26 Remarkable Artifacts, Sole Survivors Of Their Kind, Celebrated By An Online Community

Ever thought about how Earth's hiding a load of cool stuff underground, and archaeologists are basically playing the planet's own game of hide and seek?

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• November 10, 2023

People who love collecting rare stuff or are really into things that are super hard to find will get why having something that's one-of-a-kind is a big deal. Imagine having the only one of something in the whole world – it's like finding a hidden treasure from the past.

Well, there's this special online group called r/UniqueArtifacts where people who adore unique stuff hang out. They share pictures and talk about things that are the only ones of their kind in history.

Some of these things were dug up by archaeologists after a lot of hard work, and others are more recent but still super rare. You might be curious about what makes these things so awesome.

It's not just that they're one-of-a-kind; it's also the cool stories they come with. Each item has a story to tell, like a little piece of history.

They remind us about the people who made them, the cultures they come from, and the times they were used. These things are like real-life time machines, giving us a peek into the past.

For experts like archaeologists and history buffs, these unique items are like hidden treasures. They help us understand things about the past that we didn't know before, like solving a puzzle about how people used to live.

They're like super valuable gems in the world of research, giving us clues and answers to questions that have puzzled us for a long time. But r/UniqueArtifacts isn't just for experts.

It's a place for anyone who loves history and finds unique things fascinating. If you visit this online group, you can see all sorts of cool stuff, from old tools and sculptures to more recent unusual things. It shows us how creative and inventive people have been throughout history.

1. Pons Fabricius in Rome: the OG bridge, still rocking its original form since 23 BCE.

2. Terracotta Warriors preserved in their authentic paint colors

3. The Lycurgus Cup- the singular, intact instance of ancient glass that changes color

4. One of the only two remaining well-preserved Jolly Roger pirate flags in existence.

5. The "Iron Man" Buddha - the sole sculpture crafted from a meteorite

6. The sole existing handwritten text attributed to a Roman Emperor, specifically Theodosius II.

7. The Goujian Sword was found in remarkably pristine condition, maintaining its sharp edges, despite being over 2,500 years old.

8. The Barber Cup and Crawford Cup are the sole existing instances of ancient Roman vessels meticulously carved out of fluorite.

9. The singular, invaluable artwork that is the sole existing color photograph of the legendary "Amber Room" belonging to the Russian Czar, which was plundered by the Nazis during World War II. This irreplaceable masterpiece was seemingly lost forever, though there remains a glimmer of hope, in St. Petersburg in 1943.

10. A rare find, just three fragments of papyrus exist, and they are all inscribed in the Phoenician language.

11. An undamaged vessel containing wine from the Roman era dating back to 325 AD.

12. This unique rock crystal and silver spoon from the Julio-Claudian era is the sole known specimen of its kind in existence.

13. The Sole Existing Instance of an Iconic Roman "Scutum" Shield

14. The sole existing natural copper fossil of a scorpion.

15. Armor for Crocodiles from Ancient Roman-Egyptian Times

16. A coin from the Roman usurper Silbannacus, one of only two known to exist, shedding light on a historical figure who would have remained obscure otherwise.

17. A unique remnant of a crest found on a Roman centurion's helmet, the sole surviving specimen of its kind.

18. The Vergilius Augustus, one of just two ancient manuscripts that were meticulously inscribed using Roman square capitals, has endured to this day.

19. The initial fully preserved ballista arrow has been unearthed in Utrecht (formerly known as Augusta Treverorum), Netherlands for the first time.

20. The sole preserved bronze lantern from ancient Rome displayed alongside a replica, can be found at the Museo Archeologico Girolamo Rossi in Ventimiglia, Italy.

21. "Marcus Caelius' Gravestone, the Sole Existing Instance of a Direct Mention of the Varus Catastrophe, During Which an Ambush Led to the Loss of 20,000 Soldiers."

22. The sole instance in which a massive column was set up and embellished with a statue that wasn't of an emperor occurred during the early 2nd century with the gilded bronze sculpture of an "Emona Citizen." This remarkable artwork is currently displayed in the Roman Lapidarium at the National Museum of Slovenia

23. A 1961 photo depicts a unique screw press found in Herculaneum's Workshop of Lanarius, the only item discovered there alongside the Bourbon Tunnels. No other similar presses have been found.

24. The Sole Existing Instance of Ancient Roman "Cestus" Boxing Gloves

25. The earliest instance of a genuine "book," crafted in a completely distinctive fashion.

26. The Misenum Statue is the sole surviving bronze imperial image altered by condemnation, where Domitian's face was replaced with Nerva's.

So, whether you're a collector or just someone who likes fascinating things from history, r/UniqueArtifacts is a great place to check out. Shows us how amazing human history is and the incredible things people have made throughout the years.

Don't hesitate to explore it and discover some fantastic pieces of our past.

Damjan