Historical Artifacts We Still Can't Explain

A lot of artifacts, we understand. Things like swords and daggers, we know those were for stabbing and smiting of foes. Other things, though, are less clear, and we're left to try to guess just what was going on in the minds of our forebearers. There's just no accounting for some people, and when we have to look at their lives through the lens of time, it can make...

Much of what we know about the distant past we learned from its relics. Without the pyramids, for example, or the artifacts found in ancient tombs, the mummies, or the hieroglyphics, the ancient Egyptians would still be a mystery. Archaeology gives us a window into a past that would otherwise be invisible. Over time, ancient buildings crumble and forgotten relics turn to...

From the Sword in the Stone to ancient Egyptian airplanes, strange and mysterious artifacts summon people to put away their iPhones, don a fedora, snap a bullwhip, and get their faces melted. Some artifacts are intoxicating through their storytelling or by the puzzles they present. Basic questions such as who made an item, why they made it, and what it...

All the big museums do it: They exhibit artifacts from other countries. But how many museums actually have a right to do so? It's a difficult question to answer. In 2013, New York's Metropolitan Museum sent two statues back home after they were presented with evidence that they'd been stolen from a Cambodian temple. That's great, but according to...

At some point in your childhood, you probably wanted to be an archaeologist. Depending on your age, it probably had a lot to do with either the Indiana Jones movies or Tomb Raider. Either way, nothing seemed cooler than digging out old bones, relics, or religious items, and then forcing those snobby history book editors to make revised editions. Real-life archaeology might...