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Made of leather, felt and wood, this headgear—designed to be worn by a horse—was discovered among the Scythian burials at Pazyryk in Russia’s Altai Mountains.

Horses played an important role in Scythian society and culture, as both the main means of transportation and the driving force of their military might. The Scythians—a nomadic people known from the ninth century B.C.E.—were feared and admired for their horsemanship and prowess in war.

This mask, dated to the late fourth to early third century B.C.E., is decorated with a ram’s head, cockerel and fish. Placed in a warrior’s burial, it likely adorned the deceased’s horse. The Scythians believed that headgear transformed horses into mythical creatures, such as griffins, that would carry their riders into the afterlife.

Currently on display at the British Museum as part of the exhibit Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia, the headgear can normally be seen at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

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Encrusted with sapphires, pearls and beads, this golden crown was discovered in an orchard in Guadamur, near Toledo, Spain. Measuring nearly 32 inches tall with an 8-inch diameter, the crown was created in the royal workshop of the court of Toledo. Never meant to be worn, the crown was a votive offering that hung above a church altar.

Uncovered in the late 19th century, this votive crown is the prize find of the Treasure of Guarrazar—a collection of 26 votive crowns and golden crosses. Various Visigoth kings gifted these treasures to the Catholic Church as a confirmation of their faith and submission to ecclesiastical hierarchy. This crown was a gift from Recceswinth, King of Hispania, Septimania and Galicia (r. 649–672 C.E.).

Today this crown can be seen in the National Archaeology Museum in Madrid, Spain.

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Created in the second half of the fourth century B.C.E., this Etruscan bronze basin handle was once part of a pair. Measuring 4.3 inches high and 8.3 inches wide, the handle depicts two fighters locked in conflict. Head to head, each soldier pulls the other’s hair. Both are garbed in an armored tunic and armed with a short sword.

Even though archaeologists have found thousands of Etruscan texts, they are often short or unclear. Thus researchers often rely on artifacts, such as this, to provide clues into Etruscan war practices. Although its exact findspot is unknown, this piece likely originated in Etruria.

This bronze basin handle can be seen in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.

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This bronze head originally adorned a wooden pitcher. Just over 1.5 inches tall, it was found in a Celtic cemetery near Brno-Maloměřice, Czech Republic, and dates to the third century B.C.E.

Because the Celts were largely illiterate, what we know of their spiritual world comes to us through the lens of Roman historians, such as Julius Caesar or Tacitus, who noted the importance of animals—both real and mythical—in Celtic religion. This decorative head probably represents an ibex whose horns once swirled around the pitcher’s spout. Whatever the symbolic meaning of the decoration, the original pitcher most likely was featured in Celtic funeral rituals.

This extraordinary example of Celtic handicraft can be viewed in the Moravian Museum in Brno, Czech Republic.

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A prominent forehead, almond-shaped eyes, puffy cheeks and a long, flat nose characterize this wooden royal mask (tukah) featuring a latticework headdress with six carved lizards.

Believed to represent power and durability, the mask was carved for a king (fon) of the Bamendou chieftaincy in West Cameroon in the first half of the 19th century. Too large (c. 35 by 23 by 24 in) and heavy to have been worn, it was carried at the front of a parade—the only time the public saw it. At all other times, the mask was kept in a box guarded by the high council.

The Bamendou royal mask is on display in Le Musée du Quai Branly, Paris.

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This intricate, eighth–ninth-century C.E. copper alloy statue depicts the Hindu god Shiva Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance, performing the Tandavam ananda—a dance to create, maintain and destroy the elemental forces of the universe. Set within a flaming halo, the god holds the damaru (the drum that made the first sound of creation) to mark time and the agni (the fire that will destroy the universe) while making the abhayamudra (a gesture to relieve fears). Underfoot is the Apasmara, a demonic personification of ignorance and materialism. Overall, the symbols affirm Shiva as creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe.

Used in ceremonial processions, this statue of Shiva Nataraja is affixed to a lotus pedestal. Before processions, the image would have been ritually bathed, dressed in fine silks and decorated with fresh flowers.

Today this 26.5-inch figure can be viewed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.

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Found in a peat bog in Gundestrup, Denmark, this silver panel comes from a cauldron and dates to the first or second century B.C.E. With a 27-inch diameter, the cauldron weighs almost 20 pounds and is 16.5 inches high.

Specialists are divided on the origin of the Gundestrup Cauldron. Some believe it was made in Thrace based on the embossed and punched-pattern style of the metalwork. Others argue for a Celtic origin based on symbols carved on it. They identify the large central figure as the Celtic deity Cú Roí. Dominated by his curling beard, Cú Roí holds one small human champion in each hand as he judges them. The cauldron was thrown into the bog most likely as a sacrifice or offering.

The Gundestrup Cauldron is one of the finest examples of Iron Age metalwork from Europe. It can be seen in the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen.

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An unidentified woman narrowly escapes the jaws of a makara, the Sanskrit name of a Hindu hybrid sea creature, here depicted at the base of the ivory carving in the form of a crocodile head. The woman likely has divine connections as she is riding a griffin, a lion-eagle creature. Griffins were protectors of the divine and symbols of divine power in the ancient world.

This intricate ivory carving dates to the first century C.E. and comes from Begram (modern-day Afghanistan) during the height of the Kushan dynasty, when the Kushans, alongside China, Rome and Parthia, were one of the great Eurasian empires. Known for promoting Buddhism through the ancient East, the Kushans were both religiously tolerant and often integrated elements of other religions into their own worship—as demonstrated by the Hindu creature depicted in this ivory carving—likely due to their extensive trade networks.

This carving from the golden era of the Kushan empire is currently on display at the National Museum of Afghanistan.

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This golden crown—a gift made for a statue of the Virgin Mary in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, the cathedral of Popayán in the Spanish viceroyalty of New Granada (now Colombia)—had been hidden away in a private collection until acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 2015.

As a means of petition or act of thanksgiving, lavish gifts were often made for statues of Mary in the Spanish colonial world. The Crown of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, known as the Crown of the Andes, is an unusually beautiful 17th–18th-century example of this practice.

The golden crown contains 443 bluish green emeralds for a total of 846.15 carats, including the Atahualpa Emerald of 24 carats. The crown is 13.5 inches tall with a diameter of 13.25 inches. It weighs 5.3 pounds.