A crying stone made into an artifact (notice the symbol on top of it).
In the first game, an artifact is any object left near the village center and charged up by dancing villagers.
Making an artifact from any object that comes to hand in the game is very easy, even if a little time consuming, as it doesn't happen overnight. One must place the chosen object near to where the villagers congregate when they are 'chilling out' or near the village crèche. The villagers will then dance around the object which over a period of time will start to glow and emit a red aura. At this point it has become an artifact and when it displays a godly symbol over it, it has become fully charged.
- Villagers quickly become bored by artifacts. If one leaves an artifact in a village, it will yield only a slow trickle of minor amounts of belief. To make the most of artifacts, drop an artifact in a village, wait for the belief bonus to register, then remove the artifact. Do this again a few minutes later to yield another large belief bonus. A player can repeat this as often as he/she like, though the shorter the time before reintroduction, the less belief will be gained. (This can be used to increase belief in one's own villages, too!)
- Artifacts don't lose their charge. It will stay charged forever (unless the artifact is destroyed).
- Artifacts don't seem to have a maximum or full charge. The icon that shows above the artifact appears after a certain while but is no indication of 'maximum' charge.
Artifacts can be used to help convert villagers. The player can place the artifact in a village that he/she want to convert – one can also use the power it contains by throwing it over the village above the villager's heads - this has the effect of earning even more belief.
Many players choose the 'dud' singing stones that can be found on Land 1 for artifacts because they are large, and therefore more powerful, and the charge in them lasts longer. One can start making artifacts on Land 1, but it'll be of little use until Land 2.
- Artifacts can increase the size of wonders that are to be built. If a wonder scaffolding is close enough to an artifact, the prospective wonder will increase in size.
- If an artifact is made from a stone, and said stone is tapped to break it, it will stop being an artifact. That's why the "dud" singing stones on land 1 and the brown "totem head" stones on land 3 make good artifacts: they can't be broken accidentally, except by sinking them in the sea or by a mega-blast miracle. Creature toys can also make good artifacts.
- There's a bug in the game: if one fully charges some artifacts, save the game, then reload, the icon won't reappear above them. They're still charged, though. If they are brought through a vortex, the icons will reappear on the new land.