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10 Forgotten Artifacts: Rediscovered Treasures from History

Marcus Ribeiro — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 05:47:23 +0000

Over the years, countless culturally and historically important artifacts have slipped out of public view. These 10 forgotten artifacts have resurfaced—often by sheer happenstance—providing fresh windows into our past.

10 Forgotten Artifacts: A Journey Through Time

10 A Neolithic Figurine

During the 1850s, archaeologists uncovered a tiny whalebone figure at Skara Brae, the famed UNESCO World Heritage settlement perched on Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Radiocarbon dating places the piece at roughly five millennia old, measuring a modest 9.5 cm tall by 7.5 cm wide. Its significance lies in being one of the earliest known human-shaped sculptures from that region.

The statue earned the nickname “Buddo,” meaning “friend” in the ancient Orkney tongue. After its initial discovery, Buddo was tucked away in the Stromness Museum’s archives and gradually slipped from memory. It wasn’t until a systematic review of Skara Brae artifacts that curators stumbled upon the long‑forgotten figurine.

When Buddo resurfaced, it instantly claimed the title of the oldest anthropomorphic carving identified in Orkney. Scholars still debate its precise role, but many suspect it served either as a ritual idol or a symbolic object left behind when the Neolithic community migrated elsewhere.

9 Edition Copy Of The Map That Changed The World

William Smith, heralded as the “Father of English Geology,” produced what is now celebrated as the map that reshaped scientific cartography. Published in the early 19th century, this pioneering geological chart of Great Britain required roughly fifteen years of painstaking fieldwork.

Out of an original print run of 370 copies, only about 70 survive today. Like Buddo, Smith’s masterpiece lay dormant in a secure repository, its existence fading from collective awareness. The last recorded sighting dates back four to five decades ago, when it was safely nestled inside a leather‑bound case at the Geological Society’s archives.

Its rarity is amplified by its status as a first edition; experts estimate it belongs to the very first ten copies ever produced. Consequently, its market value is believed to sit comfortably in the six‑figure range, a testament to its historical and scientific importance.

8 Oldest Surviving Cannonball In England

The protracted Wars of the Roses, a dynastic clash between the houses of York and Lancaster, produced countless relics, yet one particular projectile stands out: the oldest surviving English cannonball. This massive iron sphere was fired during the 1460 Battle of Northampton, a pivotal engagement within the broader conflict.

Although the cannonball’s age and battlefield provenance earned it immediate scholarly interest, it vanished from the record until 2014, when archaeologist Glenn Foard of the University of Huddersfield rediscovered it during a systematic survey of the battlefield site.

Historical accounts clarify that the Lancastrians were unable to deploy their artillery that day due to inclement weather, strongly suggesting that the Yorkist forces were responsible for launching this particular shot.

7 Sculpture Of Cleopatra And Marc Antony’s Twin Babies

In 1918, excavators near the Dendera temple unearthed a striking sandstone group portraying two nude children. For many decades the piece rested in the Egyptian Museum, its true identity obscured from casual observers and even museum staff.

It was only after Egyptologist Giuseppina Capriotti conducted a meticulous re‑examination that the figures were identified as Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene—the twin offspring of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony. Each child clutches a serpent with one hand while the other arm rests on the sibling’s shoulder. Crowning their heads are distinct discs: the girl’s bears a lunar crescent, while the boy’s displays the solar disc, both incorporating the protective Udjat eye motif.

Although the sculpture remains in relatively good condition, the facial features have suffered erosion, leaving many details indistinct. The twins themselves are historically elusive; while Alexander Helios disappears from the record alongside his brother Ptolemy Philadelphus, Cleopatra Selene later married King Juba II of Mauretania.

6 Oldest Pharaoh Carvings

In the 1890s, British archaeologist Archibald Sayce documented a series of enigmatic reliefs at the Egyptian village of Nag el‑Hamdulab. The carvings, however, received scant attention at the time and were only partially reproduced in a scholarly volume.

Decades later, Egyptian specialist Labib Habachi revisited the site, capturing detailed photographs that, puzzlingly, never made it into formal publication. The images lay dormant until 2008, when Yale scholar Maria Gatto stumbled upon Habachi’s archive and realized the significance of the reliefs.

These panels are now recognized as the earliest known depictions of a ruler, likely representing the unifier Narmer, who amalgamated Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 BC. The scenes illustrate a white‑crowned figure navigating ceremonial processions and traveling aboard sleek, sickle‑shaped vessels, possibly symbolizing a royal tax‑collecting expedition.

5 Murals Of Crusaders And Medieval Military Orders

In Jerusalem’s Saint‑Louis Hospice, a series of wall murals painted by French aristocrat Comte Marie Paul Amedée de Piellat in the 1800s had been hidden for nearly a century. The frescoes, depicting crusading knights and medieval military orders, were concealed beneath layers of black paint during World I, when Ottoman forces occupied the hospital.

Following the war, de Piellat attempted a restoration, but he passed away before completing the work. The paintings remained obscured until 2014, when nuns reorganizing a storage area uncovered sections of the artwork. A coincidental burst water pipe stripped away modern plaster and paint, revealing the original murals in vivid detail.

Despite their historical value, the hospice’s administrators have chosen not to commercialize the murals, opting to keep the facility focused on its ongoing medical mission for chronic and terminal patients.

4 World’s Oldest Complete Torah

The Torah holds supreme religious importance within Judaism, making any ancient copy a treasure of immense cultural weight. In 2013, Professor Mauro Perani of the University of Bologna—Europe’s oldest university—identified what is now accepted as the world’s oldest complete Torah scroll.

Originally miscatalogued by an 1889 librarian as a 17th‑century manuscript, the scroll languished unnoticed in the university’s library for over a century. Perani’s re‑examination highlighted a script style rooted in the Babylonian tradition and the presence of forbidden letters and symbols, clues that signaled an earlier origin.

Carbon‑14 analysis placed the scroll’s creation between 1155 and 1225 AD, predating the previously oldest known Torah fragment by several centuries. This discovery reshapes our understanding of medieval Jewish textual transmission.

3 Bear Claw Necklace From The Lewis And Clark Expedition

During their famed exploration of the American West, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark received a striking piece of Native American jewelry: a bear‑claw necklace composed of 38 individual claws, each roughly 7.5 cm long. In many indigenous cultures, such adornments symbolize bravery and warrior status.

The necklace entered Harvard’s Peabody Museum collection in 1941, but a clerical error misfiled it among South Pacific artifacts. Consequently, the piece remained hidden for decades, its true provenance unrecognized.

In December 2003, two collection assistants sorting the Oceania storage rooms noticed the necklace’s unmistakably non‑Oceanic characteristics. Their curiosity led to the artifact’s re‑cataloguing and the revelation that it was, in fact, a relic from the Lewis and Clark expedition.

2 Noah’s Skeleton

More than eighty years after its initial excavation, a 6,500‑year‑old human skeleton resurfaced in scholarly circles. Though not the biblical Noah, the remains earned the nickname “Noah” after researchers determined the individual survived a massive flood event akin to the story of the Ark.

The skeleton, dated to roughly 4500 BC, was uncovered at the Royal Cemetery of Ur in modern‑day Iraq by Sir Leonard Woolley during a joint British Museum‑Penn Museum expedition. Osteological analysis described the individual as a robust 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) tall male who lived to about 50 years of age.

For decades the bones lay in the Penn Museum’s basement, their existence obscured until 2014 when the institution embarked on a digitisation project of its early‑20th‑century expedition records. This digital audit finally brought Noah’s remains back into academic focus, opening new avenues for studying diet, health, and burial practices of ancient Mesopotamia.

1 Isaac Newton’s Recipe For The Philosopher’s Stone

Sir Isaac Newton is celebrated worldwide for his groundbreaking contributions to physics, yet few recall his fervent fascination with alchemy. For years he pursued the elusive philosopher’s stone—a legendary substance said to transmute base metals into gold.

In 2016, a handwritten manuscript believed to be Newton’s own formulation for the philosopher’s stone emerged from the private collection of an undisclosed owner. The document, now housed by the Chemical Heritage Foundation, offers a rare glimpse into Newton’s experimental procedures, complete with cryptic symbols and detailed instructions.

Had Cambridge University, Newton’s alma mater, accepted his alchemical papers in 1888, the recipe would likely have been preserved in a university archive. Instead, the manuscript languished unnoticed until a recent acquisition allowed scholars to digitise and publish the images and transcription, making the content accessible to the public.

Paul Jongko is a freelance writer who spends his time writing interesting stuff and managing MeBook. When not busy working, Paul creates piano covers, masters his capoeira skills, and does progressive calisthenics training. Follow him on Twitter.

Paul Jongko

Paul Jongko is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about history, science, mysteries, and society. When not writing, he spends his time managing MeBook.com and improving his piano, calisthenics, and capoeira skills.

10 Recently Rediscovered Historical Treats Unearthed

Marcus Ribeiro — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 03:39:34 +0000

It’s no secret that we humans love to eat great food and sip refreshing drinks, and the latest archaeological digs have added fresh flavor to the story. In this roundup of 10 recently rediscovered culinary delights, we uncover the exact treats that delighted palates across the ages.

10 Recently Rediscovered: A Taste of the Past

10 Royal Tea

Tea ranks among humanity’s oldest libations, yet the first solid proof of its ancient consumption only surfaced in the 21st century. A 2016 study finally nailed down a definitive sample that dates back to the Han dynasty era, confirming tea’s deep‑rooted heritage.

Researchers probing the Han Yangling Mausoleum— the burial site of Emperor Liu Qi of the Jing dynasty, who died in 141 BC— uncovered a leafy residue that looked unmistakably like tea. Laboratory analysis revealed the twin hallmarks of true tea: caffeine and theanine.

Even by modern standards the brew was top‑notch, suggesting it was reserved for royalty. Curiously, the tomb lies far from any tea‑growing region, implying the leaves were prized enough to be imported and interred with the emperor himself.

9 Wine Older Than Christ

In 2013 a team excavating a 3,700‑year‑old Canaanite palace in Israel stumbled upon a trove of forty ceramic vessels that once held a surprisingly sophisticated wine.

This wasn’t everyday table wine; it was a ceremonial concoction reserved for elite banquets. Chemical residues revealed a bouquet of flavors— honey, mint, cedar, and various tree resins— showing that ancient vintners possessed a palate as nuanced as today’s sommeliers.

The liquid itself has long since evaporated, but the lingering molecular fingerprints let researchers reconstruct its complex profile, underscoring that ancient winemaking was an art form.

8 Ritual Cannabis

During a 2008 dig in China’s Gobi region, archaeologists opened a 2,700‑year‑old tomb belonging to a Gushi shaman. Alongside a harp and archery gear, they found a startling kilogram of cannabis.

While most ancient cannabis was cultivated for fiber, this batch displayed a high THC concentration akin to modern psychoactive strains, suggesting it was intended for consumption rather than textile production.

Without pipes, the shaman likely either ingested the plant or burned it to inhale the fumes, possibly for spiritual rituals or medicinal purposes.

7 Bog Butter

Iron‑Age Ireland’s peat bogs have repeatedly yielded a greasy surprise: bog butter, a preserved dairy product that survived millennia beneath the water‑logged earth.

Before salt became commonplace, ancient Irishfolk stored butter in airtight tubs and buried them in bogs, where the acidic, low‑oxygen environment acted as a natural refrigerator, even enhancing the flavor.

In 2009 turf‑cutters uncovered roughly 35 kg of 3,000‑year‑old butter that had turned waxy but remained remarkably intact. Contemporary accounts describe its taste as cheese‑like, hinting at a surprisingly rich palate.

6 Mayan Chocolate

While cocoa’s origins were long associated with the Olmec, a 2002 re‑examination of a Mayan “teapot” pushed the timeline back dramatically.

These vessels, named for their resemblance to modern teapots, were used in elite funerary rites. Residue analysis detected theobromine, the chemical signature of cocoa, confirming that the Maya were sipping chocolate centuries earlier than previously believed.

Dating to around 500 BC, the find suggests the Maya inherited cocoa‑drinking traditions from the Olmec, extending the beverage’s history by nearly a millennium.

5 2,400‑Year‑Old Salad Dressing

A 2005 shipwreck off Greece’s island of Chios yielded two amphorae encrusted with starfish, each containing a liquid that would look familiar to modern palates: olive oil infused with oregano.

The find demonstrated that ancient Greek merchants not only exported wine but also flavored oils, a practice that endures on the island today, where families still blend oregano with olive oil for dressings and preservation.

This continuity underscores how some culinary traditions can survive unchanged for over two millennia.

4 Peruvian Popcorn

Popcorn feels modern, but a 2012 discovery in Peru proved its ancient roots. Archaeologists uncovered corn cobs, husks, and stalks dating between 6,700 and 3,000 years ago.

These specimens, likely imported from early Mexican agriculture, were preserved in the country’s arid, dry climate, giving researchers a clear picture of prehistoric snack consumption.

Evidence suggests the kernels were heated— possibly wrapped and placed over coals or baked—to pop, while other corn was ground into flour. The rarity of the find implies popcorn was a special treat, not a staple.

3 Pompeian Delicacies

Pompeii’s tragic burial under volcanic ash preserved more than just ruins; it locked away a menu of elite Roman fare, from fish and sea urchins to the astonishing discovery of a giraffe leg bone.

The giraffe femur, the only one ever found in a Roman context, highlights the far‑reaching trade networks of the empire, capable of importing exotic meat from Africa.

Even the city’s drains revealed spices sourced from distant Asia, some traveling all the way from what is now Indonesia, painting a vivid picture of a cosmopolitan palate.

2 Shipwrecked Cheese

The Swedish warship Kronan, which sank in 1676, was rediscovered in 1980 and has since yielded thousands of artifacts, including a particularly aromatic cargo.

In 2016 divers retrieved a clay‑sealed container that gave off a pungent odor upon opening. Inside lay a 340‑year‑old block of cheese, now a mix of yeast and a Roquefort‑like rind.

Although the cheese had turned into a bacterial slurry, analysis confirmed its composition, offering a rare glimpse into 17th‑century dairy preservation techniques.

1 The World’s Oldest Noodles

Noodles have long been a staple of Chinese cuisine, but the earliest concrete evidence only emerged from a Han‑dynasty text dated to roughly 2,000 years ago.

In 2005, archaeologists excavating Lajia—a settlement destroyed by a massive earthquake 4,000 years prior— uncovered an overturned clay bowl buried three meters deep. Inside lay a tightly packed bundle of noodles, making them the oldest known example worldwide.

These noodles, slender, yellow, and about 50 cm long, resembled today’s lamian and were crafted from millet, a grain central to the diet of the era.

By the way, Gordon Gora, a struggling author, has been penning pieces on these culinary marvels while juggling his day‑to‑day grind. You can reach him at [email protected] for more insights.