Artifact

What Are They
Artifacts are remains of advanced civilizations that have become extinct, or space faring civilizations that have visited the area in question and then moved on, leaving behind an artifact for whatever reason. They can be beamed aboard the UFO using a tractor beam. If left or dropped on other planets (including your home planet!) they will disappear after some time and will have moved to another planet's surface or sometimes another race's trade window.

Where to Find Them
Planets which home an artifact will pulsate with a yellow-golden signal when zoomed far enough into a star system, you do not have to be orbiting the planet for the signal to appear.

They can be found on any planet in the spore universe and can also appear on planets you have previously searched. Checking back on star systems you have not explored for some time is therefore recommended if you are in search of these items.

What do They Do
Artifacts are not used to advance the technology or traits of your race. They are highly lucrative items which can be sold to planets in the trade window for a large amount of sporebucks (anywhere from 22.5k to over 200k). However they can also be gathered into their corresponding collections which can then be sold for an even greater number of sporebucks each collection consisting of 10 specific artifacts. Alternatively these collections can be left on a planet inhabited by a pre-space sentient race to grant a heavy bonus to your relationship with them when they advance to the space age and also a great reduction in cost of goods in that planets trade window.

Known Collections

 * Rare Fossils
 * Galactic Objects (not actually an artifact per say, but it is a collection)
 * Rare Geodes
 * Rare Jewels
 * Rare Relics
 * Rare Statues
 * Storybook Planets (not actually an artifact per say, but it is a collection)

Philosophy based items
Races believing in the respective philosophy will pay more
 * Blocks of Chance
 * Books of Science
 * Scrolls of Faith
 * Scrolls of Harmony
 * Scrolls of Order
 * Stones of Force
 * Stones of Life
 * Tablets of Prosperity