Flipboard 2025 World History

A thrift-store shopper buys a pair of $25 jars only to discover they are rare Qing Dynasty imperial artifacts worth over $74,000. Explore the extraordinary journey of these forgotten treasures, the history behind their craftsmanship, and how a chance find became one of the most captivating archaeological stories of the year.

Turns out there are many hangovers from pagan cultures that we still use today—let’s take a look at some of the most popular.

A single carved surface or forged edge can feel like a direct handshake across time, charged with skillful intent. Even now, these objects radiate a level of mastery that reshapes how we picture the hands and minds behind them.

For centuries, people have wondered what sits below the Great Sphinx’s giant paws. The statue looks calm on the surface, yet the ground beneath it holds questions that archaeology still can’t fully answer. Think of it as Egypt’s oldest cliffhanger carved in stone.

What happens when the ground beneath a national park holds enough power to rewrite the country? If a supervolcano snapped awake, ash could smother regions and disrupt everything people rely on.

Gold didn’t simply glitter in ancient Egypt—it carried a cost people rarely acknowledge. Archaeologists working at Ghooza, a remote gold mine in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, uncovered something far colder than treasure: iron ankle shackles built to stop laborers from escaping harsh desert work camps. Discoveries like these force a rethink of what truly fueled Egypt’s wealth. Those gleaming ornaments in museum cases began as ore hacked from blistering canyon walls by workers who had little to no freedom. Stay put, because those shackles reveal more about ancient power than any polished statue ever could.

In the picturesque town of Morlaix in northwestern France, archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery that has opened a window into medieval religious life. As researchers carefully excavated a 700-year-old Dominican convent, they found more than 200 burials and a wealth of religious artifacts that tell a fascinating story of faith, community, and daily life in medieval France. This significant archaeological site, explored by France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), has yielded insights that both question and expand our understanding of medieval religious communities and burial practices.

Could early signs of goddess worship be hiding in plain sight within ancient relics? Archaeologists keep finding symbols and objects suggesting a powerful female presence influencing spiritual life long before the mythologies we recognize emerged.

The kind of place that stops you mid-step usually has a story it’s been dying to spill. This one feels older and almost stubbornly quiet. Walk into the hush of an abandoned home to see what refuses to fade.

Discover the astonishing story of a $4 thrift-store vase in Maryland that turned out to be a genuine 1,200-year-old Maya artifact. Learn how the piece was identified, authenticated, and ultimately repatriated to Mexico, highlighting modern efforts to protect cultural heritage and the remarkable journey of an ancient treasure hidden in plain sight.