Stories frozen in things: 16 artifacts that contain human destinies (17 photos)

Thick glass museum display cases reliably hide ceremonial portraits, ancient treasures and other interesting things that almost every child knows about.





But sometimes a modest object connected with someone's personal fate and even drama is much more touching. This is a gold bracelet firmly embedded in the hand of a slave who died in Pompeii, an Inuit bone amulet in the form of an otter that has survived the centuries, earrings with shrapnel fragments extracted from the monarch's face after the battle. These things are not just exhibits. They hold the voices of their owners and share their stories with us.

1. Giant leather boot



Archaeologists have discovered an unusual shoe while digging at the bottom of a defensive ditch at a Roman fort in northern England. It measures 32 centimeters long.

2. Kapala





Kapala is a ceremonial skull cup in a silver frame from Tibet or Nepal. The silver eyes are decorated with turquoise. 19th century.

3. Collection of various body parts



Holy relics stolen from Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders in 1204. From the treasury of St. Mark's Basilica, Venice, Italy.

4. Mayan Trumpet



Made from shell and inlaid with hematite. From Petén in Guatemala, 4th-6th century CE, now housed at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia.

5. Enamel Earrings



The hand-shaped earrings contain pieces of shrapnel removed from the eye and forehead of King Christian IV of Denmark (1588-1648 CE) after he was wounded in battle. He gave the earrings to his mistress. The jewelry is now part of the royal collection at Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen.

6. Whaler's suit



A whaling suit from Greenland, made sometime before 1834. The hunter would enter the sealskin suit through the center hole and make it waterproof and airtight by closing the hole. Currently housed in the National Museum of Denmark.

7. Wedding dress of Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp



She married her cousin Charles, Duke of Södermanland, in Stockholm on 7 July 1774, at the age of 15. The marriage was arranged by King Gustav III to provide an heir to the throne of Sweden. Royal Armoury of Sweden.

8. The Goat Skin Bible



A 1,500-year-old book from Abuna Yemata Gu, a monolithic church located in Tigray, Ethiopia. The temple is carved out of rock and is considered one of the most inaccessible places of worship on the planet.

9. Returned Treasures



The Netherlands has returned 119 Benin bronzes to Nigeria, nearly 130 years after they were looted by British colonial forces. The official handover ceremony took place at the National Museum in Lagos in the presence of representatives from both countries.

10. Miniature Skull



A miniature thing with a diameter of 4 centimeters, the skull was carved from boxwood by Albert Janz Vinckenbrink. Placed in a box made of iron and copper and covered with real shagreen, 1650.

11. English Wizard



16th century mask. The wizard was probably used to hide or protect the face of a noblewoman while traveling. Silk inside, black velvet outside.

12. 3,500-year-old pigs



Figurines from the Bronze Age settlement of Maszkowice, Poland.

13. Eskimo Otter Amulet



Ivory with engraving and pigmentation, 1870-1880.

14. Figurine of a Cow Giving Birth



Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 2030-1640 BC

15. Roman gold snake bracelet



Found on the hand of a woman who died during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE near Pompeii. With an inscription on the inside "DOMINVS SVAE ANCILLAE", which means "From the master to his slave".

16. Sword of the Mughal era



With a parrot-head hilt made of rock crystal and gold inlay. 1720-1750 CE. Currently housed in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Temple in Mumbai, India.