The Lomkwi stone tools are the oldest artifact ever discovered, predating Homo Sapiens at around 3.3 million years old.

Over the millennia humanity has made all sorts of creations, with many lost to time. In recent years a huge range of ancient artifacts have been discovered, and they give us a glimpse into the lives and worlds of our ancestors.

For a rundown of 5 of the most iconic ancient artifacts known to man, keep reading.

1. The Rosetta Stone

Possibly the most famous of any ancient Egyptian artifacts. The Rosetta Stone is a slab with a priestly decree chiseled into it in three scripts: Ancient Greek, Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and Ancient Egyptian demotic script.

From this Jean-François Champollion was able to decipher the text and translate the hieroglyphs, helping us understand many other ancient inscriptions.

2. King Tut’s Meteorite Dagger

When King Tut died he had two daggers buried with him – one made of gold, and this one is iron. When this pharaoh was buried iron was rarer, and therefore more valuable, than gold.

The metal it’s made from has an unusual composition of iron, nickel, and cobalt, and is widely believed to be of extraterrestrial origin.

3. The Antikythera Mechanism

This one has a bit of mystery about it, as no one has been able to definitely confirm what it is. It looks like it’s made up of modern gears, but at over 2,000 years old many conspiracy theorists have suggested it could be part of a crashed UFO or lost technology from Atlantis.

Many ancient greek artifacts show an impressive understanding of the world, and that seems to be the most likely explanation for this. It’s believed to be part of a device used to track the sun, moon, and even planets that are visible to the naked eye. There are also inscriptions detailing the movement of certain stars and a dial for tracking eclipses.

4. Terracotta Army

Of all the ancient Chinese artifacts this is one of the most remarkable. Thousands of life-size statues of warriors were made out of clay. We have discovered over 2,000 so far and it’s believed there are several thousand more still buried.

They depict the armies of the first Emperor to unite China, Qin Shi Huang. Their purpose is to protect him in the afterlife and it seems each statue is unique, so many people believe they each depict a different soldier. 

For more artifacts from China check out this guide to ancient Chinese artifacts.

5. The Shroud of Turin

The Shroud of Turin is one of the most significant ancient artifacts amongst Christians, as many believe it to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ. This has been debated since its discovery in the 14th century and it has been extensively studied over the years.

It’s currently protected by bulletproof glass and rarely made visible to the public. As of April 2020, it can be viewed online.

Other Ancient Artifacts

The world is filled with ancient artifacts, and there are countless more we have yet to discover. Even some that scientists have been studying for years are still mysterious in their origin and purpose.

If you’re interested in more historical articles check out some of our other blog posts.

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Nick Jones

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