When we glance at ancient surfaces—clay pots, stone walls, or delicate manuscripts—we often uncover unusual things that rewrite history and spark the imagination.
Unusual Things on Ancient Surfaces
10 The Smiley Pot
Finding humor in a 4,000‑year‑old vessel is a rarity, but archaeologists were forced to grin when a pot from Turkey revealed a familiar doodle. Unearthed in 2017 near the Syrian border, the large, single‑handled clay vessel was initially just another fragment from a long‑excavated site.
When the shards were reassembled, a pair of eyes and a simple curve formed a smiley face—an expression that predates modern emojis by millennia. Dotted into wet clay around 1700 BC, the image likely adorned a vessel used for drinking sherbet, a sweet liquid.
Although the reason for the cheerful addition remains a mystery, the pot now holds the title of history’s oldest smile. It hails from Karkamis, a Hittite settlement that later hosted the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, a clash recorded in Jeremiah 46:2.
9 Paleoburrows
Brazilian geologists in the 2000s stumbled upon puzzling cave systems that defied natural formation. These underground networks featured level floors, arched tunnels, and a maze of exits and chambers.
Clues appeared on the ceilings and walls: massive grooves that turned out to be ancient claw marks. The scale of these so‑called paleoburrows is staggering, even for the extinct giant sloths or armadillos thought to have built them.
The biggest example, discovered in Rondônia, Amazonia, stretches an impressive 610 meters (2,000 ft) in total length. Primary tunnels stood up to 1.8 meters (6 ft) high and 1.5 meters (5 ft) wide. Over generations, the creatures excavated roughly 4,000 metric tons of earth. Why they needed such elaborate shelters—and why similar structures are absent from North America—remains an open question.
8 Long‑Distance Grave Tar
Near England’s River Deben, a 27‑meter (90 ft) ship—once a royal burial vessel—revealed a surprising black coating. The ship, recovered from the famed Sutton Hoo cemetery, is believed to be the tomb of King Raedwald, who died in AD 624 or 625.
Initially thought to be Stockholm tar, a waterproofing agent, modern analysis in 2016 identified the substance as a rare Middle Eastern bitumen. Its presence on an Anglo‑Saxon burial ship is puzzling, yet it fits with other imported grave goods from Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean.
The bitumen also left concentric marks on the ship’s interior, suggesting it may have been used as a tool or to fasten now‑lost components such as leather or wood.
7 A Coffin Artist’s Fingerprints
In 2005, conservators working on an Egyptian casket at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum uncovered a personal touch from the ancient craftsman. The coffin, belonging to priest Nespawershefyt (died c. 1000 BC), yielded fingerprints on its inner lid.
These weren’t the smudged prints of a careless assistant; they were the deliberate marks of the artisan who handled the lid before the varnish set. Later, a CT scan at Addenbrooke’s Hospital revealed that the coffin had been reshaped extensively during its original construction.
The fingerprints remained hidden until a 2016 exhibition highlighted Egyptian artists across four millennia, finally giving the ancient craftsman his long‑overdue credit.
6 Green Magic For Children
In ancient Egypt, green symbolized growth, crops, and health—so much so that it appeared as a scarab near a mummy’s heart. Yet the hue also played a special role for children.
Researchers examining a child’s mummy discovered a leather bag containing a bright green amulet made of chrysocolla. While malachite was the common green mineral of the era, chrysocolla was a rarer stone sourced only from the Sinai and the Eastern Egyptian Desert.
Earlier finds—a chrysocolla statuette of a youngster—support the idea that this particular shade was believed to protect children. The amulet, found on a toddler who died of malaria, likely served as a safeguard for the afterlife.
5 Confirmation Of Scythian History
Archaeologist Andrei Belinski’s 2013 excavation of a Russian kurgan—a Scythian burial mound—unveiled a secret chamber brimming with gold jewelry and vessels. The 2,400‑year‑old treasure was kept under wraps to prevent looting.
Inside one vessel, scientists identified a sticky black residue as a mixture of cannabis and opium, offering the first concrete proof of Herodotus’s claim that Scythians used drugs in ritual contexts.
Other vessels displayed violent scenes, including a depiction of Scythian men battling, possibly illustrating Herodotus’s “Bastard Wars,” where older warriors killed younger rivals after returning from Persian campaigns.
These artifacts also provide unprecedented insight into Scythian hairstyles, footwear, weaponry, and even textile sewing techniques.
4 Bread Of Saint Francis
According to a 700‑year‑old legend, an angel delivered bread to the Friary of Folloni in Italy during a harsh winter. The monks believed Saint Francis of Assisi, then traveling in France, was the benefactor.
Scientists dated the associated cloth to between 1220 and 1295, matching the year 1224 when the miracle allegedly occurred. Chemical analysis of the bag’s interior revealed ergosterol, a biomarker linked to mold that thrives on baked goods.
While the data supports the notion that the relic once held bread, the bag’s later use as an altar cloth for three centuries could also have introduced the mold, leaving the mystery partially unresolved.
3 New Testament Dyed With Urine
The 1,500‑year‑old Codex Purpureus Rossanensis, a partial New Testament manuscript from Italy, boasts striking purple‑tinged pages. Scholars long assumed the hue came from Tyrian purple, a snail‑derived dye containing bromine.
In 2016, X‑ray fluorescence failed to detect bromine, prompting researchers to test recipes from the Stockholm papyrus (c. AD 300). They discovered the manuscript’s lavender shade derived from orcein, extracted from the lichen Roccella tinctoria using fermented urine—a process that supplies the necessary ammonia.
The study also confirmed that all illustrations in the 188‑page codex were created with the same palette, debunking claims of later additions.
2 Tutankhamen’s Hasty Burial
In 2010, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities noticed brown blotches spreading across Tutankhamen’s tomb—affecting paintings, plaster, and even silver. Fearing that tourist breath encouraged microbial growth, they summoned experts from Los Angeles.
DNA analysis identified the spots as a dead fungus, but their presence raised a second mystery. The rapid appearance of the microbes suggested the pharaoh’s burial was unusually swift.
One theory posits that Tutankhamen died without a prepared tomb, prompting officials to repurpose an existing chamber and seal it while plaster and paint were still wet. The lingering moisture, combined with the artists’ skin cells, fostered fungal growth—an anomaly not observed in other Egyptian tombs.
1 Spontaneous Color In Manuscripts
Across the globe, a mysterious purple pigment spontaneously appears on ancient manuscripts, obscuring text and damaging parchment. Researchers examined a 5‑meter‑long (16‑ft) petition from the Vatican Secret Archives, penned in AD 1244.
Gene sequencing of pigment flakes identified marine bacteria, a surprising find given the scroll’s inland origin. The common factor among affected manuscripts was the use of animal hides cured with sea salt, which introduced the marine organisms.
When temperature and humidity reached the right conditions, these bacteria produced the purple discoloration, sometimes eating away at the collagen of the hide. While the damage is largely irreversible, scientists remain hopeful about future methods to safely remove the remaining pigment.