In Ancient Greece, men and women wore very simple clothing: linen in the summer and wool in the winter.The wealthy would buy most of their clothing in the marketplace which was expensive. Most families, though, made their own clothing and dyed it...
The flat-headed peccary, a relative of the pig, stood about 30 inches tall at the shoulder and probably weighed around 110 pounds. It was probably fairly omnivorous, eating both plants and meat. Most fossil peccaries can be found in the Midwestern...
Velociraptor is the Asian cousin to the North American Dromaeosaurus, both of which were two legged meat eaters. They were probably very fast, standing on two toes, and having a third toe which was curled back. On the end of this toes was a large,...
Mirrors; China; China -- Social life and customs; China -- History -- Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
Over the past 3,000 years, mirrors have become more than just a grooming aid in the Chinese culture. Mirrors, through the years, were also used as tokens of love, political gifts, and burial items for the afterlife. They were usually owned by the...
The Mound Builders were people who built mounds in a large area from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to the Appalachian Mountains. Emerging as an agricultural society and living in permanent villages, the...
Gautama Buddha; Wood-carving; Sculpture; China; China -- Social life and customs; 1900s
The Chinese thought that soft pillows robbed the body of vitality, so their pillows were made of wood, leather, and ceramic materials. Some were even filled with herbal remedies to cure disease, turn white hair black, restore lost teeth, and...
Clothing and dress; 18th century; United States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
This kind of infant’s shirt was known as a waistcoat and was probably worn over another shirt for extra warmth. This one is made of block-printed cotton and lined with linen. It was worn by John H. Hardenbergh when he was born in 1798.
Mexico; Mexico -- Social life and customs; Cookery, Mexican; Implements, utensils, etc.; Miniature objects
Probably the most important tradition in Mexico is the preparation of food. Mexican dishes provide a vast array of tastes, textures, and colors. These miniature plates of food are just a sampling of the many different dishes of Mexico.
Japan; Japan -- Social life and customs; Tea; Implements, utensils, etc.
In Japan, tea is an essential part of a picnic as well as virtually every meal. Although tea drinking originated in China, the earliest record of tea drinking in Japan dates to 729 AD. There are special ceremonies and utensils to prepare and drink...
Mexico; Mexico -- Social life and customs; Cookery, Mexican; Implements, utensils, etc.; Miniature objects
Probably the most important tradition in Mexico is the preparation of food. Mexican dishes provide a vast array of tastes, textures, and colors. This miniature figure shows a Mexican woman traditionally preparing tortillas. She has a metate and...
With its dramatic coloring and infamous reputation, the striped skunk is probably one of the most easily recognizable animals in North America. This nocturnal animal is omnivorous in nature and spends much of its time searching for its diet of...
Vietnam; Vietnam -- Social life and customs; Baskets
Women are the basket makers in Vietnam, as well as most Southeast Asian countries. Baskets were part of every aspect of Vietnamese life, such as for ceremonial purposes, shelter, containers, and clothing. This backpack basket is a miniature version...
Indians of North America; Nineteenhundreds (Decade); Hair; Hairstyles; Hair-work, Ornamental; Hairdressing
Native American items were often decorated meticulously with paint, beadwork, or quillwork with specific designs. This particular hair ornament was probably made around the early 1900s, and used primarily for decorative purposes. Originally, hair...
Trilobites are extinct arthropods related to modern spiders. These animals had legs, but the legs are rarely preserved. For protection, they could roll themselves into a ball. They were probably scavengers and predators, dwelling on the sea floor....
Rhamphorhynchus was a pterosaur, or flying reptile, whose name means “Beak Snout." Remains of fish have been found in the crop, a pouch in the esophagus in which food is held for later digestion or for regurgitation to nestlings, and stomach...
Currently about 5,000 species of dragonflies and damselflies are known. Experts guess that there are probably between 5,500 and 6,500 species in total. Most temperate-zone (warm in the summer, cold in the winter, and moderate in the spring and...
An Oviraptor is a remarkably bird-like dinosaur that is well represented in the Late Cretaceous rocks of Mongolia and Northern China. This creature had a cranial crest (much like that of a modern day cassowary) and a powerful toothless beak. These...
Trilobites are extinct arthropods related to modern spiders. These animals had legs, but the legs are rarely preserved. For protection, they could roll themselves into a ball. They were probably scavengers and predators, dwelling on the sea floor....
Trilobites are extinct arthropods related to modern spiders. These animals had legs, but the legs are rarely preserved. For protection, they could roll themselves into a ball. They were probably scavengers and predators, dwelling on the sea floor....
The Charcarodon is thought to have been about fifty feet long and weighed about eight times more then a Great White Shark. However, since shark skeletons are made of cartilage, flexible connective tissue that is not bone, and do not usually...
