Personal glimpses into ancient lives tend to get lost among the dust and bones. Looking at faceless skeletons and ruins, it’s easy to forget that past humans were much the same as today. They lived and breathed, made toys for their kids, worried about their looks, and found ways to cope with fears and work. Artifacts valued by an individual can reveal much about how they played, relaxed, competed, loved, and celebrated.

10 Jawbone Jewelry

Wearing a late family member’s bones and calling it bling will lose anybody serious social points. Around 1,300 years ago, however, the opposite may have been the case.

In Mexico, families occupied a residential site in the Oaxaca Valley called Dainzu-Macuilxochitl for nearly four centuries. They were the Zapotecs, and they still exist in the region. A ceremonial quarter was found in 2015 and contained human jawbones as well as ceramic figurines and whistles. The entire clay collection had been purposely smashed, but the skeletal remains were lovingly carved and painted.

Even though some of the figurines depict the god Xipe Totec, a deity linked with human sacrifice, archaeologists believe that the jawbones weren’t from sacrificial victims. Instead, to solidify their right to be a part of the community, descendants showed their connection to earlier generations by digging them up and picking a piece to wear. Xipe Totec is sometimes shown with necklaces made of human bones, making it likely that the Zapotecs also wore their ancestors’ remains like neck jewelry.

9 Oldest Dentures

Italian archaeologists tend to hang around the San Francesco convent in Lucca. Over 200 ancient skeletons already held their interest, but in 2016, one family tomb delivered the oldest dentures ever discovered. Consisting of five incisors and canines, the real human teeth likely originated from the mouths of different people.

The somewhat gross device wasn’t an uncommon one for the Romans. Both the Romans and Etruscans created false pearly whites from the teeth of animals and humans as far back as 7 BC. There are texts from the 14th to 17th centuries that describe dentures, but the San Francesco artifact is the first to surface from that era, making it the historical star of dentistry.

The snappers were held together by a band of gold that also fit them to the lower gums of the user. Tests showed that the coating on the teeth contained gold, silver, and other metals. Tartar buildup proved that the device was used for a long time.

8 The Denisova Needle

A 50,000-year-old needle stunned scientists during an annual dig at Denisova Cave in Siberia’s Altai Mountains. The site is already famous for “X woman,” who only left behind a finger bone but alerted researchers to the existence of a new hominid species in 2008. Long extinct, they were called Denisovans, after the cave. Found in 2016, the 7-cetimeter (2.8 in) needle is the longest to come from the site and the oldest in the world. A Denisovan hand-crafted the tool from an unidentified bird’s bone and even shaped it with an opening for thread.

The needle supports previous finds suggesting that the Denisovans were technologically superior to Homo sapiens and Neanderthals. Found in the cave the same year as “X woman” was chlorite bracelet. Shaped and polished some 10,000 years after the needle, it’s remarkably modern, but what dropped jaws was a hole in the jewelry piece. Scientists determined that it was drilled with a precision tool, much like the high-rotation drills of today.

7 Disposable Cups

Throwaway ceramics were the vogue trend of 15th-century German elites. When archaeologists dug in the courtyard of Germany’s Schloss Wittenberg, they didn’t find the shards of a few cups; they found thousands of broken drinking vessels. The porcelain cups were richly decorated with stamps and mask-like images. To throw one of these over your shoulder after guzzling the contents was seen as a sign of affluence enjoyed only by the nobility.

Together with the disposable mugs, a lot of wild animal bones were found. Clearly, the feasts held in the courtyard included a lot of drinking and gorging on large quantities of venison. Sweeping up the next morning didn’t appear to be a priority, as layers of smashed porcelain and bones were found. Held in the summer, the courtyard parties continued for many years, the cups featuring as an exclusive item created especially for the event.

6 Bear Cub Rattle

One particular baby was much-loved during Bronze Age Siberia. He or she received a clay rattle shaped to resemble a young bear’s head. The cute cub still rattles, and future X-rays will determine what exactly causes the sound. Experts are guessing that the maker added small stones before sealing the beautiful toy. It was found in 2016, inside one of the homes at an archaeological complex where an ancient community once lived in the Novosibirsk region.

The 4,000-year-old rattle was created by hardening clay with fire and attaching a handle big enough for a child to grasp. The artisan also added a squiggle to the clay while the object was still drying, which archaeologists suspect could have served as some sort of personal signature. What’s being called the “find of the year” by Novosibirsk experts is also one of the world’s oldest playthings.

5 Disaster Eggs

One of Turkey’s ancient cities, Sardis was gripped by an earthquake in AD 17. The damage took decades to rebuild, and until now, there has been no indication of how it affected the citizens on a personal level. In 2013, an excavation at a reconstructed building revealed how the locals might have coped. Beneath the floor were two boxes, each containing identical items: tiny bronze tools, a coin, and an eggshell.

The people of Sardis lived during a time when eggs could both protect and curse a person. The coins date to AD 54–68, some time after the disaster, and one bears the image of a lion, which may represent the mountain and storm goddess Cybele. As the deity of these elements, she’d be the perfect protector from future earthquakes. What makes this discovery so heartfelt is that it appears to have been an individual’s way of dealing with uncertainty. The ritual was likely an attempt to protect the new building and its occupants from curses and natural disasters.

4 Ancient Cream

Two millennia ago, a Roman man or woman closed their cream pot, and it remained unopened until 2003. The pot was unearthed at Tabard Square, a temple complex in London dating back to around AD 50. The round artifact, 6 centimeters (2.4 in) in diameter, was remarkable for its quality and waterproof lid. The pot was made almost entirely of tin, a precious metal during Roman times, indicating that it belonged to someone in the uppermost crust of Roman society.

The pot was already unique for being a sealed container, and when archaeologists pried off the top, it became even more so. Inside was a white ointment smelling of sulfur. Usually, only the containers of ancient cosmetics survive, not their contents. In this case, the paste inside was pristine.

The pot had one final surprise. When researchers looked under the lid, they found the owner’s fingerprints in the cream. Further testing will determine the nature of the paste.

3 Down The Drain

Researchers have found a unique way to study the Romans: plumbing their bath drains. What sounds like a mucky job has retrieved long-lost details about what visitors did while relaxing at these social centers. Findings ranged from the expected to the highly surprising. Bath ruins from five European countries were examined, all from the first to fourth centuries AD. What the Romans did while sitting in the water varied incredibly.

Apart from things associated with bathing (perfume and oil vials, tweezers), a scalpel and teeth indicated medical procedures, and dice and coins betrayed some gambling. Oodles of jewelry showed that Romans took off their clothes but not their valuables. Aquatic meals led to lost pieces of cups and bowls down the drains. The plungers brought up mussels, shellfish, poppy seeds, venison, goat meat, pork, mutton, beef, and fowl. Unexpectedly, needles and partial spindles popped up. Not really a water sport, needlework most likely happened in the non-bathing areas. How those items ended up in the gutter is not clear.

2 Pocket Sundial

Pompeii’s neighbor, Herculaneum, also perished when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. In the 1760s, workers clearing volcanic debris from the Villa dei Papiri pulled an odd metal object from the ruins. It was identified as a pocket sundial and earned the moniker “pork clock” because it was shaped like a hanging ham. Recently, a plastic replica was made using a 3-D printer.

As it turns out, the humorous timepiece required a skilled hand to use. Dangling from a string, it was difficult to read because of a tendency to move in the wind. Once researchers learned to wield it properly, they could read the hour. This included keeping the Sun on the left, moving the dial’s shadow to the correct month (represented by vertical lines), and counting horizontal stripes from the top to where the shadow starts.

The quirky design is perhaps explained by Epicurean philosophy texts discovered at the Villa. Epicureans practiced humor, and the pig was one of their symbols. Only 25 such sundials exist, and the Herculaneum clock might be among the oldest.

1 The Secret To Chariot Racing

In the British Museum sits a 2,000-year-old toy chariot. Once the pride of a Roman boy, it was fished out of the Tiber Rivier in the 1890s. A recent reassessment provided much-needed information regarding the Roman version of Formula One. No racing chariots survive, but thankfully, the toy was a working model created by a craftsman with in-depth knowledge of the actual vehicles. Remarkably, it exposed the secret of how the charioteers prevented crashing during track turns.

The bronze miniature’s right wheel showed signs of having an iron tire. This made sense. Races were run counterclockwise on oval tracks. During a high-speed left turn, the right wheel faced enormous structural pressures. Made from wood and rawhide strips, failure would have been common for the wheels without the reinforcing strip of iron. It’s not certain if adding the iron was mandatory or a choice. However, it would have increased chances of winning by 80 percent, purely because it made the chariot more hardy. The competitors with only two wooden wheels would have thinned at every turn.

Ancient recreations remain one of the most captivating corners of science. It gives people a way to directly experience and interact with history. We can smell, see, and touch things that are long gone. But some recreations also reveal unknown facts or settle sticky debates. From taste-testing Neanderthal pancakes to finally understanding a deadly sugar tsunami, here are ten of the most fascinating recreations of recent times.

10 Toxic Water Bottles

Not all recreations are whimsical experiments. Sometimes, when scientists copy ancient technology, they do so out of real concern. In this case, researchers wondered if the bitumen used by ancient Californian Indians to seal water bottles had a negative impact on their health. Bitumen is a byproduct of petroleum that’s packed with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a carcinogenic that can also damage organs and impair development.

During the test, the team created two different types of water bottles with traditional methods. One was lined with soft bitumen (which washes ashore) and the other with hard bitumen, more commonly found in land deposits.

Surprisingly, the containers didn’t leach dangerous amounts of PAHs into the water even after several weeks. However, the scientists discovered that the manufacturing process of the bottles would have exposed the ancient craftsmen to hazardous levels of PAHs in the air. Fatty substances in the bottles also quickly became contaminated with PAHs.

Ancient remains of Native Californians indicated that the overall health of their population declined over time. This experiment was the first to suggest that bitumen might’ve pushed them down that slippery slope, as they also used the tarry substance to make smoke signals and fix arrowheads to shafts. Both activities would’ve exposed them to even more PAHs.^[1]

9 The Drinking Game of Kottabos

Drinking games are not a modern invention. Indeed, the ancient Greeks were getting sloshed playing something called kottabos. The goal was to use drinking cups to flick the last dregs of your wine at a target in order to win a prize.

But merely explaining a game that hasn’t been played in 2,000 years wasn’t enough for one professor at the West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Heather Sharpe decided to bring kottabos back to life, but instead of elite Greeks getting tipsy, it would be her students.

Sharpe 3D-printed several traditional drinking cups called kylixes, filled them with grape juice, and roped in a couple of volunteers. Based on ancient works of art depicting kottabos, it appeared that a forehand throw (similar to tossing a Frisbee) was the best way to hit the targets. However, that oddly turned out to not be the case. Sharpe’s team discovered that an overhand toss (like pitching a baseball) delivered the most hits instead.

The students weren’t allowed to become drunk, but the ancient Greeks would’ve become increasingly inebriated. They could only fling wine left at the bottom of their cups, which meant that they had to drink several kylixes to get multiple throws. Sharpe suspects that as their aim worsened, the more chaotic the throwing became. A game of kottabos probably ended with wine-drenched players and a messy room.^[2]

8 Cleopatra’s Perfume

After discovering an ancient perfume factory in Egypt, archaeologists made a perfume that was likely worn by Cleopatra. During her rule (51–30 BC), the Egyptian elite was fond of a product called Mendesian perfume. It was named after the city where it was made—Mendes—and that’s where the factory was unearthed.

The scientists experimented with different variables based on residues found at the site. It also helped that they had the general recipe for the famous scent, which was preserved in both ancient Roman and Greek texts.

In 2019, Mendesian perfume once again saw the light of day. Just some of the ingredients included cinnamon, pine resin, and date oil. So, what did it smell like? Reportedly, the perfume had a strong, spicy scent with subtle notes of mustiness and sweetness. Once applied, it also lingered much longer than modern fragrances.

One cannot say with certainty that Cleopatra wore this scent, but given the popularity of Mendesian eau de toilette at the time and her love of perfumes, she probably did.^[3]

7 The Tasmanian Tiger’s Brain

The last thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, died in 1936. During the species’ lifetime, almost no information about their natural behaviors was gathered, and as a result, we know very little of how these marsupial carnivores behaved. But researchers had a good starting point: a collection of old eyewitness stories from those who had seen the animals alive.

In 2017, scientists studied and scanned two thylacine brains that were preserved almost a century ago. This allowed them to create a digital 3D brain complete with neural networks. A prominent theme of anecdotal stories stated that the Tasmanian tiger was a crafty hunter that carefully planned out its kills. If this was true, then their brains would show some sort of evidence in that regard—and scientists found it.

When they looked at the caudate regions, which support complex thinking, it became clear that the thylacine brain dedicated more space to these areas than Tasmanian Devils, the reigning apex predator on Tasmania today. This supported the stories that thylacines were calculating, smart animals. The discovery also aligns with what we know of Devil behavior, that they prefer opportunistic scavenging to hunting.^[4]

6 A Pit That Fed 200 People

Recently, archaeologists found a 9,000-year-old barbecue pit in Cyprus, but there was a problem. Such “earth ovens” cannot be too big; otherwise, they struggle to retain enough heat to cook meat. The Cyprus pit was enormous, measuring 8 feet (2.5 meters) across and 3 feet (1 meter) deep. This cast doubt on the well-like structure’s ability to function properly.

In 2015, staying as true as they could to Stone Age building techniques and materials, the researchers built their own pit. After they dug down to the same depth, they sealed it with the same kind of stones and clay. The team even made their own charcoals from carob and lemon wood and tanned goat skins to wrap the meat. They also chose traditional fare—a whole pig and a goat divided into parcels weighing 150 pounds (70 kilograms) and 80 pounds (38 kilograms), respectively.

Remarkably, when it became time to taste the meat (after cooking roughly for a day), the researchers were able to feed almost 200 volunteers, and there were enough leftovers for a week. Not only did the pit work extra well, but it also produced a surprisingly delicious fare, as the carob and lemon wood had infused their flavor into the meat.^[5]

5 A Surprisingly Good Medieval Potion

Are you a medieval person with an infected eye? Smear some “Bald’s eyesalve” on the affected blinker, and literally watch the amazing results! But seriously, reading the ingredients today, one might be forgiven for thinking that the potion could only make things worse. Why? It was made of wine, onion, garlic, and cow bile.

However, that didn’t put scientists off. Sure, the recipe was over a thousand years old, but what piqued the interest of microbiologists was the fact that every ingredient had some antibacterial properties. So they whipped up several batches and applied them to different colonies of bacteria.

The ancient remedy worked. In fact, its effectiveness against tough strains of bacteria was mind-blowing. Some of the colonies had a barrier-like biofilm that made them hard to kill. Among them was an “ultimate” biofilm that makes diabetic foot ulcers almost impossible to treat, often leading to amputation. Remarkably, the eye potion was effective against five such variations linked to diabetic ulcers, and it also killed bacteria that cause staph infections—even those resistant to antibiotics.^[6]

4 Bronze Age Duels in the Lab

In 2020, an old debate in archaeology finally boiled over, and people came to blows. Luckily, this wasn’t a workplace assault situation. Those involved agreed to participate in duels with bronze swords to settle a nagging question—were these weapons really used on ancient battlefields, seeing that they aren’t the strongest of blades?

For the experiment, swords were made using traditional techniques from the middle to late Bronze Age. They were given to weapon experts to battle each other with real combat methods before the marks on the blades were then compared to those found on 110 ancient swords. They were a match. This strongly suggested that Bronze Age warriors didn’t carry such items for ceremonial reasons. Instead, these weapons were wielded by skilled swordsmen during real fights.^[7]

3 Neanderthal Pancakes Are Nutty

For a long time, people thought that Neanderthals were dumb. But today, we know that they had sophisticated tools for hunting and domestic use. There’s strong evidence that Neanderthals created art and jewelry. They painted with different colors. They had graveyards.

Even though the image of Neanderthals is becoming clearer, it wasn’t until recently that researchers realized that this group of hominids also had a complex culinary culture. This happened after 70,000-year-old charred food remnants were collected at Shanidar Cave in Iraq, where Neanderthals lived for a long time. It revealed that their prehistoric cooking skills were unexpectedly complex and involved a variety of ingredients and preparation techniques.

When researchers recreated a recipe, using what they’d learned about Neanderthal food preparation and also selecting seeds still growing near the cave, they created something that looked a lot like a pancake or flatbread. A quick nibble revealed that it was tasty. The flavor was described as “nutty.”^[8]

2 T-Rex’s Breath (It’s Bad)

Many T-Rex fans wonder what their favorite prehistoric predator really looked like. How did it truly behave? But even the most hard-core admirers rarely wonder what the Cretaceous beast’s breath smelled like. It did occur, however, to someone at Chicago’s Field Museum. In 2019, the public was able to experience this unusual recreation after the museum added interactive sensory details to its SUE exhibit.

SUE is the most complete T-Rex fossil in existence. Visitors could touch recreated dinosaur skin and listen to what the fearsome creature sounded like. But the smells stole the show. One of them was SUE’s prehistoric environment. Based on the time she was alive and the location where the dinosaur’s remains were found, experts created “ancient air” that included whiffs of cypress resin, tulip trees, ginger, and pond water.

SUE’s full-strength breath, however, would have made visitors sick. The researchers had to dilute what was essentially the smell of rotting meat. True enough, the anatomy of T-Rex’s teeth suggested that after eating, bits of flesh would’ve gotten stuck between the animal’s teeth. As time passed, the meat would’ve putrefied in her mouth, giving SUE’s breath a dreadful punch.^[9]

1 Boston’s Molasses Tsunami

In January 1919, a bizarre event unfolded in Boston’s North End neighborhood. A container broke and spilled over 2.3 million gallons (8.7 million liters) of molasses. The liquid crashed into the streets as a 25-foot (7.6-meter) wave that raced along at 35 miles per hour (56 kph), causing war-like damage to buildings. People also got swept away, and around 21 perished.

The tragedy left questions that couldn’t be answered for a long time. Was it even possible for molasses to reach such a lethal speed—or did the history books get it wrong? And why did so many people die?

In 2016, Harvard University students recreated the event. Since it wasn’t a good idea to puncture a molasses tank in a suburb, they built a scale model and chose corn syrup as a suitable alternative.

The experiment unveiled several clues and answers. It showed that warm corn syrup had no problem flooding the “buildings” with great speed. Under cold conditions (the weather was chilly on that fateful day), the sugary substance quickly hardened and most likely trapped the victims, causing their demise either through asphyxiation or making it too dangerous for others to attempt a rescue.^[10]