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A tablet from Iraq, which tells the story of a man who was caught stealing a duck from the sacred meal of Ishtar, and waiting for his trial in the jail of the temple, kills the prison warden in order to escape, but then breaks his hip in an attempt to scale the temple walls. 626-539 BC

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A tablet from Iraq, which tells the story of a man who was caught stealing a duck from the sacred meal of Ishtar, and waiting for his trial in the jail of the temple, kills the prison warden in order to escape, but then breaks his hip in an attempt to scale the temple walls. 626-539 BC

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Relief on a Roman tombstone showing a scene from the work of the deceased, who was a butcher. The man is at work, pieces of meat are hanging in front of him, and the wife is writing something on a wax tablet. The woman has a hairstyle typical of the reign of Emperor Hadrian .

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Relief on a Roman tombstone showing a scene from the work of the deceased, who was a butcher. The man is at work, pieces of meat are hanging in front of him, and the wife is writing something on a wax tablet. The woman has a hairstyle typical of the reign of Emperor Hadrian .

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A wooden bucket stolen in 1325 during the War of the Bucket, fought between Bologna and Modena. A common myth about the war is that it was caused by stealing a bucket from a Bolognese well. However, the bucket was taken as a trophy by the Modenese after the war

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A wooden bucket stolen in 1325 during the War of the Bucket, fought between Bologna and Modena. A common myth about the war is that it was caused by stealing a bucket from a Bolognese well. However, the bucket was taken as a trophy by the Modenese after the war

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Anna Maria von Stockhausen's corpse, cross-strapped in order to keep her from coming back undead. Anna was accused of Satanism by a priest, and sentenced to death in 1775 but spared by the executioner who refused to kill an innocent woman. She was then imprisoned until her death in 1781

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Anna Maria von Stockhausen's corpse, cross-strapped in order to keep her from coming back undead. Anna was accused of Satanism by a priest, and sentenced to death in 1775 but spared by the executioner who refused to kill an innocent woman. She was then imprisoned until her death in 1781

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Prison Hoods of the Abraham Lincoln Conspirators. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered that the imprisoned conspirators wear hoods at all times. These canvas hoods with rope ties were made for this purpose. The accused wore the hoods in their cells and on their way to trial. 1865

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Prison Hoods of the Abraham Lincoln Conspirators. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered that the imprisoned conspirators wear hoods at all times. These canvas hoods with rope ties were made for this purpose. The accused wore the hoods in their cells and on their way to trial. 1865

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A historical jar from the Parthian Empire, dating to 247 BC–224 AD, has been discovered. It was accidentally caught in the nets of local fishermen in southern Iran while they were fishing in the depths of the Persian Gulf. Few Parthian jars have survived, making this discovery remarkable.

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A historical jar from the Parthian Empire, dating to 247 BC–224 AD, has been discovered. It was accidentally caught in the nets of local fishermen in southern Iran while they were fishing in the depths of the Persian Gulf. Few Parthian jars have survived, making this discovery remarkable.

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Assyrian Gypsum Wall-panel Relief showing a Colossal Lion Statue , which once guarded the entrance to the Temple of Ishtar from Nimrud . The cuneiform inscriptions on the statue mentions the name of King Ashurnasirpal II as the temple's builder.

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Assyrian Gypsum Wall-panel Relief showing a Colossal Lion Statue , which once guarded the entrance to the Temple of Ishtar from Nimrud . The cuneiform inscriptions on the statue mentions the name of King Ashurnasirpal II as the temple's builder.

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The Green Stone lying in one of the storerooms of the Temple complex in Hattusa, which was the capital of the Hittite Empire until it was destroyed around 1200 BC. The stone, which is thought to have been made from serpentinite, may have played a role in some religious cult

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The Green Stone lying in one of the storerooms of the Temple complex in Hattusa, which was the capital of the Hittite Empire until it was destroyed around 1200 BC. The stone, which is thought to have been made from serpentinite, may have played a role in some religious cult

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The 2nd century CE Roman Barbegal watermill complex, a unique cluster of 16 waterwheels in southern France, was the first known attempt in Europe to set up an industrial-scale complex of machines. The mills had an estimated production capacity of 25 tonnes of flour per day

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The 2nd century CE Roman Barbegal watermill complex, a unique cluster of 16 waterwheels in southern France, was the first known attempt in Europe to set up an industrial-scale complex of machines. The mills had an estimated production capacity of 25 tonnes of flour per day

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A jade burial suit is a ceremonial suit made of pieces of jade in which royal members of China's Han dynasty were buried. The top one for example belongs to the king Liu Wu , and was made from more than 4,000 pieces of jade linked together with gold wire

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A jade burial suit is a ceremonial suit made of pieces of jade in which royal members of China's Han dynasty were buried. The top one for example belongs to the king Liu Wu , and was made from more than 4,000 pieces of jade linked together with gold wire

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Head of a votive mace with a lion-headed eagle and 6 lions, dedicated at a shrine in Girsu, Iraq. Inscription in archaic script: “Mesilim, king of Kish, builder of the temple of Ningirsu, brought for Ningirsu, Lugalshaengur prince of Lagash”. c. 2550 BCE

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Head of a votive mace with a lion-headed eagle and 6 lions, dedicated at a shrine in Girsu, Iraq. Inscription in archaic script: “Mesilim, king of Kish, builder of the temple of Ningirsu, brought for Ningirsu, Lugalshaengur prince of Lagash”. c. 2550 BCE

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A 12th century CE capital from the hermitage of Santa Cecilia in Palencia, Spain, depicting the Massacre of the Innocents, a biblical story in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are 2 years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem

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A 12th century CE capital from the hermitage of Santa Cecilia in Palencia, Spain, depicting the Massacre of the Innocents, a biblical story in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are 2 years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem

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Felix gem intaglio. A prophesy revealed that the Greeks could only capture Troy if the Palladion statue of Athena was in their procession. Diomedes, right, holds the statue but in order to claim it, he killed the temple guard, whose feet are visible on the ground. This angers the gods

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Felix gem intaglio. A prophesy revealed that the Greeks could only capture Troy if the Palladion statue of Athena was in their procession. Diomedes, right, holds the statue but in order to claim it, he killed the temple guard, whose feet are visible on the ground. This angers the gods

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A 12th century stone carving of a man who is riding some mythical animal, from Baleshwar Temple of Champawat, Uttarakhand, India. It belongs to the era of the Chand Dynasty of Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India.

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A 12th century stone carving of a man who is riding some mythical animal, from Baleshwar Temple of Champawat, Uttarakhand, India. It belongs to the era of the Chand Dynasty of Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India.

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A Roman gold snake bracelet found on the arm of a woman who was killed by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 CE near Pompeii, inscribed on the inside 'DOMINVS SVAE ANCILLAE' which means "From a master to his slave girl."

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A Roman gold snake bracelet found on the arm of a woman who was killed by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 CE near Pompeii, inscribed on the inside 'DOMINVS SVAE ANCILLAE' which means "From a master to his slave girl."

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This stone found in North Carolina, and allegedly from Eleanor White Dare in 1591, tells a grim story of the Lost Colony's fate: colonists moved inland, suffered war and sickness, and all but 7 colonists were killed by the natives, including Eleanor's husband and daughter Virginia Dare

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This stone found in North Carolina, and allegedly from Eleanor White Dare in 1591, tells a grim story of the Lost Colony's fate: colonists moved inland, suffered war and sickness, and all but 7 colonists were killed by the natives, including Eleanor's husband and daughter Virginia Dare

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An Assyrian tablet describing a ritual for a substitute king. When priests saw a bad omen aimed at the King, a commoner was found to replace him while he went in hiding. The man lived as the king absorbing the evil spirits until the omen passed, then he was killed and the king returned

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An Assyrian tablet describing a ritual for a substitute king. When priests saw a bad omen aimed at the King, a commoner was found to replace him while he went in hiding. The man lived as the king absorbing the evil spirits until the omen passed, then he was killed and the king returned

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Mask of Sargon of Akkad, third millennium B.C. digitally restored. The life-size bronce bust was found in the temple of Ishtar in Nineveh, in 1931. It had been intentionally damaged and separated from the body, which was never recovered, probably by Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC... [OC

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Mask of Sargon of Akkad, third millennium B.C. digitally restored. The life-size bronce bust was found in the temple of Ishtar in Nineveh, in 1931. It had been intentionally damaged and separated from the body, which was never recovered, probably by Medes and Babylonians in 612 BC... [OC

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Among the treasures discovered in King Tut’s tomb is an elaborate pectoral with a central scarab carved from a canary-yellow material called Libyan Desert glass. Found in the sand dunes of Egypt’s western desert, the glass was formed about 29 million years ago by a meteorite strike

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Among the treasures discovered in King Tut’s tomb is an elaborate pectoral with a central scarab carved from a canary-yellow material called Libyan Desert glass. Found in the sand dunes of Egypt’s western desert, the glass was formed about 29 million years ago by a meteorite strike

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Samples of some of the marbles used in the Roman Empire. For centuries, all sorts of different marbles were methodically sought and brought from all the reaches of the empire. Myriad marbles covered the walls and floors of the Imperial buildings. Rome was a richly colorful place...

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Samples of some of the marbles used in the Roman Empire. For centuries, all sorts of different marbles were methodically sought and brought from all the reaches of the empire. Myriad marbles covered the walls and floors of the Imperial buildings. Rome was a richly colorful place...

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