50 Fascinating Archeological Finds We Are Lucky Enough To Witness, As Shared On This FB Group
Archeology is a fascinating subject. It has helped us understand the history of many cultures around the globe. It’s the reason why we know our origins and have a good understanding of how our world has progressed.
On top of all that, it also helps us to connect to people from the past. When we look at the work they’ve done, the craftsmanship of the objects, the beauty of portraits and statues, we feel kinship and understanding. It allows us to relate to them on a new level. The pictures of artifacts and features in the list below do this perfectly. Scroll down to admire these wonderful findings.
This post may include affiliate links.
10,000 Year-Old Giraffe Engravings In The Sahara Desert
Archeology itself involves a lot of very intentional work. It’s planned, meticulous, and organized. However, there have been quite a few significant findings in history that were made completely by accident.
One such lucky accident was the discovery of the Terracotta Army in Lintong county, China. It was discovered by a group of farmers in 1974 when the area was facing an extended drought and the crops were suffering.
This 14th Century Door At Exeter Cathedral, UK, Is Thought To Be The Oldest Existing Cat Flap
A cat was paid a penny each week, to keep down the rats and mice in the north tower, and a cat flap was cut into the door below the astronomical clock to allow the cat to carry out its duties.
Records of payments were entered in the Cathedral archives from 1305 to 1467, the penny a week being enough to buy food to supplement a heavy diet of rodents.
I thought the cat flap was invented by sir Isaac Newton because of his cat that kept bothering him to go in and out of the house (like a normal cat!) while he wanted to work.
A 7000-6000 Year Old Burial Of A Young Woman (Aged Around 20 At The Time Of Her Death) And Her Newborn Baby From Vedbaek, Denmark
By her head, 200 red deer teeth and a bone hairpin, as well as red deer hooves which came from a skin that was wrapped around her. The child is cradled in the wing of a swan with 2 flint knives at its hip, suggesting the baby was a boy. It’s thought the pair died together in childbirth.
One of the farmers, Yang Zhifa, together with his five brothers Yang Wenhai, Yang Yanxin, Yang Quanyi, Yang Peiyan and Yang Xinam and the neighbor Wang Puzhi decided that they had to do something about it. So, they decided to dig a well. After all, the area was known for its underground springs.
They chose a small wooded area in the south of their village and started digging. Five days and 164 feet later, Zhifa was surprised to find a terracotta head staring at him from the bottom of the well. He immediately contacted the authorities who rushed archeologists to the site.
This 1500-Year-Old Cave In India Was Carved Out Of A Giant Rock
Mouse Eating A Nut. Roman Mosaic (200 Bc). Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Rome
It's amazing they even used slightly darker tiles to create shadows!
Ancient Bridge
The discovery changed Zhifa’s life. He was offered a reward for finding the site that equaled his annual income, 300 yuan. But that wasn’t all. Zhifa continued to bask in the glory of this finding for years, signing books at the Terracotta Army souvenir shop for 300 yuan per month. In other words, while he was looking for water, he found gold.
10th Century House In Iran
Roman Glass Jug With A Smaller Glass Jug Inside . A So Called Joke Jar That Shows The Skill Of The Glassmaker
Probably made in workshop in Cologne, found in burial in Stein am Rhein, #Switzerland, 4th c. AD.
A Roman Toddler's Footprint In A Red Clay Tile, Imprinted As It Was Drying ~2000 Years Ago. Vaison-La-Romaine (Ancient Vasio Vocontiorum)
Another significant accidental 20th century finding is the discovery of the Lascaux Cave near Montignac village in southwestern France. It happened on September 12th, 1940. Marcel Ravidat, an 18-year-old at the time, was walking his dog named Robot around the area, when the four-legged buddy showed interest in a hole left by a recently uprooted tree.
Mosaics Of A Roman Villa Found Under A Vineyard In Italy
Mosaic Remains From Archaeological Site Of Volubilis, In Outskirts Of Meknes, Morocco
Archaeological site was founded in 3rd century BC, and was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997
Beautiful Ancient Stone Masonry
When Ravidat noticed it, he instantly got curious. He had heard of the long-lost Lascaux Manor where one could find hidden treasures and hoped that maybe he just accidentally stumbled upon a secret passage leading there. So, he went down a 50-foot-deep shaft expecting to find luxury on the other end.
Over 100,000 Ceramic Wares From Two Chinese Shipwrecks, 1500 Meters Deep In The South China Sea. Discovered In May 2023. Ships Dated To The Ming Dynasty, 1506-1522 Ad
This Small Bronze Purse (4.3x3.3 Cm) Was Found With Six Gold Coins Still Inside In The Celtic Oppidum (Settlement) At Manching, Germany
It was originally sealed with an organic material, presumably a leather strap. Ca. 200 BCE
Directly From Ancient Rome, Carvilio's Ring: The Excruciating Pain Of A Roman Mother For The Death Of Her Son
In 2000, during the removal of a high voltage pylon in a private property near Grottaferrata (a suburb of Rome) archaeologists found two sarcophagi, which contained the remains of the noble Aebutia Quarta and her son Carvilio Gemello, who lived in the first century after Christ. Carvilio died prematurely at the age of about eighteen, in mysterious circumstances (perhaps from poisoning).
After losing the only male child, the roman noblewoman built a wonderful sarcophagus, with accurate finishing and refined inscriptions for his son.
Due to the floral ornaments placed at the entrance and inside, the archeological site today is known as the "Hypogeum of the garlands".
When Ebuzia died (probably at the age of 40 or 50), she was buried in the same place of her son Carvilio.
The two nobles were embalmed (probably because they were followers of the cult of Isis, which was very fashionable at the time). Thanks to this procedure it was possible to find one of the most important and amazing jewels of ancient Rome that has come down to us: Aebutia wears a magnificent band ring.
The gold frame has a cavity where a chiseled miniature portrait has been placed, perfect in its details. It probably represents the young Carvilio Gemello, with wavy hair, intense gaze, fine lips, pronounced nose and bare bust.
The amazing miniature is wrapped in rock crystal (hyaline quartz, defined by the ancient Romans as "acentetus, the color of clear water"), which has given a timeless depth to the boy's expression.
It was certainly the pain and love for Carvilius that prompted her to commission the precious jewel from an imperial master of goldsmithing (who almost certainly lent his services to the emperor himself, given the magnificence of the find).
The ring of Carvilio, separated from its owner after millennia, is now on display at the Archaeological Museum of Palestrina, Italy.
Once he made his descent, he turned on the small light he had with him. Unfortunately, there weren’t any fancy rooms filled with buckets of gold there. Instead, he saw a cave full of animal paintings from the Paleolithic era.
Details Of One Of The T Columns In Göbekli Tepe. It Is Approximately 12,000 Years Old, Making It Remarkably Older Than Egyptian Pyramids And Stonehenge
Y'all should also check out Catalhoyuk. A pre-pottery neolithic settlement that had their front doors on the roofs and buried their loved ones under the hearth. I honestly think neolithic times were one of our more interesting periods in our existence.
Tiled Stairs In Ali-Qapu Palace In Isfahan - Iran Built By The Safvaid King Shah Abbas I At The End Of The 16th Century (1597)
The World's Earliest Known Ocular Prosthesis Dated To Between 2900 And 2800 Bc. From "The Burnt City" (Shahr-E Sokht), Iran
In December 2006, archaeologists discovered the world's earliest known artificial eyeball. It was found by Mansour Sajjadi, leader of the Iranian team, which has been excavating an ancient necropolis at Shahr-i-Sokhta in the Sistan desert. It has a hemispherical form and a diameter of just over 2.5 cm (1 inch). It consists of very light material, probably bitumen paste. The surface of the artificial eye is covered with a thin layer of gold, engraved with a central circle (representing the iris) and gold lines patterned like sun rays. The female whose remains were found with the artificial eye was 1.82 m tall (6 feet), much taller than ordinary women of her time. On both sides of the eye are drilled tiny holes, through which a golden thread could hold the eyeball in place.
Since microscopic research has shown that the eye socket showed clear imprints of the golden thread, the eyeball must have been worn during her lifetime. The woman's skeleton has been dated to between 2900 and 2800 BC.
Shahr-e Sukhteh, is an archaeological site of a sizable Bronze Age urban settlement, associated with the Jiroft culture. It is located in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, the southeastern part of Iran, on the bank of the Helmand River, near the Zahedan-Zabol road. It was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2014.
I never would have thought that this was done this early in time. Fascinating!
The guy was quick to tell his three friends about the discovery, and soon enough, they were inviting local kids to check out the mysterious-looking paintings for a small price. They also managed to persuade a local historian to go down and see the artwork for himself. Once the man saw it, he knew it was a valuable discovery.
The ‘Melted’ Stairs And Fascinating Reliefs In Temple Of Hathor In Dendera, Egypt
Temple has been modified on same site starting as far back as Middle Kingdom (2030-1650 BC). Existing structure began construction in late Ptolemaic period at time of Ptolemy Auletes, 54 BC.
They Find In Germany A Sword From The Bronze Age Of More Than 3,000 Years Ago In An Exceptional State Of Conservation
Armor Of An Officer Of The Imperial Palace Guard, China 18th Century
However, because of the war, archeologists couldn’t explore the cave right away. They opened it to the public in 1948, when they were done recording all the important information. Once it opened its doors, the cave became a popular tourist site, attracting thousands of people. This didn’t last long, though. Because of its popularity, it had to be closed in 1963 to preserve the paintings.
A 2,300-Year-Old Ancient Greek Gold Wreath Worth £100,000, Kept For Decades In A Tatty Box Of Old Newspapers Under Bed By Owner Who Had No Idea What It Was.
The wreath was put on sale at Duke’s of Dorchester auction house in 2016
The Jewel-Encrusted Skeletons Of Roman Martyrs: Photographs From Rome's Ancient Underground Catacombs
Stunning outfit. The only problem with this is that you have to be martyred first.
Catacomb saints. Beginning in the 16th century, the skeletons from the Vatican vaults were sold to places north of the Alps (mostly to southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria). The Vatican needed money to finish St. Peter's. Also, the Protestant rioters had burned down a lot of Catholic churches / art treasures, and the resident clergy needed to replace them with other items of worship. Anyway, small town parishes were happy to buy those old bones from the Vatican in order to to become local places of pilgrimage in their own right, and hence attract pilgrims (an early modern form of tourism). In other words, selling ancient bones became an industry that benefitted several interest groups. The decoration on those skeletons is Baroque, not from Roman times.
If I had endured martyrdom and were resting peacefully in some unknown catacomb, I would be kind of angry if someone dug me up to put me into some ridiculous jewelled costume and made a corny macabre exhibit out of me...
Probably not much you could do about it, except say the Latin equivalent of "boo" at appropriate times.
Load More Replies...
Foxe's Book of Martyrs was considered quintessential reading for early teens in my church. While I understand the importance of the "never forget" concept, there are better ways to teach it. (It really is a good book, but definitely not for all.)
This looks like an AI imagine. I know it's not but it just looks like one, you know? Weird :D
Intricately Carved Violin Of Domenico Galli, 1687
Treasure Of 51 Macedonian Gold Coins. Was Hidden Sometime After 330 Bce In A Cavity In A Rock In Ancient Corinth
Those are, of course, not the only accidental findings out there. Happy accidents like that happen all the time. So, next time you’re out and about, don’t forget to take your explorer’s hat with you. Maybe your discovery will find its place in our next list that celebrates antiques.
Pompeii - “The Mosaic Of The Great Hunt Of The Roman Villa Of Casale Di Piazza Armerina, Sicily.”
Wait... Pompeii is close to Naples in Campania, Piazza Armerina is in Sicily.
And yes, is not a painting is a mosaic. IMG_202309...f1e05d.jpg 
The Guinigi Tower - A 45-Metre-Tall Fortified Tower-House Built In The 1300s, With Holm Oak Trees Growing In Hanging Gardens At Its Top. Lucca, Italy
Not sure how this is an archaeological find - was it invisible for a couple of hundred years or what?
A Massive Floor Mosaic From The Bath Of The Seven Wise Men At Ostia Antica. Made Around 1,800 Years Ago, It Depicts An Elaborate Black And White Hunting Scene
Persian Achaemenid Rhyton (Drinking Vessel Or Vessel For Pouring Libations) Made Of Lapis Lazuli And Gold. 6th-5th Century Bce. Abegg Foundation, Riggisberg, Switzerland (6.7.63)
Persian Achaemenid rhyton (drinking vessel or vessel for pouring libations) made of lapis lazuli and gold. 6th-5th century BCE. Abegg Foundation, Riggisberg, Switzerland (6.7.63)
Lapis is one of my favorite things. It cuts beautifully. Now I miss my lapidary and silver smithing days.
House Of Neptun And Amphitrite. Herculaneum, Italy
When Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, it buried not only the city of Pompeii, but a number of other nearby towns as well. One of them was Herculaneum. Among the many houses in Herculaneum is a relatively small, but richly decorated town house, called the House of the Neptune Mosaic, which must have belonged to a wealthy family
If ever you are in the bay of Naples area, go check out Herculaneum, I went a few years back,fascinating place,and less busier than Pompeii.
Mycenaean Daggers, Made Of Silver And Gold. Found In Shaft Graves 4-7 In Grave Circle A, 1550-1500 B.c
The Discovery Of The Ancient Statue Of Antinous Found In Delphi, Greece During An Excavation In 1894
A 3rd Century Ce Roman Horse Armour, Made Up Of About 2000 Bronze Scales
Found in Dura-Europos, Syria, and is now housed at the National Museum of Damascus. The bottom picture shows the armour shortly after it was discovered in 1932
The 1800-year-old statue of a water nymph found in Amasra (Turkiye) on the Black Sea.
A Fortuitously Placed Fossil. A 320 Million Year Old Goniatite Fossil, County Clare, Ireland
Roman Mosaic At Entrance To House Of Tragic Poet In Ruins Of Pompeii, Which Was Destroyed In 79 Ad.
Mosaic is approximately 2000 years old and depicts a chained dog with caption "cave canem," which means "beware of the dog."
The 'Trier Gold Hoard' Was The Largest Roman Gold Hoard Ever Discovered
Comprising of 2,500 gold coins weighing 18.5 kg , the discovery was made during excavation works in 1993, nearly 1,800 years after it was hidden.
The discovery of the Gold Hoard in Trier in 1993 caused quite a sensation. Greater inspection revealed that it was not simply someone's personal fortune but most likely an official treasury. The treasury had been carefully administered and had grown over time. The Hoard equated to the annual salary of around 130 Roman soldiers. The aurei (gold coins) feature a total of 27 emperors, empresses and members of the imperial family, and some are still considered unique to this day.
Ancient Tunnel Under The Great Pyramid Of Cholula
A 1st Century Ad Head Of A Cyclops From The Roman Colosseum
Finding The Foot Of The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Statue In Sagalassos Ancient City In Ağlasun, Burdur
Sea Shell With Carved Head At The Apex (Probably Phoenician, 600 Bc)
The Phoenicians were the first people to wear purple clothing. Purple dye didn't exist before they produced it from molluscs.
A Series Of 11th-Century Crystal Chess Pieces From The Museo Da Catedral In Ourense, Spain
Ancient Roman Glass Bottles
Fascinating that they are so well preserved after so many years. My spouse and I each broke a glass over the past two week. These beautiful pieces would never have lasted in our house, and posterity would be that much poorer . . . .
Treasure Recovered From The Wreck Of Theydah Gally
The only fully authenticated Golden Age pirate shipwreck ever discovered. The ship sank in 1717 killing nearly all of its 150-person crew, including its captain Bellamy.
Gold Bull’s Head Bowl Known As “Attila’s Cup”, Part Of The Nagyszentmiklós Treasure Uncovered In Hungary, Dates To The 6th Century Ad
Stunning Gold Medallion With The Portrait Of Alexander The Great
This Medallion was discovered in Egypt as part of a hoard that comprised about twenty similar medallions (now dispersed among various museums), eighteen gold ingots, and six hundred gold coins issued by Roman emperors from Severus Alexander to Constantius I. One of the medallions, now in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon, bears an inscription that possibly reads "Olympic games of the year 274", a date corresponding to 242-243 CE. It is possible that the medallions were intended as prizes to be given out at that event. Alternatively, they may have been issued by Emperor Caracalla who is potrayed on some of them. Caracalla liked to be compared to the great king and conquerror Alexander of Macedon. Like Alexander, this Roman emperor waged war in the East, and actually died in the course of his campaign against the Parthians. This particular medallion shows Alexander the Great gazing heavenward and bearing a shield decorated with signs of the zodiac. This portrait shows him with his hair pulled back. He wears a decorated cuirass with a figure of Athena on the shoulder strap and, on the chest, a scene from the Gigantomachy (War of the Giants). The back depicts Alexander and Nike, goddess of victory, riding in a chariot, flanked by the deities Roma and Mars.
Image property: The Walter Art Museum, Baltimore Maryland.
A Mosaic Floor Of A Villa Dating Back To The 4th Or 5th Century Ad Was Found In Montorio, Verona, Italy
Roman Emperor Philippus The Arab Kneeling In Front Of Persian King Shapur I, Begging For Peace
The standing emperor represents Valerian who was taken captive by the Persian army in 260 AD, The triumph of Shapur I, Naqshe Rostam, Iran.
Huts Built From Mammoth Bones Found In Ukraine (Also At Locations In Czech Republic And Southern Poland)
May be the earliest structures built by humans, and thus the earliest examples of architecture.
I wonder if our living today will be as ancient, for future folks, as this to us? Or if this is the way life will be, and our time is just a half forgotten myth?
A 2000 Year Old Street From Pompeii
2,300-Year-Old Grand Theatre Of Ephesus, In Turkey, Before And After Excavation
I've always been impressed with archeologists who are able to painstakingly sift through ruins teaspoon by teaspoon and show us what life used to be like.
An Ostracon With Topless Dancer With Elaborate Hairstyle And Hoop Earrings In Gymnastic Backbend (Limestone), From Deir El-Medina; New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, 1200 Bc. Egyptian Museum, Turin
Mosaic In Sardinia, Italy
Fantastic Skill!!! Indian Ankus (Elephant Goad), Nayaka Period, Probably Early 17th Century, Length 70.14 Cm (27 5/8 In.). Museum Of Fine Arts Boston
A Perfectly Preserved Section Of The Via Flaminia Roman Road, Discovered At A Depth Of 0.90m During Planning Of A New Water Pipeline In Riano
The Flaminian Way struck north from Rome, over the Apennines to the Adriatic coast
Myra Ancient City – Ruins And Rock Tombs
I love it when they used to carve into the actual rocks to make structures like these without the benefit of machinery and such. There's some REAL skill involved in this.
505 Gold Coins, Weighing 1.716 Kg, Were Found In A Vessel During Digging At The Jambukeswarar Temple In Thiruvanaikaval, Tiruchirappalli District Recently
A Golden Ring Dating From The 4th Century Bce, Found In A Thracian King's Tomb Near Zlatinitsa - Malomirovo In Yambol Region, Bulgaria
The discovery of the golden ring in the Thracian king's tomb underscores the importance of jewelry in Thracian society, and it serves as a testament to the skill of Thracian artisans. It also provides valuable insights into the social hierarchy and status symbols of the ancient Thracians, as the ring was likely worn by a member of the ruling class.
Ruins Of Pompeii, Naples, Italy
King Maya. Palenque. México
Divers Shining Lights On A Head Of Serapis, Found In The Sunken Egyptian Coastal Town Of Canopus. The Full Statue Was Once Over 4 Metres Tall And Dates To Circa 200 B.c
Tomb Of The Persian King Darius L (The Great) At Naqsh-E Rustam, In Iran
Reigning from c. 522 to c. 486 BC, he was one of the greatest Persian rulers. He ruled the Persian Empire when it was at its peak.
On the facade of the tomb there is an inscription that reads:
"A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this earth, who created yonder sky, who created man, who created happiness for man, who made Darius king, one king of many, one lord of many.
I am Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries containing all kinds of men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, having Aryan lineage.
King Darius says: By the favor of Ahuramazda these are the countries which I seized outside of Persia; I ruled over them; they bore tribute to me; they did what was said to them by me; they held my law firmly; Media, Elam, Parthia, Aria, Bactria, Sogdia, Chorasmia, Drangiana, Arachosia, Sattagydia, Gandara [Gadâra], India [Hiduš], the haoma-drinking Scythians, the Scythians with pointed caps, Babylonia, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, Armenia, Cappadocia, Lydia, the Greeks (Yauna), the Scythians across the sea (Sakâ), Thrace, the petasos-wearing Greeks [Yaunâ], the Libyans, the Nubians, the men of Maka and the Carians.
King Darius says: Ahuramazda, when he saw this earth in commotion, thereafter bestowed it upon me, made me king; I am king. By the favor of Ahuramazda I put it down in its place; what I said to them, that they did, as was my desire.
If now you shall think that "How many are the countries which King Darius held?" look at the sculptures [of those] who bear the throne, then shall you know, then shall it become known to you: the spear of a Persian man has gone forth far; then shall it become known to you: a Persian man has delivered battle far indeed from Persia.
Darius the King says: This which has been done, all that by the will of Ahuramazda I did. Ahuramazda bore me aid, until I did the work. May Ahuramazda protect me from harm, and my royal house, and this land: this I pray of Ahuramazda, this may Ahuramazda give to me!
O man, that which is the command of Ahuramazda, let this not seem repugnant to you; do not leave the right path; do not rise in rebellion!" — DNa inscription of Darius I.
. . .
The tomb is one of four tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam. The others are believed to be that of Persian rulers Xerses l, Artaxerses and Darius ll. Unfortunately, the tombs were robbed in antiquity.
A Priceless 2500-Year-Old Gold Rhyton From Ancient #persia. It’s 2 Kilograms. National Museum Of Ancient Persia
How thin would they have had to beat the gold so that someone could pick it up to pour from it?
A Golden War Helmet Belonging To The Sumerian King Miscalamduk, Dating Back To 2600 Bc, Was Found In The Royal Tomb In The City Of Ur In Southern Iraq
This must have been ceremonial, as gold is very soft. Would be useless in actual battle.
French Sapper Officer's Sword, Circa 1800
The Casque D'agris, A.k.a. Agris Helmet; A Ceremonial Celtic Helmet From Circa 350 Bc Found During 1981 In A Cave Near Agris, France
The Hyrcanian Golden Cup. Dated First Half Of First Millennium. Excavated At Kalardasht In Mazandaran, Iran. Collection: National Museum Of Iran
Archaeological Discovery In Israel On August 2, 2009, A Researcher In The Caves Found 120 Roman Gold, Silver And Bronze Coins Dating From Ad 132-35
Celebrating The Remarkable Discovery Of The “Golden Treasure”: 18.5kg Of Roman Gold And 2,500 Glittering Pieces
A Hoard Of Nearly 2,000 Gold Coins That Were Minted By Rulers Of The Fatimid Kingdom A Millennium Ago Were Unearthed Off The Coast Of Israel
The Trier Gold Hoard Is A Hoard Of 2516 Gold Coins With A Weight Of 18.5 Kg, Found In Trier, Germany, In September 1993 During Construction Works, Nearly 1800 Years After It Was Hidden
It is described as the largest preserved Roman gold hoard worldwide.
Greater inspection revealed that it was not simply someone's personal fortune but most likely an official treasury. The treasury had been carefully administered and had grown over time. The Hoard equated to the annual salary of around 130 Roman soldiers.
The aurei (gold coins) feature a total of 27 emperors, empresses and members of the imperial family, and some are still considered unique to this day. The gold coins were buried in a cellar during a civil war in 196 AD.
Is this the same stash that was described in another one of these entries?
This was so freaking cool. Can we please get more stuff like this BP
The amount of talent and skill is beyond me. I can't even imagine being capable of creating such beauty.
And I'm just looking at my leg wondering how my feet stay the same distance from my knees
Not to forget the Lewis chessmen - another lucky archeological find.
Thousands of years from now archeologists will find our art deco homes and modern art and wonder where it all went wrong
This was so freaking cool. Can we please get more stuff like this BP
The amount of talent and skill is beyond me. I can't even imagine being capable of creating such beauty.
And I'm just looking at my leg wondering how my feet stay the same distance from my knees
Not to forget the Lewis chessmen - another lucky archeological find.
Thousands of years from now archeologists will find our art deco homes and modern art and wonder where it all went wrong
