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An 18th century BCE Old Babylonian letter written by the student Iddin-Sin to his mother Zinu, in which he complaints about the poor quality of clothes his mother sent him compared to those of his peers, noting that even the adopted son of one of his father's servants had better clothing

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An 18th century BCE Old Babylonian letter written by the student Iddin-Sin to his mother Zinu, in which he complaints about the poor quality of clothes his mother sent him compared to those of his peers, noting that even the adopted son of one of his father's servants had better clothing

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A big mad letter written by a boy called Theon to his father in the 2nd or 3rd century AD. Theon was grumpy because his father was not going to take him to the big city, Alexandria.

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A big mad letter written by a boy called Theon to his father in the 2nd or 3rd century AD. Theon was grumpy because his father was not going to take him to the big city, Alexandria.

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World’s oldest complaint a Babylonian clay table from 1750 BC, the complaint was written in Akkadian cuneiform by a man named Nanni to a merchant named Ea-nasir, expressing dissatisfaction with the quality of copper delivered

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World’s oldest complaint a Babylonian clay table from 1750 BC, the complaint was written in Akkadian cuneiform by a man named Nanni to a merchant named Ea-nasir, expressing dissatisfaction with the quality of copper delivered

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A Roman temple-theater complex located 450 meters above sea level in Caserta, dating back to the 2nd century BC. It was accidentally discovered in 2000 by a local pilot flying his ultralight helicopter, who noticed its unusual layout from the air after a fire had cleared the vegetation.

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A Roman temple-theater complex located 450 meters above sea level in Caserta, dating back to the 2nd century BC. It was accidentally discovered in 2000 by a local pilot flying his ultralight helicopter, who noticed its unusual layout from the air after a fire had cleared the vegetation.

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A Manichæan silk painting of the Buddha-Jesus, from the Southern Song Dynasty, c.12-13th century CE. A syncretic figure is seated in lotus position. He holds a red lotus, in which rests a golden cross. He is haloed by a Christian nimbus, and rests under a Buddhist chatra .

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A Manichæan silk painting of the Buddha-Jesus, from the Southern Song Dynasty, c.12-13th century CE. A syncretic figure is seated in lotus position. He holds a red lotus, in which rests a golden cross. He is haloed by a Christian nimbus, and rests under a Buddhist chatra .

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An 18th century CE ivory dildo complete with contrivance for simulating ejaculation and its own discreet cloth bag. The didlo was hidden in the seat of a Louis XV armchair found in a convent near Paris. Now housed at the Science Museum in London

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An 18th century CE ivory dildo complete with contrivance for simulating ejaculation and its own discreet cloth bag. The didlo was hidden in the seat of a Louis XV armchair found in a convent near Paris. Now housed at the Science Museum in London

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Cupid wears a gigantic Silenus mask with a wreath, pointed ears, a bulbous nose, and a long, shaggy beard. His childlike face gazes out from the mask's open mouth with a serious expression, revealing the strain. Roman 1st century AD

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Cupid wears a gigantic Silenus mask with a wreath, pointed ears, a bulbous nose, and a long, shaggy beard. His childlike face gazes out from the mask's open mouth with a serious expression, revealing the strain. Roman 1st century AD

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The epitaph of Licinia Eucharis, an ancient Roman stage actress who died at the age of 14. She is one of the few ancient actresses known to have achieved fame and respect in her profession during the Roman Republic. The 1st century BCE epitaph on her tomb was written by her father

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The epitaph of Licinia Eucharis, an ancient Roman stage actress who died at the age of 14. She is one of the few ancient actresses known to have achieved fame and respect in her profession during the Roman Republic. The 1st century BCE epitaph on her tomb was written by her father

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Papyrus letter in Greek- The papyrus contains a letter written by Heraclides to his brother Petechois. It is essentially a shopping list of items – poultry, bread, lupines, chick peas, kidney beans and fenugreek at various prices. . This is about the size of a post-it.

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Papyrus letter in Greek- The papyrus contains a letter written by Heraclides to his brother Petechois. It is essentially a shopping list of items – poultry, bread, lupines, chick peas, kidney beans and fenugreek at various prices. . This is about the size of a post-it.

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Runestone ordered by Harold Bluetooth in Jelling 1900. Jelling is the small city where Harold Bluetooth had the giant stones erected to honour his parents and to tell that he turned the Danes to Christianity.

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Runestone ordered by Harold Bluetooth in Jelling 1900. Jelling is the small city where Harold Bluetooth had the giant stones erected to honour his parents and to tell that he turned the Danes to Christianity.

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Erotic scene from the house of Caecilius Iucundus, Pompeii, 50-79 AD. A couple seems to be preparing to leave the bed while a slave attends. The quality of the work sets this painting apart from the ones produced by the usual painters of lupanare ...

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Erotic scene from the house of Caecilius Iucundus, Pompeii, 50-79 AD. A couple seems to be preparing to leave the bed while a slave attends. The quality of the work sets this painting apart from the ones produced by the usual painters of lupanare ...

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La Pieta, one of Michelangelo's most revered sculptures, probably the most moving. He was 24 when he carved it. Mary suffers in silence. While her face remains serene, her hand betrays her emotions by saying at the same time there you have him and how could this possibly happen?...

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La Pieta, one of Michelangelo's most revered sculptures, probably the most moving. He was 24 when he carved it. Mary suffers in silence. While her face remains serene, her hand betrays her emotions by saying at the same time there you have him and how could this possibly happen?...

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In 19th century Paris, some streets were paved with wood instead of stone to reduce the noise of horse-drawn carriages. Pictured here is the Passage Saint-Maur which still holds a few of the city’s last surviving wooden blocks

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In 19th century Paris, some streets were paved with wood instead of stone to reduce the noise of horse-drawn carriages. Pictured here is the Passage Saint-Maur which still holds a few of the city’s last surviving wooden blocks

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One of the three Roman pools of Gafsa, in Tunisia, two of which are open. Built in the 2nd century BCE, they are about five meters deep and are fed by hot water springs

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One of the three Roman pools of Gafsa, in Tunisia, two of which are open. Built in the 2nd century BCE, they are about five meters deep and are fed by hot water springs

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An Etruscan parasol dating back to the 6th-5th century BCE, now housed at Tarquinia Archaeological Museum in Italy. Of the parasol, only the bone elements remain, while those made of perishable material, such as wood, fabric, or vegetable fibers, have been lost

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An Etruscan parasol dating back to the 6th-5th century BCE, now housed at Tarquinia Archaeological Museum in Italy. Of the parasol, only the bone elements remain, while those made of perishable material, such as wood, fabric, or vegetable fibers, have been lost

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“I would rather be a dog’s or a pig’s wife than yours!”. A letter written by a Sogdian woman named Miwnay to her husband. Miwnay was abandoned by her husband in Dunhuang for 3 years and forced to be a servant with her daughter Shayn in a Chinese household. 313-314 CE, British Library

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“I would rather be a dog’s or a pig’s wife than yours!”. A letter written by a Sogdian woman named Miwnay to her husband. Miwnay was abandoned by her husband in Dunhuang for 3 years and forced to be a servant with her daughter Shayn in a Chinese household. 313-314 CE, British Library

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Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

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Beethoven kept his hearing loss a secret. He once wrote this letter to his brothers confessing it and explained that people mistakenly thought he was antisocial: he longed for human contact but became a recluse out of shame for his condition and all this made him contemplate suicide

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In 1650 CE, the Chinese Empress Dowager Wang sent a written letter to Pope Innocent X. In it she reported that impressed by the work of the Jesuits, she had converted to Catholicism, and requested the Pope to send more missionaries to her kingdom. Vatican Apostolic Archives

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In 1650 CE, the Chinese Empress Dowager Wang sent a written letter to Pope Innocent X. In it she reported that impressed by the work of the Jesuits, she had converted to Catholicism, and requested the Pope to send more missionaries to her kingdom. Vatican Apostolic Archives

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