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A bear body made from clay with a bear skull in between its paws, made during the Upper Paleolithic and found in the Montespan cave in France. Riddled with holes from spear points, it was possibly used to teach hunting, or perhaps used for a ritual

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A bear body made from clay with a bear skull in between its paws, made during the Upper Paleolithic and found in the Montespan cave in France. Riddled with holes from spear points, it was possibly used to teach hunting, or perhaps used for a ritual

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An Ivory wheel from Sungir, Russia, possibly originally mounted on a spear. It may have had feathers or other decorations attached using the beautifully carved holes in the disk. 30,500-30,000 BCE

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An Ivory wheel from Sungir, Russia, possibly originally mounted on a spear. It may have had feathers or other decorations attached using the beautifully carved holes in the disk. 30,500-30,000 BCE

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The sword breaker was a clever little parrying dagger from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Popular in Spain, Italy, and France, it wasn’t really meant for killing – its job was to catch an opponent’s blade and leave them disarmed.

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The sword breaker was a clever little parrying dagger from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Popular in Spain, Italy, and France, it wasn’t really meant for killing – its job was to catch an opponent’s blade and leave them disarmed.

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Split-twig figurines found in Grand Canyon caves dating from 2000-4000 years ago. Each one is made from a single twig, often willow, split down the middle, and then carefully folded into animal shapes, often deer or bighorn sheep

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Split-twig figurines found in Grand Canyon caves dating from 2000-4000 years ago. Each one is made from a single twig, often willow, split down the middle, and then carefully folded into animal shapes, often deer or bighorn sheep

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A trepanned neolithic skull of a woman that had a prosthetic ear made from seashell attached, found at Roque d'Aille in France and dates from 3000-2000 BCE. The skull shows evidence the woman had survived the "open brain" operation and gone on to live for many years

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A trepanned neolithic skull of a woman that had a prosthetic ear made from seashell attached, found at Roque d'Aille in France and dates from 3000-2000 BCE. The skull shows evidence the woman had survived the "open brain" operation and gone on to live for many years

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Belgian Army first aid kit pouch made of canvas and leather which was used during World War I, c. 1914-1918. The canvas pouch is filled with six packets of dressings for wounds.

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Belgian Army first aid kit pouch made of canvas and leather which was used during World War I, c. 1914-1918. The canvas pouch is filled with six packets of dressings for wounds.

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The Lady with the Hood or Venus of Brassempouy , France. This 1,44" high fragmentary ivory figurine from the Upper Paleolithic was carved from a mammoth tusk. It is one of the oldest busts ever found and one of the earliest known realistic representations of a human face...

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The Lady with the Hood or Venus of Brassempouy , France. This 1,44" high fragmentary ivory figurine from the Upper Paleolithic was carved from a mammoth tusk. It is one of the oldest busts ever found and one of the earliest known realistic representations of a human face...

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13 laurel leaf-shaped points from the Volgu cache, made from pale, translucent flint. These 20,000-year-old laurel-leaf points, found in France, rank among the most remarkable examples of skilled craftsmanship known from the Solutrean period of the Upper Palaeolithic. Musée Vivant Denon

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13 laurel leaf-shaped points from the Volgu cache, made from pale, translucent flint. These 20,000-year-old laurel-leaf points, found in France, rank among the most remarkable examples of skilled craftsmanship known from the Solutrean period of the Upper Palaeolithic. Musée Vivant Denon

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The skull of a shaman with cut wolf jaw replacing upper incisor teeth, found at the Ayres Mound in Kentucky. His upper front teeth had been removed during his lifetime so he could hold the wolf jaw in his own mouth as part of an animal mask. Adena culture

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The skull of a shaman with cut wolf jaw replacing upper incisor teeth, found at the Ayres Mound in Kentucky. His upper front teeth had been removed during his lifetime so he could hold the wolf jaw in his own mouth as part of an animal mask. Adena culture

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A Chancay manta from Peru, made of cotton/wool textile, 1000-1476 CE, now housed at the Arizona State Museum. The manta is rich red in color with polychrome feline motifs , and was used possibly as a blanket, wrap-around skirt, or wall hanging

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A Chancay manta from Peru, made of cotton/wool textile, 1000-1476 CE, now housed at the Arizona State Museum. The manta is rich red in color with polychrome feline motifs , and was used possibly as a blanket, wrap-around skirt, or wall hanging

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A finely carved double seat monolith is found on the upper platform of the Vilcashuamán Usnu in Peru. According to the chronicles, it was used by the Inca and his colla , to pray. 15th-16th century CE

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A finely carved double seat monolith is found on the upper platform of the Vilcashuamán Usnu in Peru. According to the chronicles, it was used by the Inca and his colla , to pray. 15th-16th century CE

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This painting of a cave bear, at the Chauvet Cave in France, was drawn with 14 lines around 32,000 years ago. The artist used a technique known as 'stump-drawing' - the use of fingers or a piece of hide to paint the muzzle and to emphasize the outlines of the head and forequarters

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This painting of a cave bear, at the Chauvet Cave in France, was drawn with 14 lines around 32,000 years ago. The artist used a technique known as 'stump-drawing' - the use of fingers or a piece of hide to paint the muzzle and to emphasize the outlines of the head and forequarters

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The west portals of the massive Strasbourg Cathedral in France . Built between 1015 and 1439 CE, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture

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The west portals of the massive Strasbourg Cathedral in France . Built between 1015 and 1439 CE, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture

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In the double burial of a young male and female in the central mound of the Hopewell Group in Ohio, each of the skulls was supplied with an artificial nose of copper. Middle Woodland period, 100 BCE to 500 CE

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In the double burial of a young male and female in the central mound of the Hopewell Group in Ohio, each of the skulls was supplied with an artificial nose of copper. Middle Woodland period, 100 BCE to 500 CE

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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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The 4200-year-old bag from Horseshoe Ranch Cave, in Texas, with its fascinating contents shown in order of their removal by analysts in 1936. The cache offers a rare glimpse into the traditions of Lower Pecos people. The bag has been described as a hunter's pouch and a medicine bundle

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The 4200-year-old bag from Horseshoe Ranch Cave, in Texas, with its fascinating contents shown in order of their removal by analysts in 1936. The cache offers a rare glimpse into the traditions of Lower Pecos people. The bag has been described as a hunter's pouch and a medicine bundle

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The Aztec Tizoc Stone made in the 1480s CE. Because of a depression carved in the center of the top surface, it may have been a cuauhxicalli used in sacrificial ceremonies for holding human hearts or possibly a temalacatl, a platform on which gladiatorial victims fought to the death

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The Aztec Tizoc Stone made in the 1480s CE. Because of a depression carved in the center of the top surface, it may have been a cuauhxicalli used in sacrificial ceremonies for holding human hearts or possibly a temalacatl, a platform on which gladiatorial victims fought to the death

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Chateau de Chenonceau, with its gallery spanning the River Cher, is the most peculiar and probably most beautiful castle in the Loire, in France. It was rebuilt, furnished, and transformed between 1514 and '76 by women of different temperaments, and is known as the Ladies' Castle...

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Chateau de Chenonceau, with its gallery spanning the River Cher, is the most peculiar and probably most beautiful castle in the Loire, in France. It was rebuilt, furnished, and transformed between 1514 and '76 by women of different temperaments, and is known as the Ladies' Castle...

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The 5000-year-old archaeological site of Montegrande, in Peru, is a spiral enclosure that is believed to have been a ceremonial temple, with a tomb beneath it of someone important, possibly a healer or a priest, if it follows the pattern of the sites in Palanda and San Isidro

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The 5000-year-old archaeological site of Montegrande, in Peru, is a spiral enclosure that is believed to have been a ceremonial temple, with a tomb beneath it of someone important, possibly a healer or a priest, if it follows the pattern of the sites in Palanda and San Isidro

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Bronze Drum from the Idaean Cave. In ancient Greece, the tympanon was a type of circular, shallow tambourine, beaten with the palm of the hand or a stick. This one dates from the 8th century BC and is considered the first to appear in Greek art. It is a votive bronze disc found...

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Bronze Drum from the Idaean Cave. In ancient Greece, the tympanon was a type of circular, shallow tambourine, beaten with the palm of the hand or a stick. This one dates from the 8th century BC and is considered the first to appear in Greek art. It is a votive bronze disc found...

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