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A funerary Mimbres black-on-white ceramic bowl with a kill hole at its base. The Mimbres of the American Southwest placed such bowls over the heads of the deceased, believing the spirit must exit the body and return to the underworld through the hole

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A funerary Mimbres black-on-white ceramic bowl with a kill hole at its base. The Mimbres of the American Southwest placed such bowls over the heads of the deceased, believing the spirit must exit the body and return to the underworld through the hole

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A relief of Ereshkigal, the Sumerian goddess of death and the underworld, which was created over 3,800 years ago in what's believed to be present day southern Iraq. It is now on display at the British Museum in London.

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A relief of Ereshkigal, the Sumerian goddess of death and the underworld, which was created over 3,800 years ago in what's believed to be present day southern Iraq. It is now on display at the British Museum in London.

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Marble funerary altar of a child named Anthus- The altar was set up by his father, Lucius Iulius Gamus. The deceased is referred to as, “his sweetest son" and a personal touch is given to the relief by showing Anthus with his pet dog.

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Marble funerary altar of a child named Anthus- The altar was set up by his father, Lucius Iulius Gamus. The deceased is referred to as, “his sweetest son" and a personal touch is given to the relief by showing Anthus with his pet dog.

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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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Ceramic bowl painted with rows of heads whose mouths are pinned shut. Early Nasca -- undated, but this corresponds to ca. 1-450 AD. American Museum of Natural History collection

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Ceramic bowl painted with rows of heads whose mouths are pinned shut. Early Nasca -- undated, but this corresponds to ca. 1-450 AD. American Museum of Natural History collection

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Ceramic whistling bottle molded and painted to depict a Muscovy duck, a South American domesticate. Sican culture, Peru. Undated, but that corresponds to ca. 750-1375 AD. American Museum of Natural History collection

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Ceramic whistling bottle molded and painted to depict a Muscovy duck, a South American domesticate. Sican culture, Peru. Undated, but that corresponds to ca. 750-1375 AD. American Museum of Natural History collection

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This 2,500-year-old Egyptian bead net funerary shroud was made entirely by weaving thousands of tiny, multicolored beads. It was placed over mummies to turn them into Osiris, housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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This 2,500-year-old Egyptian bead net funerary shroud was made entirely by weaving thousands of tiny, multicolored beads. It was placed over mummies to turn them into Osiris, housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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An ancient bronze griffin head dating back to the 7th century BC, has been repatriated to Greece from US after it was stolen nearly a century ago, marking the latest repatriation in a broader shift of the museum world to return stolen artifacts to their places of origin.

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An ancient bronze griffin head dating back to the 7th century BC, has been repatriated to Greece from US after it was stolen nearly a century ago, marking the latest repatriation in a broader shift of the museum world to return stolen artifacts to their places of origin.

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Mycenaean gold Mask of Agamemnon, Mycenae c. 1525 BC. The Mask of Agamemnon is a gold funerary mask discovered at the Bronze Age site of Mycenae in southern Greece. Heinrich Schliemann found the artifact in 1876 and thought,wrongly, he had found the body of king Agamemnon...

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Mycenaean gold Mask of Agamemnon, Mycenae c. 1525 BC. The Mask of Agamemnon is a gold funerary mask discovered at the Bronze Age site of Mycenae in southern Greece. Heinrich Schliemann found the artifact in 1876 and thought,wrongly, he had found the body of king Agamemnon...

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Sealed inside a ceramic funerary pot for over 4,500 years, an Old Kingdom man has become the first ancient Egyptian to undergo whole genome analysis. The man had North African Neolithic ancestry, mixed with a 20% genetic contribution from the Eastern Fertile Crescent

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Sealed inside a ceramic funerary pot for over 4,500 years, an Old Kingdom man has become the first ancient Egyptian to undergo whole genome analysis. The man had North African Neolithic ancestry, mixed with a 20% genetic contribution from the Eastern Fertile Crescent

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Union between a toad and jaguar - In the Andean worldview, toads are associated with the humid world, while jaguars are associated with the earth. From this union a toad with the ears of a jaguar is born, and from its body there sprout cassava plants. Moche culture, Larco Museum, Lima

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Union between a toad and jaguar - In the Andean worldview, toads are associated with the humid world, while jaguars are associated with the earth. From this union a toad with the ears of a jaguar is born, and from its body there sprout cassava plants. Moche culture, Larco Museum, Lima

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Southwest Museum archaeologist Anne Watkins holds an enormous obsidian blade, found by the Wilder brothers after it was unearthed by an earthquake in northern California. Purchased by Gen. Charles Reeve and donated by him to the Autry Museum of the American West

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Southwest Museum archaeologist Anne Watkins holds an enormous obsidian blade, found by the Wilder brothers after it was unearthed by an earthquake in northern California. Purchased by Gen. Charles Reeve and donated by him to the Autry Museum of the American West

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A miniature from the fol. 82v of the Book of Hours, depicting a hedgehog with grapes on its quills. It was believed in medieval times that hedgehogs had spikes so they could roll over fruit to carry home to their children. From Paris, ca. 1420-1425 CE, now housed at the Morgan Library

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A miniature from the fol. 82v of the Book of Hours, depicting a hedgehog with grapes on its quills. It was believed in medieval times that hedgehogs had spikes so they could roll over fruit to carry home to their children. From Paris, ca. 1420-1425 CE, now housed at the Morgan Library

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Brooch presented in 1967 to Lady Bird Johnson representing the natural beauty and mineral resources of each state. A gold eagle with a diamond-encrusted head sits atop the map, serving as a patriotic crest.Housed at the Smithsonian.

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Brooch presented in 1967 to Lady Bird Johnson representing the natural beauty and mineral resources of each state. A gold eagle with a diamond-encrusted head sits atop the map, serving as a patriotic crest.Housed at the Smithsonian.

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A 7th century CE pillow made of blue and green glass beads woven with silver wire, found in Abuyama Kofun in Japan, under the head of the mummified remains of a man, whose body also appeared to have been wrapped in brocade, with many gold threads scattered from the chest to the head

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A 7th century CE pillow made of blue and green glass beads woven with silver wire, found in Abuyama Kofun in Japan, under the head of the mummified remains of a man, whose body also appeared to have been wrapped in brocade, with many gold threads scattered from the chest to the head

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8,000-year-old flute made of migratory bird bone, one of the world's oldest known musical instruments. With four main holes and one at the end, its a testament to early humans' sophisticated skill in making musical instruments. Discovered in Shahrud, its housed at National Museum of Iran.

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8,000-year-old flute made of migratory bird bone, one of the world's oldest known musical instruments. With four main holes and one at the end, its a testament to early humans' sophisticated skill in making musical instruments. Discovered in Shahrud, its housed at National Museum of Iran.

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A painted bowl with abstract bighorn sheep heads, from New Mexico. Classic Mimbres period , now housed at the Maxwell Museum, University of New Mexico

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A painted bowl with abstract bighorn sheep heads, from New Mexico. Classic Mimbres period , now housed at the Maxwell Museum, University of New Mexico

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