23 Mind-Blowing Artifacts That Were Discovered And Prove Regular People From History Were Just Like Us
When you think about people from the past — I'm talking hundreds, if not thousands of years ago — it can be hard to imagine they were much like us. But the truth is...they were!
How do I know? Well, one way is by looking at artifacts from throughout history. For example...
1.We all brush our teeth, right? Well, so did people 350 or so years ago in England — they used this toothbrush, dental powder, and tongue scraper.
Toothbrushes haven't changed all that much since the 18th century. Who knew?
2.Do you like to play chess, checkers, or board games? Yes? Well, 3,500 years ago Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun did, too — he was buried with this gaming table.
3.And 2,000 years ago in Ancient Rome people played games with this shaker and dice set.
The dice were made out of bone.
4.Parents today like to dress their babies in cute clothes, right? Well, parents 600 years ago did, too, and put their babies in this onesie-like vest, with socks and mittens to keep them warm.
When these clothes were brand new (and not, you know, 600+ years old) they probably looked like something you'd find at Babies "R" Us!
5.Do you have good dishes you pull out when company comes over? Well, so did people in China during the Ming Dynasty 600 or so years ago.
6.This drinking glass looks familiar, right? You've probably got one like it in your home or used one like it at a restaurant. Well, you're not alone — this glass was used by people in Spain in the mid-to-late 18th century, some 250+ years ago.
7.You know how some people today have prosthetic hands? Well — get this — people 500 years ago did too!
16th century German Imperial Knight Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen famously had an iron prosthetic hand he used in battle, much like the one above.
8.You probably know more than a few people who like to plunk out Beatles' songs on their guitars. Well, guitars were very popular in the 18th century, too (although, then, people were more likely to play something by Bach than Lennon/McCartney).
See that box over the strings? It allowed people to strum the strings without damaging their fingernails.
This gorgeous guitar belonged to Lady Emma Hamilton, a model, dancer, and actor born in 1765. She was the mistress of Naval hero Lord Nelson as well as a popular figure at the court of the Kingdom of Naples where she befriended the Queen — who happened to be Marie Antoinette's sister.
9.You wear earrings? Sure, lots of people do! Well, so did people 1,000+ years ago in 11th- and12th-century Iran...and look at these beauties they wore!
10.We all still wear sandals — especially in the summer — and people in ancient Rome did, too. And honestly, if these were new instead of, like, two thousand years old, I could easily imagine seeing them in a shoe store in 2022.
Hey, are you in England? If so, you can see these IRL at the Museum of London! Here's a cool article on the sandals and why they're so well preserved.
11.These Medieval era shoes wouldn't fit in as well on a modern store shelf, but they're still relatable! That's because this style of shoe was the absolute rage around 1200 A.D., and us modern folks can definitely relate to needing to get our hands on the latest shoe fad, amirite?
12.You know how older people (like, say, an eccentric aunt) often have a tchotchke or two in their house that raises eyebrows? Well, they had eyebrow-raising trinkets 1300 years ago in Peru too!
In all seriousness, this incredible piece of art didn't actually sit on an eccentric Peruvian aunt's shelf in 700 CE. In reality, it was most likely used to hold water or chicha beer during fertility rituals.
13.If you're one of the 1.3 billion Catholics in the world in 2022, you'll immediately recognize the items below despite the fact they're from 1535 CE. This traveling mass set included a silver-gilt chalice, Communion plate, and glass bottle for wine...plus a leather box to carry them in.
14.You probably have a basket or two, right? I mean, who doesn't? Well, Native Americans did, too — like this beautiful one from 300 years ago that was discovered in what's now modern-day California.
Live near Berkeley, California? The Hearst Museum of Anthropology "has gathered a collection of over 8,000 California Indian baskets: one of the largest, most comprehensive, and best-documented in the world," according to their website. Looks like they're not presently open to visit (until at least May 2022), but will open again.
15.You ever spruce up your hair with a comb? Of course! Me too. Well, folks back in the day — like all the way back in the 7th century — did the same damn thing.
This double-sided comb from 1,300+ years ago was found in modern-day France.
16.Speaking of hair, nowadays lots of women have hair bun makers in their homes, right? Well, so did women in China a thousand or so years ago.
This hair chignon was made of jade during the Northern Song-Ming dynasty, circa 960–1644. The pin was likely made later during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
17.You know how you can buy wacky things online from places like Uncommon Goods? Well, they may not have had the internet 2,000 years ago, but they DID have wacky things you could buy — like this oil lamp in the shape of a human foot.
This oil lamp — the wick burned in the hole in the big toe, if you're wondering — was discovered in London when they were digging for the subway line.
I can totally picture someone a couple millennium ago seeing a friend carrying this and going, "LOLOLOLOL! That lamp! Where did you get it? I have to get one!"
18.Unless you're rich, you probably don't have anything larger than a ring made of gold, but you know there are people out there — like the Kardashians or whoever — who do. Anyway, between the 4th and 7th centuries, the Quimbaya people (who lived in what's now Colombia) had a lot of gold, and made stunningly beautiful and sophisticated items like the one below.
The item above is a poporos, a flask-like container meant to hold lime that was often used for religious ceremonies. (You can see the above poporos IRL at the British Museum.) Here's an article to read if you want to learn more about the Quimbaya people's amazing goldworking.
19.Folks today may Venmo or use their debit cards, but we still use coins, and so did the people in Rome 2,000 years ago.
This gold coin features an image of second century Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.
20.Rugs are nice to have on the floor of your home, don't you think? Well, so did Copts in Egypt 1,600 freaking years ago.
21.We may have air conditioning nowadays, but almost all of us have used a handheld fan at one time or another. Well, people in Japan used them as early as the 6th century (if not earlier). This absolutely stunning one is 150 years old.
22.How in tune are we with people from long ago? Well, any of us today would immediately recognize the items below as daggers...despite the fact they were made 3,000–5,000 years ago!
The dagger second from the left has a reconstructed handle, in case you're thinking it's that old? And looks THAT good?
23.And lastly — if the point hasn't been made already — people of the past were incredibly vibrant, ingenious, and a whole lot like us today...just minus the smart phones.
Like, how incredible-looking is this 800–900-year-old skull covered in turquoise mosaic? It was likely of the god Tezcatlipoca and made by the Mixtec people, who thrived in what's now southern Mexico from 1500 BCE to 1500 CE.
