Art and Artifacts

The Shigir Idol is over twice as old as the Egyptian pyramids and about the same age as the earliest settlement at the famous Gobekli Tepe archaeological site making it the oldest known wooden sculpture. People who carved it lived through a dramatic climate change at the end of the last ice age. Discovered in 1890 in a peat bog on the eastern slope of the Middle Urals, the idol is covered in geometric patterns among which human-like faces are scattered. A head with an uneasy expression tops the sculpture.

The Amber Bear of Slupsk was found in 1887 during peat mining near Słupsk, modern-day Poland. It was made by carving and polishing a conveniently shaped piece of sea amber with a natural opening. Signs of wear around the holes indicate it was worn on a cord probably as an amulet. It is estimated that it was made between 9600 and 4100 BC. Prehistory

The Portonaccio sarcophagus, dated to around 180 AD, is a striking example of ancient Roman funerary art. Its front side portrays one of the most realistic engagements between Roman cavalry and barbarians during the Marcomannic Wars. A faceless knight dominates at the center of the scene. His identity is debatable and so are the reasons why his face was never carved. Roman Empire Aulus Julius Pompilius Piso First Legion Italica Fourth Legion Flavia Felix

The bronze head of Seuthes III was discovered in 2004 by Bulgarian archaeologists in the royal burial site of Golyama Kosmatka, not far from the ancient city of Seuthopolis. Seuthes III was a king of Odrysia, a part of Thrace, during the late 4th century BC. The findings at Golyama Kosmatka suggest that an Orphic ritual was carried out on the day of his burial.

Until the discovery of the imperial insignia of Maxentius, we could only read about such objects in ancient sources and see their depictions on coins and sculptures. The insignia were personal to each Roman emperor and upon his death, they were usually burned together with his body. However, Maxentius' regalia were hidden in dramatic circumstances on October 28, 312 AD, allowing their preservation.

The Derveni Krater stands out as one of the finest and most elaborate examples of the highly sophisticated repoussé metalworking technique from the Greek classical period. Its decoration was well outside the usual canon even at the time of manufacture.

The ring containing a holographic-like image of a young man was found on the finger of Carvilio's mother in an ancient tomb where she and her son were buried.