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Tokugawa Ieyasu's golden fan battle standard, made of 10 black lacquered bamboo ribs, each 231 cm long, with a gold-foil covered washi paper fan blade that was fitted atop a 5.73 m tall pole. It was used to command troop movements from the strategic campsites. 1543-1616 CE, Japan

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Tokugawa Ieyasu's golden fan battle standard, made of 10 black lacquered bamboo ribs, each 231 cm long, with a gold-foil covered washi paper fan blade that was fitted atop a 5.73 m tall pole. It was used to command troop movements from the strategic campsites. 1543-1616 CE, Japan

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A blade for a short sword , with a red lacquered engraving of a bamboo and plum-blossom. From Japan, 17th century CE, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum

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A blade for a short sword , with a red lacquered engraving of a bamboo and plum-blossom. From Japan, 17th century CE, now housed at the Metropolitan Museum

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This foot papier mache lantern stands just 7½ inches tall, the paper eyes and mouth are illuminated by a candle within the foot. Made in Germany in the early 1900s for exclusive import to America It sold for over $10k!

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This foot papier mache lantern stands just 7½ inches tall, the paper eyes and mouth are illuminated by a candle within the foot. Made in Germany in the early 1900s for exclusive import to America It sold for over $10k!

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Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

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Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

ARTIFACT / Photography

Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

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Fayum portrait of a man in a blue cloak. The painting was made with the encaustic method on a wooden panel. The object comes from the 1st-2nd century CE and is located as an exhibit at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow .

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This Roman bath clog discovered at the Vindolanda fort in England, and made of a wooden platform with a leather top strap, is quite possibly the world's oldest example of a shower shoe. 140-180 CE

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This Roman bath clog discovered at the Vindolanda fort in England, and made of a wooden platform with a leather top strap, is quite possibly the world's oldest example of a shower shoe. 140-180 CE

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Tokugawa Ieyasu's golden armor, used during the winter siege of Osaka castle in 1614-1615 CE. Now housed at the Kunōzan Tōshōgū Museum in Japan

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Tokugawa Ieyasu's golden armor, used during the winter siege of Osaka castle in 1614-1615 CE. Now housed at the Kunōzan Tōshōgū Museum in Japan

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This Japanese samurai helmet, from the Azuchi-Momoyama period , is covered with boar bristles and adorned with gilded stag antlers. The heart-shaped decorative element above the visor is an inome, a stylized representation of a boar's eye, used to ward off evil

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This Japanese samurai helmet, from the Azuchi-Momoyama period , is covered with boar bristles and adorned with gilded stag antlers. The heart-shaped decorative element above the visor is an inome, a stylized representation of a boar's eye, used to ward off evil

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The large gold vulture collar of Tutankhamun , with elongated wings composed of 250 segments and inlaid with polychrome glass. The collar was placed on the thorax of the king's mummy so that it covered the whole of the chest and extended upwards to the shoulders

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The large gold vulture collar of Tutankhamun , with elongated wings composed of 250 segments and inlaid with polychrome glass. The collar was placed on the thorax of the king's mummy so that it covered the whole of the chest and extended upwards to the shoulders

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A 1300-year-old black lacquered leather belt, which belonged to the emperor Shōmu , now housed at the Shōsō-in in Japan. The buckle is made of gilded silver, and the plaques are made of lapis lazuli. The top image is that of the original while the bottom one is a reproduction

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A 1300-year-old black lacquered leather belt, which belonged to the emperor Shōmu , now housed at the Shōsō-in in Japan. The buckle is made of gilded silver, and the plaques are made of lapis lazuli. The top image is that of the original while the bottom one is a reproduction

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A Roman water boiler from the 1st century BCE that was discovered at Villa Della Pisanella in Boscoreale, Italy. It is one of the rarest examples to survive with its complete system of pipes and fittings intact.

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A Roman water boiler from the 1st century BCE that was discovered at Villa Della Pisanella in Boscoreale, Italy. It is one of the rarest examples to survive with its complete system of pipes and fittings intact.

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Gourd-shaped sake bottle with cherry blossoms, net and Tokugawa family crest. Japan, second half 18th–early 19th century. Lacquered wood with gold, silver, and red togidashimaki-e and hiramaki-e on black ground. Metropolitan Museum of Art collection

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Gourd-shaped sake bottle with cherry blossoms, net and Tokugawa family crest. Japan, second half 18th–early 19th century. Lacquered wood with gold, silver, and red togidashimaki-e and hiramaki-e on black ground. Metropolitan Museum of Art collection

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A 115 cm long sword excavated from the crypt of Wat Ratchaburana in Ayutthaya, Thailand. The sword, which probably dates to the reign of King Intharacha , features a double-edged iron blade, a hilt made of gold and quartz crystal, and a golden sheath decorated with gems

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A 115 cm long sword excavated from the crypt of Wat Ratchaburana in Ayutthaya, Thailand. The sword, which probably dates to the reign of King Intharacha , features a double-edged iron blade, a hilt made of gold and quartz crystal, and a golden sheath decorated with gems

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This net is made of mostly knotted human hair with yucca fiber cordage and was used by a Hohokam community to corral and hunt jackrabbits. Discovered in 1962, it is from a cave in the Altar Valley, southwest of Tucson, and dates from 1250-1450 CE. Now housed at the Arizona State Museum

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This net is made of mostly knotted human hair with yucca fiber cordage and was used by a Hohokam community to corral and hunt jackrabbits. Discovered in 1962, it is from a cave in the Altar Valley, southwest of Tucson, and dates from 1250-1450 CE. Now housed at the Arizona State Museum

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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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A Men's gilded leather shoes from Norfolk, dating to 1890-1899 AD. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, these ankle boots are a blend of silvered leather, black silk brocade, and gold gilded accents.

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A Men's gilded leather shoes from Norfolk, dating to 1890-1899 AD. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, these ankle boots are a blend of silvered leather, black silk brocade, and gold gilded accents.

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