This photo taken in 1848 is the first in the history of photography ever used to illustrate a news story. The photograph shows the Rue Saint-Maur-Popincourt in Paris, full of barricades that were used in a battle between government forces and demonstrating workers [1400x1087]

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A relatively intact Roman water boiler with all its pipes, at the Villa della Pisanella in Boscoreale, Italy, 1st century BCE. Photograph by Fratelli Alinari, 1931 [2327x3018]

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The Incan Sayhuite monolith is an enormous rock containing more than 200 geometric and zoomorphic figures, including reptiles, frogs, and felines. It was sculpted as a topographical hydraulic model, complete with terraces, ponds, rivers, tunnels, and irrigation channels [3272x4672]

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Celtic Sword from 60 b.c. with human form on hilt on display at Met Museum [960 × 1200]

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Arrest warrant for Niccolo Machiavelli, who was later arrested and tortured by the Medici government for serving the republican regime they overthrew. I was discovered by chance by a student at a library in Florence in 2013, exactly 500 years after it was written[640x360]

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Pair of 1,500-year-old lady’s sandals with message in Greek that reads: “Use in health, lady, wear in beauty and happiness.” Discovered during a dig in Istanbul. [1392x891].

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The oldest Arabic tally marks in the Netherlands dating to 1332 CE can be found in the roof structure of a house in Zutphen, Gelderland province. [502 x 663]

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Gobekli Tepe in eastern Turkey, the oldest known megalith in the world at around 11,000 years old, more than twice the age of Stonehenge. [OC] [1700x1200]

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Furniture from the tomb of the ancient Egyptian foreman Kha and his wife Merit, and an old photo of the tomb as discovered in 1906. 14th century BCE, now the entire contents of the tomb is housed at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy [799x1193]

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Elephant Statue, dating 3rd century BCE, unearthed from bank of the Daya River in Odisha's Puri District, India. It's carved from stone and is 3 feet high.[680×926]

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The 15th century Incan Sacsayhuaman citadel in Cusco, Peru. The huge stones, used in the construction of its massive terrace drystack walls (no mortar), can weight up to almost 200 tons, and are so closely spaced that a piece of paper will not fit between many of them [2048x4241]

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One of only two authentic old Jolly Rogers known in the world. The red background meant that she ship flying the flag would take no prisoners if their opponents put up a fight. The 18th century pirate flag is now on display at the National Museum of the Royal Navy [634x605]

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Conical helmet with iron mask. Japan, 17th century [1910x2310]

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Mummy portrait of a woman. Egypt, Ptolemaic period, 130-160 AD [1040x1570]

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Ancient Greek statue of Persephone, 2nd century BC. It was looted illegally from World Heritage Site and ancient Greek city Cyrene, Libya. Finally it was returned a decade later by UK authorities. [826x1334]

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Ancestral Puebloan granary (original condition, no reconstruction), ~1450 AD [2048x1536] [OC]

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Crocodile skin parade armor used by a Roman soldier during cult processions in Egypt. 3rd - 4th Century. [2438 x 3195]

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William the hippo, MET museum’s mascot for 106 years, and his Buddy. Ground quartz Egyptian blue hippopotamuses, Middle Kingdom ca. 1961–1878 B.C. [3802x3247].

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A man's blue silk vest. China, Qing dynasty, 1845 [870x1030]

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A plaster cast of a young woman who died in Pompeii as a result of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Her hips were wrapped in cloth. The artifact is on display in Pompeii. [1200x900]

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Detail of the Roman mosaic of the peristyle of the Domus Romana in Malta, showing its astounding 3D effect which must have been the achievement of the best craftsmen of the time. 1st century BCE [1600x1226]

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This statue depicts Saint Bartholomew, an early Christian martyr who was allegedly skinned alive. If you look closely, that's his dissected skin hanging around him. This stunning statute by Marco d’Agrate from c.1562 is currently on display at the Duomo di Milano [2331x4944]

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Before and after views of Pyramid N6 at Meroe, Sudan. In 1836, Italian treasure hunter Giuseppe Ferlini used dynamite to blow up N6 along with around 40 other pyramids while looking for gold (3600X1273).

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The Valley of the Mills (Valle dei Mulini) in Sorrento, Italy. These 13th-century flour mills, built from stone, used to have access to the sea, but construction of the Piazza Tasso in 1866 cut it off. They were abandoned in the 1940s, and greenery quickly overtook the whole valley [1920x2559]

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An ancient Roman votive stela in my family's ancestral graveyard, western Serbia [3096x4128] [OC]

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Archaeological workers excavating plaster casts of victims of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in Pompeii, Italy, May 1, 1961 [815x731]

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A kudurru found in Susa, Iran, depicting the main deities of the Babylonian pantheon in the form of symbols or by their animal attribute. 1186-1172 BCE, now housed at the Louvre Museum [1072x1016]

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The Bulverket is the remnants of a large wooden fortification at Lake Tingstade in Sweden. When built in the 1130s, it consisted of a platform with houses surrounded by a double palisade. The bottom picture shows the Geologist Lennart von Post recovering part of the Bulverket in 1927 [1387x2759]

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Roman theater in Orange (southern France), built in the early 1st century CE. It is one of the best-preserved Roman theaters. [736x552]

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The coronation dress of Louisa Ulrika of Prussia worn as she was crowned Queen of Sweden (1751) [1888x2044]

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Remains of a Roman road in ancient Tarsus (Turkey). The road was discovered by accident in 1993, during construction works. [800x600]

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Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, that dates back to the 2nd half of the 12th century CE. Excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain, the caves stretch along the cliff for some 500 meters and in up to 19 tiers [1600x2027]

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A mid-1st century BC bronze dual-crested helmet that was found in 2008 in an Iron Age grave of a warrior at North Bersted, West Sussex. The bottom picture shows a reconstruction of the helmet. The helmet is now on display at the Novium Museum in Chichester, England [1707x3201]

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The quartzite sarcophagus in the burial chamber of Tutankhamun. The winged arms of goddess Isis and Nephthys are outstretched to envelop the basin in a protective embrace. Photo: Harry Burton, 1923. [1831x1361]

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Worlds Oldest Football. Dating from 1540s and found behind panneling in Stirling Castle. [768x685]

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Hattusa (Hittite Cuneiform: 𒌷𒄩𒀜𒌅𒊭) was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern Bogazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of the Kızılırmak River. [1080×810]

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The imperial sceptre of the Roman Emperor Maxentius (306 - 312 CE) - the only surviving example known.[1400x1400]

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The graffiti of Addaura, carved by ancient humans between 20,000-15,000 BC in the late Epigravettian and early Mesolithic periods. They were found in the Addaura Cave on the northeast side of Mount Pellegrino in Palermo, Sicily. [1024 x 1536]

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The Arabe robe worn by Lawrence of Arabia. White silk and golden-embroidered, 1916, now on display at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology [961x1600]

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Explosive cannonball with a delayed fuse. Korea, invented during the imjin war period of Josun kingdom(1592~1910). It contains sharp iron shards inside in order to make grenade-like effect. More info in the comment.[4608x5760]

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The oldest known depiction of the Trojan Horse, seen on the 'Mykonos vase', 670 BC. (1080X795)

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Statuette of Begtse, god of war and Dharma protector. Mongolia, 18th century [1440x1957]

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This is a branch of raspberries made from rhodonite and nephrite, with nephrite leaves and clusters on stalks of red gold, set in a rock crystal vase. (Made by Faberge in 1900). [495x1200]

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Renaissance set of knives made of bone and iron in a Trout-shaped case - Italian work 17th century [526x526]

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The city walls of Diyarbekir, southern Turkey, one of the great historic cities of the Near East and a centre of Assyrian, Armenian and Kurdish civilisations. Built by Roman emperors between 367 and 375, they are the longest and widest continuous city walls anywhere in the world. [2408x1352]

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The world's largest ancient mosaic unearthed in the Antakya district of Hatay, south of Turkey. [640x800]

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Michelangelo's grocery list from 1518. He illustrated the shopping list because the servant was illiterate. Now part of the collection of the Casa Buonarroti in Florence [1440x2048]

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Middle Bronze Age Spearhead (c. 1500 BC to c. 1150 BC). Found by me yesterday. Found whilst metal detecting in Wales yesterday afternoon. (2033x1449)

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Fort Bourtange is a fort in the Netherlands built under the orders of William the Silent and completed in 1593. Its original purpose was to control the only road between Germany and the city of Groningen, which was controlled by the Spaniards during the time of the Eighty Years' War [1200x1131]

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A Japanese intricate ivory sculpture of a basket of flowers. Meiji period, circa 1900, now part of the Khalili Collection [1780x1968]

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Murals at an ancient synagogue in Dura-Europos, Syria. The building was unique in that was both one of the oldest synagogues n the world surviving intact, as well as extensively decorated with marvelous murals. It was destroyed by ISIS during the Syrian civil war[974x946]

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A 'hand brand', for use on felons or deserters in England, 1642-1649. (800x1202)

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In 1959, two ancient bronze statues of Athena & Artemis were discovered together in Piraeus. This first photograph shows them as found in situ. 4th-3rd century BCE, now they're both housed at the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus in Greece [1280x2516]

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Waqrapukara is an ancient fortress in Peru, built at 4,300 m above sea level by the Qanchi people and later conquered by the Incas [1500x1125]

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A samurai helmet with a Chinese character '大 (dai)' on the top, meaning big or great, and a silver skull on the front. 17th century CE, Edo period, now on display at the Tachibana Museum in Japan [797x1200]

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The 5th century CE Tomb 1 in Rio Azul, Guatemala, decorated with Maya glyphic texts which proclaimed the royal Tikal ancestry of its occupant [1600x1200]

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A rare dagger for esoteric rituals from France, mid 19th Century [534x800]

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Mummy portrait of a young woman. Fayum, Egypt, Roman period, 170-200 AD [2600x4000]

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[OC] [3072 x 4080] Tankard, amber and silver, Konigsberg (modern Kaliningrad) 1640-60

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A tent which once belonged to Tipu Sultan, made of printed cotton chintz, undyed cotton, bamboo, metal and leather. From India, 1725-1750 CE, now part of the collection of The National Trust at Powis Castle in Wales [1200x720]

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3,500-year-old piece of bread, from the Tomb of Hatnefer and Ramose. Thebes, Egypt, New Kingdom, 1492–1473 BC [3400x2600]

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Statue of a nude yakshi, or female nature spirit. India, Kushan Empire, 2nd century AD [2000x2500]

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The ruins of the 15th century O'Briens Castle on Inisheer Island in Ireland [985x985]

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The Kazan Crown, once owned by Ivan the Terrible. Made of gold with pearls, turquoise, and garnet stones. Russia, 1533 [1098x1456]

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The Arkadiko Bridge built between 1300 and 1190 b.c.e. [615x636]

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