Historical Artifacts with Incredible Workmanship

Here are some of the most impressive historical artifacts that constitute material evidence of the dexterous workmanship of old times.

2000-year-old sapphire ring presumably depicting Roman Emperor Caligula’s fourth wife Caesonia

historical artifacts, sapphire caligula ring

Possibly 25 000-year-old huts made of mammoth bones found in Mezhyrich, Ukraine

historical artifacts, 25 000-year-old huts
Momotarou2012

The Veiled Christ sculptured by Cappella Sansevero in 1753

historical artifacts the veiled christ
museosansevero.it
the veiled christ
museosansevero.it

8-mile-long Ice Age drawings in the Amazon Rainforest

1,500-year-old Ceramic Mayan Figurine from Petén, Guatemala.

ceramic mayan figurine

Made in 1410, the famous astronomical clock in Prague is the oldest still ticking clock in the world.

historical artifacts prague astronomical clock
luxuriant

The small village of Nashtifan, Iran, contains some of the oldest windmills, or panemones, that still function. It is estimated that the windmills have been milling grain for 1000 years.

historical artifacts, Nashtifan windmills
MorvaridiMeraj 
Nashtifan windmills
surfiran.com

A 17th-century Ottoman tent made of silk and gilded leather. The tent is now on display at the Turkish Chamber at the Dresden Armoury Museum in Germany.

17th century ottoman tent
thearchaeologist.org

Made in 1555, this Hercules armor belonged to the Emperor Maximilian II of Austria. The intricately ornamented armor is now on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

armor of maximilian II
reddit.com

The 2300-year-old boot of a Scythian woman well-preserved in the frozen ground of the Altai Mountains.

2300-year-old boot of a Scythian woman

A Viking-era ring discovered in the grave of a woman buried 1200 years ago in Birka, 25 km west of present-day Stockholm. Surprisingly, the words ‘for Allah’ were inscribed on the ring. The ring also constitutes material proof of direct contact between the Vikings and the Abbasid Caliphate.

historical artifacts viking era ring
Image credit: Christer Åhlin/Swedish History Museum

2000-year-old ‘Beware of Dog’ sign in the form of a mosaic at the entrance of a Roman poet’s house in Pompeii.

ancient beware of the dog sign
Sailko

A Samurai helmet, also known as kabuko, shaped like an octopus dates back to the 1700s. 

This ancient Egyptian gold ring with a cat-shaped carnelian bezel dates back to the Third Intermediate Period (1070–712 BC). It is now on display at the British Museum.

historical artifacts, cat shaped ancient Egyptian ring
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Incan Wall dating back to the 1400s presents the skillful workmanship of stonemasonry.

historical artifacts, incan wall
r/oddlysatisfying