People lived differently in the past: even life in the 1950s was wildly different from how we live today in 2026. But what if we travel even further back? How do we know what people's lives were like thousands of years ago? What did they eat, what did they drink, what Gods did they pray to, and what did they do in their free time?

Archaeology can help us with that a great deal. The antiques and other fascinating finds they discover give us a glimpse into what life was like back then. They can tell us that ancient Roman women wore wigs made from hair moss, show us what 3,000-year-old cheese looks like, or just let us admire the craftsmanship of an ivory carving of three puppies from 18th-century Japan.

#1 “Death Blowing Bubbles” Plaster Relief By Johann Georg Leinberger. Michaelsberg Abbey In Bamberg, Germany, 1729-1731

#2 Miniature Books Inside A Book-Case Inside A Box In The Shape Of A Book

This Perfect Example Of Bookbinding Was Made By Suenonius Mandelgreen In 1736 To Be Given As A Present On The Occasion Of The Birth Of Willem Van Borssele. Now It's Stored In The National Library Of The Netherlands.

#3 The "Sleeping Antelope" Petroglyph At Tin Taghirt, Tassili N'ajjer, Algeria. Neolithic Period, Rock Art Of The Sahara

Back in the day, people were pretty obsessed with miniature books. Nowadays, they’re revered as works of art and craftsmanship and are housed and preserved in museums, libraries, and collectors’ homes. One example of such miniature artifacts is an 1878 edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy. It took 11 years to print and measures 1 and 1/4 by 1 and 3/4 inches.

Currently, it’s in the London Library, where 350 other "small books” reside. However, out of these, there are only 47 "true"miniatures. What makes a true miniature? According to the U.S. Miniature Book Society, it has to be three inches high, wide, and thick. And, naturally, not many small books qualify.

#4 Golden Celestial (Astronomy) Globe With Pearl Inlay, Qing Imperial Workshop, Qianlong Period

#5 Corinthian Helmet From The Battle Of Marathon (490 Bc) Found With The Warrior's Skull Inside

#6 Christ Child As Good Shepherd, Carved From Ivory In The Portuguese Colony Of Goa, India, CA. 17th Century

Back in the old days, books were generally printed smaller because people wanted to be able to put them in their pocket and carry them everywhere. Most books printed at that time were religious texts, so many people wished to have them next to their bodies for symbolic reasons as well.

A Scottish publishing house, David Bryce & Son, published the earliest and smallest versions of the Bible in 1896. Nowadays, you can buy it for a little over $1,000. This and other miniature books were as accurate as their "normal-sized" counterparts, but were still more a novelty than a serious way to read books. Even if people's vision wasn't ruined by staring at screens all day, who would choose to struggle with the tiny print for every book they read?

#7 Bronze Age Tools And Carry Sack. Hallstatt Salt Mines- 13th Century Bce

#8 Silver Filigree Dish Shaped Like A Leaf. China, 1740-1750

#9 Terracotta Ife Head 12th-15th Century Ad Berlin, Ethnological Museum

Dunia Garcia-Ontiveros, the supervisor of the London Library's miniature collection, told The Guardian that miniature books were also sought-after because they had short lifespans. "Miniature books were never seen as serious books, they were curiosities, seen as fun objects, not the kind of books that would make it into libraries."

"They were the books people would have at home, and because they are tiny and often printed on cheap paper they don’t tend to survive, so in any age miniature books are very rare. And they get lost! We ourselves had one fall behind a cabinet and it wasn’t until we had some building work done that one of the builders saw it behind a cabinet. We’d been looking for it for years," Ontiveros told The Guardian.

#10 Ivory Carving Of Three Puppies. Japan, 18th Century

#11 The 4th-Century Ce "Great Hunt" Roman Mosaic Floor, Located Inside The Villa Romana Del Casale Near Piazza Armerina, Sicily, Italy

#12 Set Of Porcelain Dolls Likely Commemorating The 300th Anniversary Of The Coronation Of Queen Elizabeth I

The Group Includes The Queen In The Most Elaborate Costume, Along With Six Ladies-In-Waiting, And Three Guardsmen In Brown Velvet Costumes With Red Trim, 1858

But miniature books aren't that scary, are they? A fish-like monster that comes out of the sea can definitely seem more terrifying. The Japanese have a name for that — the Amabie. It's a creature in Japanese folklore that warns people about upcoming disasters and hardships.

The legend goes that the first Amabie appeared to a government official in the form of a glowing-green creature with scales, long hair, three-fin legs, and a beak. He told the man that the harvest would be good for six years, but a pandemic would ravage Japan afterward. If they want to ward off the disease, people have to draw the Amabie and share the drawing with as many people as possible (a little The Ring vibes, huh?)

#13 Marble Seats Of Honor From The Theatre Of The Amphiareion Of Oropos, Greece, 1st Century Bce

#14 The Iron-Shod Oak Doors Of Chepstow Castle In Wales

Thought To Be The Oldest Surviving Castle Doors In All Of Europe, They Were Comissioned In 1190 By The Legendary Knight William Marshal After Chepstow Came Into His Posession As Lord Of Striguil

#15 Abolition Teapot By Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, C. 1760

The Amabie went viral again during the 2020 pandemic, as many believed that it must've appeared to some person again. People thought that sharing its image on social media would help the COVID-19 pandemic end sooner. In Japan, retailers even began selling masks and hand sanitizer with Amabie's likeness.

#16 Pair Of Glasses With Case. Paris, France, 16th Century

#17 Ibis-Shaped Coffin With An Ibis Inside. Egypt, 305–30 Bc

#18 Horn (Oliphant), South Italian, 11th–12th Century Ce

Amabie is a yokai, one type of monster and demon in Japanese folklore. An Amabie is a benevolent creature, but there are more nefarious ones, too. The karakasa kozo, for example, is a one-eyed umbrella that sneaks up on people and licks them. The tofu kozo follows people to their homes and offers them tofu, and appears in the form of a man-child dressed in a kimono.

#19 Artist’s Sketch Of A Horse, New Kingdom, C. 1300–1080 B.c

#20 Moche “Warrior Duck” Vessel With Shield And Club Created In Peru Between Between 560-650 Bce. Care Of Museo Huacas De Moche In Peru

#21 Preserved Golden Dress Believed To Have Been Worn By Queen Margaret I Of Denmark, Early 14th Century

Nowadays, people consider yokai to be friendly. "Yokai often play the role of helping people process unpleasant feelings or situations," Hiroko Yoda, co-author of the book Yōkai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, explained to The Guardian. "They can sometimes be a kind of pressure valve for when things get tense."

“What gives them weight is their long history. Yokai, in various forms and names, have been part of Japanese culture for centuries. Today, yokai are mainly a form of entertainment. They are commonly used as characters in video games, anime and comic books."

#22 420,000 Year-Old Clacton Spear Point, The Oldest Known Wooden Weapon In The World According To The Natural History Museum, London. Found In Clacton On Sea, Essex, UK

#23 Knotted Dragon Ring, 3rd Century Bce, Eastern Zhou Dynasty

#24 An Ancient Roman Wig Worn By A Woman In The Frontier Settlement Of Vindolanda, Near Hadrian's Wall

The Lady's Wig, Which Survived In The Anaerobic Soil Of The Site, Is Made From Hair Moss. Now Housed At The Chesterholm Museum In England.

Which of these artifacts left the biggest impression on you, Pandas? Let us know your favorites in the comments! And if you want to see some more treasures of history, check out our previous publications about incredible historical finds and these puzzling artifacts from civilizations far cleverer than we thought!

#25 The Only Bucket Made Of Wood That Has Survived From Roman Times

The Characteristic Spout Allowed The Liquid To Be Poured Out Easily. The Object Was Aboard A River Ship Sunk 1,800 Years Ago On The Rhine.

#26 A 2nd Century Ce Fayum Mummy Portrait Of Woman, Found In Egypt

#27 In 2016, Archaeologists Found An Ancient Clay Pot With Traces Of 3,000-Year-Old Burnt Cheese, Tossed In An Ancient Trash Heap In Denmark

#28 Rhyton Forepart In The Form Of A Centaur, Hellenistic, C. 160 Bce. Silver, Partially Gilded. From Falerii Novi (Cività Castellana, Italy)

#29 4,000-Year-Old Geometry Homework Showing A Mistake Made By The Student When Calculating The Area Of A Triangle. Iraq, Old Babylonian Empire, 1900-1600 Bc

#30 Clockwork Brooch Shaped Like A Peacock, With Mechanism That Moves The Tail Feathers When Wound Up. Germany, 1880-1890

#31 Pig-Shaped Rattle From Shuruppak (Modern-Day Tell Fara, Iraq) 2500-2350 Bce

#32 Neo-Babylonian Striding Lion Made Out Of Glazed Bricks. Institute For The Study Of Ancient Cultures, Chicago

#33 Greenlandic Seal Fur Underwear At The National Museum Of Denmark C.1800s

#34 Ritual Bronze “Gong”(觥), Anyang, Shang Dynasty, 17th-11th Century Bce

#35 Bronze Model Of A Bull Cart With Driver. Harappa, Indus Valley Civilization, 2000 Bc

#36 Silver Plate Depicting Shapur II Hunting Boars. Iran, Sasanian Empire, 4th Century Ad

#37 Bronze Head Of Augustus From Meroë, CA. 25 Bc

#38 Mask With Humanoid Face. British Columbia, Canada, Nuxalk Peoples, 1880

#39 Stone Model Of The God Khepri As A Six Or Eight Armed Humanoid Emerging From A Scarab Shell. Egypt, Late Period. 664 To 332 Bc

#40 Ancient Mesopotamian Statuette Of A Supernatural Being ~3000 Bce - Art Institute Of Chicago

#41 Mesopotamian Inlaid Limestone Leopard, Late Uruk To Jemdet Nasr Period (C. 3300–2900 Bc)

#42 Furniture Plaque Carved In Relief With A Winged Female Figure And A “Sacred Tree” (9th-8th Century Bce) (Neo-Assyrian)

#43 Carved Sandstone Window Panel (Jali). India, 17th Century

#44 Thousands Of Viking Silver Coins Discovered By A Metal Detectorist In Finland, Dated 1000-1050 Ad

#45 The Jade Burial Suit Of Lady Dou Wan, Made Of 2,160 Jade Pieces Sewn Together With Gold Wire. China, Han Dynasty, 118-104 Bc

#46 Burmese Adorant Statue That Would Be Placed At A Buddhist Altar Wearing An Elaborate Gold And Green Grass Burmese Royal Costume. Myanmar, CA. Early 20th Century

#47

#48 Ancient Roman Statue Of A Child Satyr Wearing A Theater Mask Of An Old Satyr. The Art Institute Of Chicago

#49 Chalouf Stele (522-486 Bc) (Ancient Egypt) (Louvre Museum)

#50 Ancient Urn Found In A Forest In Mazovia Region, Poland By A Couple Foraging For Mushrooms. Bell Graves Culture, C. 4th Century Bce. Photo By Mazowiecki Konserwator Zabytków

#51 Head Of An Amarna Princess (1350 Bce) (Ancient Egypt) (Egyptian Museum, Cairo)

#52 Pottery Jar With A Human Figure, Qijia Culture, China, 2nd Millennium Bce, Rietberg Museum

#53 Ceramic Tomb Guardian Figure. China, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 Ad

#54 Drawing Of The Amabie, A Fish-Like Being That Appeared In The Sea Alongside A Glowing Object, And Delivered A Message. Translation In Comments. Japan, 1846

#55 Bronze Dharmachakra Supported By Yakshis And Makaras. Bihar, India, 200 Ad

#56 "Smoking Pipe" Unknown Country (Western Europe), Late 19th Century, Located At The Russian Hermitage. Material: Meerschaum And Amber

#57 Lacquered Chest With Mother-Of-Pearl Inlays. China, Yuan Dynasty, 13th-14th Century

#58 Buddhist Stele With Rubbing Of Inscription On The Back, Made By A Monk Named Hui Mie. China, Northern Qi Dynasty, 550-577 Ad

#59 Saber Worn By Li Xian, Grand General Of The Pillar State, Northern Zhou Dynasty, China (557–581 Ad)

#60 Hexagonal Flask With Menorah, Shofar, Lulav, And Etrog. Jerusalem Or Vicinity, CA. 600 Ad. Mold-Blown Glass. Walters Art Museum Collection

#61 Girl's Haregi (Formal Kimono) With Axis Flags, Tanks, Planes, And Airships. Japan, 1940

#62 Terracota Figure Of Xipe Totec "The Flayed One" Wearing The Skin Of A Sacrificial Victim, Toltec Period 950 To 1150 Ce

63 Historical Discoveries That Make Human History Feel Far More Interesting