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There exists a distinguished group within the realm of ancient finds—those extraordinary objects that hold the title of being the oldest of their kind. These remarkable discoveries are the ones that rewrite the history books and transform our understanding of the past. Occasionally, their significance is more about their survival than their archaeological importance, yet their endurance continues to captivate us.
10. A Message in a Bottle Over 100 Years Old
In 1913, a 20-year-old Richard Platz placed a postcard with his address inside a beer bottle and cast it into the Baltic Sea. The message requested that the finder return it to him. However, instead of being returned to the young German, the bottle drifted through the two World Wars, the Great Depression, and even the Cold War.
Over a century later, a fisherman in the Baltic Sea retrieved the weathered time capsule. By that time, Platz had already passed away in 1946 at the age of 54, likely unaware that the bottle he had thrown into the sea three decades earlier would break records and reach a grandchild yet to be born.
The previous record for the oldest message in a bottle was held by a bottle that had been drifting in the waters off Scotland for 98 years, released as part of a project to track ocean currents. The Platz bottle was eventually handed over to Richard's 62-year-old granddaughter, Angela Erdmann.
9. A 2,700-Year-Old Marijuana Stash
Approximately 1 kilogram (2 lbs) of cannabis was found among the treasures of a 2,700-year-old Chinese tomb of a blue-eyed Caucasian man. Initially, researchers mistook the greenish plant for coriander, but closer inspection revealed it to be the world’s oldest weed.
Researchers speculate that the society who buried the man in the Gobi Desert knew the secrets of getting stoned. The male parts of the plants, which have less psychoactive potency, were notably absent from the stash. Despite this, the remaining marijuana still contained strong psychoactive properties. What surprised scientists most was the discovery that the marijuana wasn’t wild but rather a cultivated strain, closely resembling cannabis grown today.
The method and reason for consuming the natural drug remain unknown. However, other objects in the tomb suggested the man’s high social status: musical instruments, riding gear, and weapons. It’s possible the marijuana was a status symbol, or that he was a shaman using it for spiritual or medicinal reasons. Perhaps he was even the world’s first known weed dealer.
8. A 3,500-Year-Old Weather Report
Egyptologists believe they’ve uncovered the earliest known example of a weather report. The broken, man-sized stone memorializes a catastrophic event that may have been the most powerful volcanic eruption in history. Around 3,500 years ago, the Greek volcano Thera erupted with unparalleled force, causing massive destruction and wiping out the advanced Minoan civilization on Crete. The eruption’s impact was felt as far away as China.
Egypt also experienced significant devastation, with the Tempest Stela detailing how the Nile was filled with dead bodies during a relentless and furious storm that brought about unnatural darkness. If this stela is indeed an eyewitness account of the volcanic aftermath from Thera, it could alter our understanding of one pharaoh’s reign.
Historically, Pharaoh Ahmose is regarded as the first ruler of the 18th Dynasty, an era when Egypt was at its peak. The Tempest Stela dates back to his reign. If the event described in the stela was indeed the catastrophic eruption from the Thera volcano, it’s possible that Ahmose’s rule began up to 50 years earlier than we had previously believed.
7. A 3,800-Year-Old Cheese
While the art of cheesemaking is far from new, finding ancient examples of cheese is exceedingly rare. Typically, we discover fat residues that suggest artifacts once contained cheese. Time is harsh on dairy, especially over millennia. However, excavations at China’s ancient Xiaohe Cemetery (also known as Ordek’s necropolis) uncovered pieces of 3,800-year-old cheese, found placed on the chests and necks of several mummies.
Tests on the yellow substance revealed that the cheese was not only nutritious but also easy to make and closely resembled a modern-day fermented dairy drink known as 'kefir.' Its low salt content suggested that it wasn’t intended for long-term storage but was rather meant to be consumed shortly after production. The impressive preservation of the Ordek samples likely resulted from two factors: the coffins were sealed with cowhide, preventing air from entering, and the surrounding soil was salty.
The fact that the cheese was easily digestible helped researchers understand why animal milking became so common during the early Bronze Age, even though many people at the time were lactose intolerant.
6. Poison Use Dating Back 20,000 Years
In South Africa, a cave revealed remnants from a fascinating group of people. When dated, these artifacts suggested that the Later Stone Age began much earlier in South Africa than we had previously believed—by an astonishing 20,000 years. Two finds stood out in particular: a lump of beeswax and a slender wooden stick.
The 35,000-year-old wax contained a toxic resin, likely used to attach stone arrowheads to their shafts. If this was indeed the case, it marks the earliest known use of beeswax as a tool. Chemical tests on the stick revealed the presence of ricinoleic acid, a natural poison found in castor beans. Researchers believe this stick was used to apply poison to weapons 20,000 years ago, making it the oldest recorded use of poison by humans.
These cave dwellers may have passed down their skills to the San people. Prehistoric San communities were known to hunt with poison-tipped arrows. Additionally, a digging stick found in the cave resembled tools used by the San for digging up roots and insects.
5. A Cold Case Dating Back 430,000 Years
In 1987, Spanish archaeologists uncovered what may be one of the world’s oldest burial sites, containing the remains of 28 skeletons from various human species.
One skull revealed a particularly brutal tale. Although researchers cannot determine the individual’s gender, species, or age—other than that they were a young adult—it’s evident that they suffered two severe blows to the head. Both impacts are located above the left eye socket, suggesting that a right-handed attacker used a weapon to strike the same area twice in almost identical fashion. These wounds were certainly not the result of an accident.
Other theories for the fatal injuries, such as attacks by predators or geological changes after death, don’t align as closely with the assault theory. Long-dead bones don’t fracture in the same manner as live bones. It’s most likely that the assault occurred while the individual was facing their attacker. The absence of healing around the blunt force trauma suggests that this person didn’t survive the attack and became the world’s oldest-known murder victim.
1. The Oldest Art, 540,000 Years Old
It may not rival the masterpieces of Michelangelo or Vincent van Gogh, but this is the oldest known example of art. Who cares if it’s just a squiggle on a shell?
Researchers in the Netherlands recently revisited 166 shells collected in Indonesia in the 1890s, leading to some intriguing findings. One of the shells, dating back as far as 540,000 years, featured two straight cuts and an M-shaped zigzag. When the researchers attempted to replicate the engraving, they discovered that it required significant hand strength and precision.
The artist responsible for the carving was a member of *Homo erectus*. While the meaning of the engraving remains unknown, it’s clear that it was created with intention. This points to the possibility that our early human ancestors may have been more intelligent than we once thought. Additionally, the discovery of several other shells may help explain why stone tools from *Homo erectus* are so scarce in Indonesia. The marks on the shells suggest they were prepared as cutting tools, implying that the Indonesian population may have favored shell tools over stone ones.
4. Living DNA Over 500,000 Years Old
Something that was created more than half a million years ago is still alive today. In Canada, Siberia, and Antarctica, scientists excavated the permafrost and discovered the oldest living organisms on Earth: ancient bacteria more than 500,000 years old. Though these bacteria should have perished, traces of their DNA were still active, representing an extraordinary discovery in both science and the natural world.
Once the living DNA of the bacteria was extracted, it was cross-referenced with a global gene bank in the United States, which functions similarly to a fingerprint database. By matching the ancient material with entries in the database, researchers were able to pinpoint the bacteria’s origins. This breakthrough opens new avenues for understanding cellular aging, including why some cells age more gracefully than others. In addition to advancing studies on cell longevity, these ancient bacteria may also offer insights into whether life once thrived on Mars in a similar way.
4. Living DNA: Over 500,000 Years Old
A discovery that defies logic: ancient bacteria, more than 500,000 years old, still live today. In remote regions of Canada, Siberia, and Antarctica, scientists ventured deep into the permafrost, unearthing the oldest living organisms known to man. Despite their ancient age, traces of their active DNA were still detectable, marking a discovery unlike anything ever witnessed in both the natural and scientific worlds.
Once the living DNA from the bacteria was isolated, it was matched with samples from a global gene bank in the United States that works like a fingerprint database. This allowed researchers to identify the ancient material, opening doors to new insights on cellular aging, including why some cells age better than others. Along with shedding light on longevity, these bacteria may hold clues to whether life ever existed on Mars in a similar manner.
1. Art Over 540,000 Years Old
It might not rival the works of Michelangelo or Vincent van Gogh, but it holds the title of the oldest known piece of art ever discovered. Who’s to say that a squiggle on a shell doesn’t have its own significance?
A recent reexamination of 166 shells collected in the 1890s from Indonesia led researchers in the Netherlands to a remarkable finding. One of these shells, up to 540,000 years old, bore engravings—two straight lines and a zigzag in the shape of an 'M'. When the team tried to replicate the carving, they discovered that it required significant hand strength and control.
The artist behind this ancient engraving was a member of Homo erectus. Though the meaning of the marks remains a mystery, their deliberate nature suggests a level of intelligence that challenges previous beliefs about early human ancestors. The discovery of additional shells may even explain the scarcity of stone tools in Indonesia, as markings on these shells indicate that they were shaped for use as cutting tools, suggesting that the population may have favored shell tools over stone ones.
2. Toddler 3.3 Million Years Old
In 2006, a fossilized child was discovered in the badlands of Ethiopia, an area famously known for the 1974 unearthing of “Lucy.” Both Lucy and the infant are members of the same species, the early human group known as Australopithecus afarensis. However, this infant is far older than the 3.2-million-year-old adult.
Lovingly dubbed “Lucy’s baby,” the child is thought to have been a female who tragically passed away at the age of three. While the cause of death remains uncertain, researchers speculate that drowning might have been the cause. The only clue to this theory is that the child seems to have been quickly covered by sand and gravel during a flood. Her face was uncovered and noticed in 2000, revealing a remarkably complete skeleton—more so than Lucy's—sparking some debate.
An intriguing feature of the child’s anatomy was the discovery that her shoulder blades were strikingly similar to those of a gorilla, suggesting that the upright-walking Australopithecus afarensis might have spent some time swinging through trees. However, this is not certain. It’s possible that this gorilla-like trait was simply inherited from earlier ancestors and did not play a functional role in the child’s life.
3. Solar System 11.2 Billion Years Old
The most ancient solar system ever discovered is not on Earth, but lies deep within the Milky Way galaxy. While sorting through a collection of data from the Kepler Space Telescope, scientists uncovered the oldest solar system known to date.
Kepler-444, the star at the heart of this ancient system, is 11.2 billion years old and about a quarter the size of our Sun. Despite its smaller size, Kepler-444 shines brightly enough to be visible to the naked eye from Earth, 117 light-years away. This star is surrounded by five planets, all seemingly lifeless. These planets, ranging from the size of Mercury to Earth, have scorching temperatures similar to Mercury’s and are too hot to support life as we know it. Each planet completes an orbit in just 10 days.
Through the study of this remarkable system, scientists discovered that planets began orbiting stars nearly seven billion years before our own Sun—at 4.5 billion years old—started forming its system of planets.
