30+ Archaeological Finds That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’

In the 16th and 17th centuries, explorers carried more than just maps – they wore the world on their fingers. The explorers wore collapsible rings that unfolded into a tiny universe. Resembling complex navigational tools, they were symbols of wisdom and adventure.

This particular ring, believed to have roots in Germany, connects to the 15th-century physician Bonetus de Latis. Crafted with two to eight bands adorned with celestial patterns or exquisite gems, these rings were knowledge condensed into wearable art.

There are many swords in myths around the world that are said to be all-powerful, and one such is The Galgano Sword. The sword once belonged to a knight, Galgano Guidotti, who renounced all his possessions following some visions.

Allegedly, the knight also thrust his sword into a stone, and the site is said to be home to almost 19 inexplicable occurrences. It also led to the sword getting intertwined with Arthurian lore.

Archaeologists from Verona’s Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape have recently uncovered a stunning ancient Roman mosaic floor nestled close to the remnants of an ancient Roman villa.

Discovered in May 2020, this intricate floor is a relic from the third century AD. As they delicately work through layers of history, the Municipality of Negrar di Valpolicella’s Facebook page continues to share their journey.

This archaeological find probably sent all the locals digging around the neighborhood. In 2018, beneath the Cressoni Theater in Como, Italy, a group of archaeologists struck gold—literally. Their discovery? Hundreds of ancient gold coins!

Numismatist Maria Grazia Facchinetti speculated that these coins, ranging from the late 4th century to around 474 CE, might have belonged to a public bank or deposit. Initially slated for demolition, the Cressoni Theater gained a reprieve thanks to this astonishing find.

Imagine a game of hide-and-seek with an entire village! Back in 1270, a village named Fabbriche di Careggine was established in Tuscany, Italy. But the village vanished underwater when they finished the Enel Dam in 1946.

Now, here’s where it gets wild! Sometimes, when the lake needs a check-up, they drain it. When that happens, you can catch a sneak peek of the ancient ruins. It’s like the village saying, “Hey, we’re still here!” The village is next set to appear in 2024, so hold onto your horses to catch the sight of this mysterious place!

In February 2021, an Egyptologist named Sofie Schiødt found a 3,500-year-old manual on mummification. This discovery was all the more rare as people mostly shared the info orally. Schiødt called it “super detailed,” which means it tells us a lot of stuff.

According to the manual, to keep everything safe and smelling good, the Egyptians used special plant stuff made into a liquid, then put it on a red cloth which they wrapped. They did this every four days for about 70 days. That’s quite a process, right?

Guess what, gamers? The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has a treasure that’ll make hardcore gamers drool—an ancient 20-sided dice! Yeah, that’s right, a dice with not 6, not 10, but 20 sides!

This special dice, an icosahedron, was a magical tool for ancient Greek and Roman fortune-tellers. It’s this cool artifact found in Egypt, and it’s super old, from between the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE. It’s made from a rock called serpentinite, with Greek letters carved on it.

Imagine stumbling upon ancient fashion finds fit for royalty! Among the treasures tucked away in the belongings of Thutmose III’s three wives—Menhet, Menwi, and Merti—were these delicate, stunning sandals and toe coverings made of thin gold.

Thutmose III, an influential pharaoh, sure had an eye for the finer things in life. These exquisite accessories were discovered in 1916. Local residents stumbled upon this royal resting place, and after a looter scare, officials got to work excavating the site.

Back in the 1600s, Asia, Europe, and North Africa were populated by these massive cattle called Aurochs. Recently, scientists discovered some things that are giving them some insights into these creatures.

They found three drinking horns from aurochs. When scientists checked out the DNA in these horns, they discovered something pretty surprising—they’re kind of related to the cows we have today!

Back in 1972, workers in Bulgaria were gearing up to build a factory near the Black Sea when they stumbled upon what’s now called the Varna gold.

This sparkling treasure is seriously ancient, dating back to a mind-boggling 4,600 BCE. Over almost two decades, from 1972 to 1991, archaeologists found around 13 pounds of pure gold— jewelry, beads, decorative bulls, and rings. The team continued digging, eventually uncovering over 312 graves, most of which contained gold.

This is not ordinary graffiti like you might find on the streets, but a 2,000-year-old sand doodle in Peru in the shape of a cat! It was discovered in 2020 on a hillside in southern Peru.

This 121-foot-long cat is actually part of a bigger gang—the Nazca Lines. These are giant drawings in the dirt showing animals, plants, and all sorts of cool shapes. They’re now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In Novgorod, Russia, there’s a super old drawing from between the 11th and 14th centuries CE. It’s believed to be the work of a seven-year-old kid named Onfim.

This drawing is part of a bunch of pictures found scribbled on birch bark. From Onfim’s work, we can infer that he was learning a language called Old Slavic. His doodles were all about warriors, horses, and people.

In Norway, something incredible happened in 2006 when the ice thawed away from the mountain pass at Lendbreen. As the ice kept melting, treasures dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries CE started popping up.

The path’s treasure included stuff like horse nails, sleds, and walking sticks. Among the finds was a Viking snowshoe made for a horse. This find gives a peek into the daily lives of these ancient travelers.

Talk about a wallet worth more than its weight in gold! This isn’t just any old wallet—it’s a treasure from the medieval world dating back to the 13th century. What makes it so special? Well, it’s not about the money inside; it’s the wallet itself that’s the real gem.

This wallet is like a piece of art, showcasing the incredible craftsmanship of that time. Made from dyed leather with stamped patterns, it’s decorated with animals and beautiful, intertwined lines.

Discovered in Iraq and dating back 3,600 years, this tablet became famously known as the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet. Why? Because it contains a part where Gilgamesh spills his dreams to his mother.

Sold with a phony backstory in 2007—claiming it was part of a box of old bronze bits from 1981—it traveled across different owners worldwide, finally landing in the hands of Hobby Lobby in 2014 for display in their Museum of the Bible. It was finally seized by the authorities in 2021.

During the Middle Ages, keys were crucial for safeguarding not just personal stuff, but also cattle. What’s cool is that these keys came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, made mostly from a mix of copper alloy.

Some keys were crafted from silver, lead, animal bones, or even iron, showing off the creativity and variety of materials used back then.

Talk about yarn that’s older than old! This ball of yarn, dating back to the Middle Neolithic period, is a real ancient treasure found in Switzerland.

This ball of carbonized thread, made from linen or nettle, dates back to around 3,900 BCE. The region where they found this yarn is linked to the La Tène Iron Age culture, which was around 400 BCE. But the yarn itself has been hanging around since way before then.

This particular tablet is part of a group of 10 plaquettes found in Les Varines, Jersey, which are believed to be the oldest known art in the British Isles. Discovered over a few years, from 2014 to 2018, these plaquettes date back to around 23,000 to 14,000 years ago.

These rocks are etched with abstract designs that look like animals and even human faces. The intricate lines and curves seem to have been deliberately carved, hinting at artistic expression.

Chinese archaeologists thought they were just checking out old buildings before building an Olympic village near Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics. But guess what? They discovered something epic—ancient ruins of an imperial summer palace from the Jin Dynasty, ruled by Emperor Wanyan Jing from 1189 to 1208.

They uncovered more than 60 building foundations, walls, moats, and roads, making up the grandeur of an ancient palace. This finding was so significant that they had to relocate the Winter Olympics Village to across the road.

In April 2021, archaeologists made an incredible find, locating the former home of Ben Ross, the father of the legendary Harriet Tubman. Situated in Maryland’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, this property in Dorchester County might have been where Tubman lived during her younger years.

Led by Julie Schablitsky, a team of archaeologists unearthed fascinating artifacts dating back to the early 1800s. Among the discoveries were a 1808 Liberty coin, a button, bricks, pottery, and a drawer pull.

A shipwreck anchor found in the North Sea in 2019 seemed to shed light on a longstanding Norwegian mystery. This sunken vessel, the Juffrau Elisabeth, held secrets that had puzzled locals for centuries.

The wreckage had been a mystery that stumped many, and it was the Sogne Diving Club, a dedicated group on a quest for decades, that finally unearthed the ship’s remains.

The caves of Panga ya Saidi in Kenya are like a treasure trove of human history, spanning an incredible 78,000 years! These caves hold a rich collection of human artifacts, starting from the Middle Stone Age and continuing all the way to the present day.

The main chamber alone spans over 1,000 square feet, suggesting that it could have accommodated hundreds of people. The earliest inhabitants left behind large stone tools, hinting at their way of life. But somewhere around 67,000 years ago, more specialized tools like arrowheads and blades started appearing.

The story of human migration and technological advancements is like a puzzle with pieces scattered across time. Genetic evidence suggests that a small group of Homo sapiens left Africa around 60,000 years ago, and their success might have been linked to advanced stone tools—fine blades that could be attached to spears, unlike bulkier hand axes.

In southern India, a site holding ancient human settlements – which was less explored, until recently – revealed advanced tools dating back more than 200,000 years. This discovery challenges what we thought we knew about early human innovation.

The Greek ship Antikythera sank off the coast of Antikythera about 2,000 years ago and was discovered in 1900. Among the recovered artifacts was a puzzling object—layers of intricately fitted brass gears encased within a wooden box. This object left archaeologists scratching their heads.

Turns out, the device was actually a mechanism capable of predicting the positions of planets and stars based on dates. Further examination uncovered its ability to predict eclipses and moon phases.

Despite over two centuries of excavations since 1748, Pompeii remains a site brimming with hidden stories, with approximately 170 acres yet to be explored. Each new dig unveils fresh insights into the lives of its former inhabitants.

The ongoing excavations continue to unravel Pompeii’s mysteries, offering surprises and shedding light on various aspects of ancient life with each excavation.

The discovery of a holey jar—filled with actual holes—has certainly piqued the interest of archaeologists! Unearthed from outside London and dating back to Roman Britain, this peculiar jar has left researchers puzzled about its original purpose.

Currently housed at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology in Canada, its exact function remains a mystery. Archaeologists speculate that it might have served as a lamp or perhaps even as a kind of cage for creatures like mice. However, these are educated guesses, and the true purpose of this curious vessel remains elusive.

It all began in 1929 when a regular man stumbled upon a cache of jade and stone artifacts while repairing a sewage ditch. Decades later, in 1986, archaeologists excavating the area unearthed two more pits teeming with treasures from the Bronze Age, including jade and bronze sculptures.

These discoveries raise questions about the Sanxingdui civilization—a culture that thrived and eventually vanished between 2,800 and 3,000 years ago. Evidence suggests they inhabited a walled city along the Minjiang River. However, the reasons behind their departure from this city remain a mystery.

The Voynich manuscript is a book that historians itch to dive into. Discovered in 1912 by an antique bookseller, this 250-page enigma boasts an unknown script and intricate illustrations, ranging from botanical sketches to Zodiac signs.

Currently housed at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, this ancient text likely originates from Central Europe from around 600 years ago. Yet, its contents remain a riddle that scholars strive to solve. A linguistic professor, Stephen Bax, claimed progress in deciphering 14 characters from the manuscript in February 2014.

The Parthian batteries, crafted during the ancient Parthian and Sassanid periods (1st to 3rd century AD), stand as a remarkable find shedding light on Mesopotamian civilization. These jars, known as the Baghdad Batteries, were found in Iraq in 1936 and feature cylindrical iron casings housing a copper spike.

While the evidence isn’t definitive, intriguing theories suggest these containers might have been filled with grape juice, creating an electrochemical reaction that generated a voltage potential. Modern reconstructions have demonstrated that these setups could indeed generate voltages sufficient for such a purpose.

The Roman dodecahedron is a tiny hollow object sporting 12 flat pentagonal faces, each with a perfectly centered circular hole of different sizes. This enigmatic artifact, tentatively dated back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, has puzzled historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists.

These mysterious objects have popped up all across Europe, from Wales to Hungary and France to Germany. The precision of their geometry has sparked theories that they might have been used for astronomy, but the real reason remains a mystery.

Imagine stumbling upon breathtaking Ice Age rock paintings nestled in the Columbian Amazon. These awe-inspiring artworks, dating back an astounding 12,500 years, are a captivating glimpse into ancient creativity.

Archaeologists first unearthed this treasure trove of ancient art, with tens of thousands of paintings, using high-tech satellite imagery. What they found was a truly fascinating piece of history.

This unassuming little figurine may seem tiny, but it holds a colossal title—it’s now the oldest-known example of Chinese art! Discovered at Lingjing in Henan Province in China, this Paleolithic treasure carved from blackened bone dates back 13,500 years.

What’s remarkable is the intricate detailing on its surfaces, showing evidence of diverse tool usage, suggesting the artist wielded a range of carving techniques.

An ornate, Romanesque chest, reportedly filled with gold nuggets, precious coins, and sparkling gems, is said to be hidden in the rugged terrain of the Rocky Mountains. The person behind this mysterious treasure is Forrest Fenn, an enigmatic art dealer from New Mexico. This was the dream of approximately 300,000 hopefuls who eagerly joined the quest, chasing the allure of a $2 million fortune.

Just before Fenn’s passing at the age of 90, news finally broke that someone had cracked the code and discovered the treasure trove. However, the finder’s name and final location remain a mystery.

Imagine wielding your metal detector, sweeping the earth in search of hidden treasures, only to stumble upon something straight from the depths of history itself.

In 2009, a metal detectorist experienced this exact thrill in England, discovering what would later be known as the Staffordshire Hoard—an astounding collection of over 3,000 gold and silver artifacts. Dating back to the seventh century, this hoard stands as the largest reservoir of Anglo-Saxon riches ever found.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, a captivating collection of over 900 ancient manuscripts, surfaced unexpectedly in 1947 within the caves near the Dead Sea. These scrolls date back to the third century BCE.

What’s fascinating is that this groundbreaking discovery unfolded thanks to a shepherd boy, Muhammed ed-Dib. As the story goes, while searching for a lost sheep, ed-Dib stumbled upon the caves housing these priceless scrolls.

The story of Max and Emma Hahn’s discovery of a hammer encased in rock is truly an amazing archaeological discovery. Their find – said to be uncovered in the 1930s – sparked immense curiosity when the rock containing the hammer appeared to be dated to the Ordovician period, which was an astonishing 400 million years ago.

The hammer itself, upon initial examination, supposedly predates even the rock it was found in, supposedly clocking in at a staggering 500 million years old. Even more baffling, a portion of the handle had reportedly begun the transformation into coal.

The tale of the Dropa Stones has long captivated the imaginations of many. In 1938, an archaeological team exploring caves in China’s Baian-Kara-Ula region stumbled upon a remarkable find – hundreds of stone disks resembling phonograph records nestled within the caves’ confines.

Reports surfaced, suggesting that when placed on a special turntable, the stones emitted peculiar vibrations akin to an electric charge passing through them. However, these intriguing claims were shrouded in secrecy and never fully disclosed or validated. Soon, everything and everyone related to this archaeological find disappeared from the public eye.

The Saqqara bird is quite a puzzling artifact. This wooden birdie, found in Egypt, is super old—like 2,200 years old! But here’s the catch – we don’t know exactly where or how it was found in 1898.

This bird isn’t your typical bird. With its airplane-like tail and mysterious design, some folks think the ancient Egyptians might have known something about flying. Some even say they made the first-ever aircraft! So, whether it was a bird, a plane, or something else, that’s a mystery only ancient Egyptians can solve.

Piri Reis, a Turkish cartographer in the 16th century, had a map that was pretty ahead of its time. He drew a map in 1513 that showed places like Europe, Africa, and even Brazil.

Reis’ map details Antarctica’s geography without any ice, and that’s something that hasn’t happened for over 6,000 years! It’s a bit of a mystery how Reis knew about Antarctica’s old look since it’s been icy for a long time.

We used to think Neanderthals were primitive, but new discoveries suggest they were creative like us. In Italy, painted shells were found from a time before humans arrived in Europe.

Neanderthals might have made these artsy shells, showing they had artistic skills. This changes what we know about them and shows they might have had a creative side, just like people today.

The discovery of a tool called a lissoir at a Neanderthal site suggests they were smarter than we thought. Found in France at an Abri Peyrony site, this tool, used for making leather, is still used today.

This finding hints that humans might have learned this craft from Neanderthals and that we might have seriously underestimated their thinking power. Maybe it’s time to retire the insults based on them!

The Ur Ram, known as the Ram in a Thicket, hails from the ancient city of Ur in Sumeria, dating back to 2600-2400 BCE. Discovered in 1928 at the Royal Cemetery in southern Iraq, this statue now resides in the British Museum.

Skilled artisans crafted these pieces using a wooden core adorned with lapis lazuli, gold, copper, and red limestone to create intricate and beautiful figures of a ram or goat.

The Basse Yutz Flagons, crafted around the 5th century BCE in Eastern France, are ceremonial drinking vessels that were unearthed in 1927.

These flagons, intricately crafted by the skilled hands of Celtic artisans during the Iron Age, are fashioned from a single piece of copper alloy with sculptures and semi-precious stones. They were coated with resin to make them watertight—truly blending function with exquisite beauty.

The ancient city of Caral, situated in present-day Peru, boasts incredible historical significance as one of the oldest known civilizations in America. Discovered in 1948 within the ruins of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the quipu is a mesmerizing artifact that sheds light on ancient record-keeping practices.

Dating back to approximately 3,000 BCE, Quipus is essentially a complex arrangement of knotted ropes, serving as an intricate system for recording information—a vital means of communication in ancient societies.

The Minoan Bull Leaper, discovered in 1921 in Crete, is a captivating and, dare we say, adorable bronze statue showcasing an extraordinary and possibly implausible act of bull leaping. Despite the debate on whether it reflects a genuine athletic feat, bull leaping was a significant and revered practice within Minoan culture.

The Minoans held bull leaping in high regard, viewing it as both an art form and a cultural emblem. This charming statue continues to fascinate, sparking discussions about the Minoan civilization.