Jeweled pendant necklace made from gold, amethyst, chalcedony, emerald, rock crystal, and pearls. Place of origin: Greek black sea colony of Olbia, moden day Ukraine. Date: c. Late 2nd century BC.

The broken lid of a Roman Emperor’s sarcophagus from Late Antiquity. Once in the mausoleums at the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, it now sits outside the Istanbul Archaeological Museum with a few other sarcophagi where most people walk by without paying much thought to them.

King George V's Coronation Supertunica, made in 1911, also worn by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

Ottoman flag captured during Siege of Vienna, 1683. Collection: Heeresgeschichtlichen Museum.

Amethyst earrings shaped like grapes. Place of orign: France, 1840-1851.

Head of Polyphemos, the one-eyed, man-eating Cyclops whom Odysseus finally outwitted and blinded. Greek or Roman. Hellenistic or Imperial Period, about 150 B.C. or later

Hellenistic Greek gold medallion with a Nereid riding a sea monster, 3rd century BC. Dimensions: 6.7 cm. Credit: Hermann Historica auction.

Wild Woman riding a Unicorn, Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet, 1475.

Broadsword of Oliver Cromwell, who led the armies of Parliament against King Charles I during the English Civil War. Blade etched “For The Common Wealth of England.” c 1650. Collection: The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A Golden Greek Ring with an Emerald entwined in Snakes. Hellenistic Period, 2nd century B.C.

A jade bear excavated from the tomb of the marquis of Haihun (died in 59 BC) in Jiangxi Province, China. Western Han Dynasty

The Naga Ring: This exquisite piece was most likely crafted either for or at the request of King Rama V, the renowned King Chulalongkorn, who took the throne in 1868. It originates from the Bangkok period in Thailand.

Phoenician, Greek, and Etruscan colonization in the Mediterranean

Woodblock print of two Dutch acrobats, by Utagawa Yoshikazu. Japan, Edo period, 1861. Collection: The Met.

Coin purse in the form of a rat, designed by Paul Frey in the early 1900s. It is crafted from brass and adorned with a small ruby.

Figured ostracon showing a dancer in an acrobatic position, dated to New Kingdom, c. 1292 - 1076 BC. Collection: Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy.

Bottle in the shape of a feline. Place of origin: Wari (Peru), c. A.D. 600–900. Collection: The Met.

Memento mori ring, circa 1550-1575, gold, diamond and ruby, from The Victoria & Albert Museum.

A beautiful pierced dagger with an ivory grip studded with turquoise and rubies and gilded quillons, probably Ottoman, ca. 1525-1550, housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Beautiful Greek Amethyst Intaglio of Achilles playing the Cithara, dated to 75-50 BC. Collection: Getty Museum.