Artifacts
I love ancient artifacts, especially the ones that evoke the daily life or experiences of real people. This is me bringing them to you like a slobbery tennis ball.
similar to pair worn by this Roman lady in a mummy portrait from the Fayoum necropolis, 1-3rd century AD.
This is the oldest known musical instrument. A Palaeolithic flute from Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany created from the wing bone of a Griffon vulture over 35,000 years ago
The flute was carefully recreated in 2003, here’s a sample.
J. Hahn, Klangwelten der Altsteinzeit
That is, one of these things…
Shell carefully framed by the knapping. If you consider decoration as art, this is one of the first known art manifestations. West Tofts, England. Around 100.000? BP.
“Properly dating this object is impossible because it was extracted from an archaeological excavation when the strata and the dating still did not matter. They were only interested in extracting objects for the interest of antique dealers and collections.
For the industry in which it is carved, there are authors who say that it belongs between 500,000 and 300,000 years BP while others say it is around 100,000. Others even say it is 10,000 years ago. As there are so many different dates I have decided to put 100,000 BP.” -RCO_
Yee. Steel and gilt brass rectal speculum, French, c. 1870-1890
Celtic Gold shoe plaques from the Hochdorf Chieftain’s Grave, Germany, c. 530 BC
Boots-worn-by-Gustav-III-of-Sweden-during-his-coronation.-1772
This-bird-shoe-was-found-in-Haarlem-Netherlands-and-is-dated-ca-1300-1350
Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen’s 3,300 year old sandals
Shoe-with-dolphin-and-bell-18-cm-made-by-shoemakers-guild-Germany-1576
Roman-shoe-found-in-a-well-Saalburg-2000-years-old
A-striped-child’s-sock-from-Roman-Egypt-3rd-century-AD
drank from adorable sippy cups. Dating as far back as 5,500 BCE, they become increasingly common from the late
Bronze Age into the early Iron Age. These held cow’s milk apparently, which adds an interesting background fact to the picture. Look at the touching details of these designs and the parental love they show. The heartbreaking shadow context is that these are found in the graves of young children. A bit more detail here.
made of meteoric iron. 1400 BC, Valley of Kings
I went to the city and all I got you was this lousy pencil.
“I have come from the city. I bring you a welcome gift with a sharp point that you may remember me. I ask, if fortune allowed, that I might be able [to give] as generously as the way is long [and] as my purse is empty.”
from the day both his wife and mother died.
