#1 Hellenistic Greek Cast Glass Pomegranate Vase, Tinted With Colloidal Gold To Achieve The Burgundy Shade, 2nd Century BCE
#2 Necklace Of Princess Khenmet, 1932-1898 BCE
#3 When A Roman Mosaic Was Discovered In Modern-Day Turkey, It Was Found To Be So Well Made That It Preserved The Wave Of An Earthquake Without Breaking The Pattern
The story of the only taxidermied blue whale in the world might be sadder than many of us think. The mammal was found on the beach of Askim Bay, close to the city of Göteborg. In the 19th century, the notion of "rescuing" animals that had washed ashore was still quite a foreign concept. Today, rescue and government organizations, volunteers, and marine life sanctuaries conduct rescue operations.
But back in the day, the unlucky animals would get exterminated. Such was the destiny of the Malm whale. The process was quite inhumane, too: the fishermen who found it first poked its eyes out (so that it wouldn't see them), then axed, speared, and shot the poor thing until it bled out.
#4 Memorial To Maria Magdalena Langhans, Who Passed Away Giving Birth To A Still Born Child At The Age Of 28. This Is A Terracotta Copy Of The Gravestone, Switzerland, 1775 Ce
#5 A Men's Gilded Leather Shoes From Norfolk, Dating To 1890-1899 AD
#6 Bowl. Iran, Ilkhanid Dynasty, Late 13th-Mid 14th C. Stonepaste; Painted In Black-Under-Turquoise Glaze. Loaned To The Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston
The next day, the taxidermist and curator of the Gothenburg Museum, August Wilhelm Malm, bought the whale. Yet, he didn't want it chopped up and sent in parts. He concocted a plan on how to transport the animal whole. With the help of three steamboats and two coal barges, the whale was dragged to Gothenburg.
Until the 1930s, the stuffed whale was exhibited with its jaws open, and people could walk inside its belly. There were even benches, carpets, and wall hangings inside it. However, sometime in the 1930s, a couple was found inside "making love," and the museum decided to open the whale's jaws for special occasions only.
#7 The Only Taxidermied Blue Whale In The World, 1865 CE, Now Housed At The Natural History Museum In Sweden
#8 The Oseberg Ship, A 9th Century Viking Ship Discovered Almost Perfectly Preserved In A Burial Mount In Norway
The 2,700-year-old Assyrian Lamassu sure looks majestic, but what exactly is a Lamassu, and why is it so significant? In Mesopotamia, Lamassus were protective deities in the form of winged bulls (or lions) with human heads. They were placed at the entrances and gates of significant sites and were symbols of the king's power and their symbolic protectors.
Although they look like statues, they were actually "double-aspect" reliefs that one needed to look at either from the front or from the side. Lamassus could have four or five legs (the one on this list from Dur-Sharrukin has five), but you could only see the five if looking from the side.
#10 This Paperweight, Made Of Haematite Carved In The Shape Of A Grasshopper Was Hand-Carved Between 1800-1700 BC, In Ancient Babylonia (In Modern-Day Iraq) British Museum
#11 This Exquisitely Enameled Silver Rapier, Dating To 1601, Is A Magnificent Example Of The Elaborate Craftsmanship Of German Swordsmiths During The Renaissance
#12 One Of The Oldest Legal Texts On Earth, Carved In Stone. Details Of The Code Of Hammurabi
King Charles XII of Sweden passed away 300 years ago, but the uniform he wore on the day he was shot still remains immaculately preserved. However, there has been some speculation from historians about the circumstances of his passing. Some suggest that the bullet that penetrated the king's skull came from his own men, not his Danish enemies. This theory gained traction because none of his soldiers saw the king get hit; they only witnessed him slump forward in the trenches.
#14 Over 30 Film Reels From The Qajar Empire Have Been Discovered At Golestan Palace, Dated To 1896–1907
#15 The Mold Gold Cape Is A Ceremonial Cape Of Solid Sheet-Gold From Wales Dating From About 1900–1600 BCE In The British Bronze Age
Some speculate that many people wanted King Charles XII to be gone. His successor, brother-in-law King Frederick I, reversed many of Charles' decisions almost immediately after becoming king. He ended the Northern War, canceled the 17% tax on capital, and offed his right-hand man and chief minister, Baron Goertz.
#16 A Soapstone Container Containing Several Hundred Gold Coins From The Roman Empire Was Found In The Center Of The Italian City Of Como
#17 Archaeologists Unearthing A Remarkable 2,700-Year-Old Assyrian Lamassu At Ancient Dur-Sharrukin, In What Is Now Modern-Day Iraq
#18 Uniform That Belonged To King Charles XII Of Sweden, Worn On The Day He Passeed In Battle In 1718
There was also the case of the exit wound: historians speculated that because the hole was larger on the left side, he had to have been shot from the right – the opposite side of the enemy's fortress. Still, in 2022, researchers revisited the case and concluded that it had been shot from the enemy's lines.
#19 The Scepter Of Darius The Great (522–486 BC). Crafted From Gold And Lapis Lazuli, It Was Discovered In 1959 At The Apadana Palace In Persepolis
#20 Cloak Worn By Napoleon I During The Egyptian Campaign In The 1790s, Inspired By The Berber Burnous
