Archeological discoveries are pivotal to establishing historical facts and provide a clear narrative of the way history unfolded. They are the sole remaining ‘survivor’ of different historical periods, and some of these structures continue to amaze with their beauty and grandeur even today.
Below is a list of 12 of the most remarkable archeological finds that lived through many centuries to tell their ancient tales.
Terracotta Army
This incredible discovery was made in 1974 when a local farmer was digging a well in the Shaanxi province in China. More than 8,000 life-size terra cotta soldiers depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang were found buried with China’s first emperor to accompany him in his afterlife.
Dating from approximately the late third century BC, the discovery also includes numerous horses and chariots, a pyramid mound marking the emperor’s tomb, remains of a palace, offices, store houses and stables.
Despite the fact that the army was discovered more than 40 years ago, the tomb of the Emperor itself hasn’t been found yet.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
This collection of nearly 1,000 different manuscripts, written mostly in Hebrew, was discovered in the 40s and 50s of the 20th century in 12 caves along the north-western shore of the Dead Sea.
Most of these manuscripts date from the last two centuries BC and the first century AD, and include the second-oldest known surviving manuscripts of works later included in the Hebrew Bible canon.
Behistun Inscription
Dating from sometime between the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 5th century BC, the inscription was authored by Darius the Great and includes a brief overview of his life, as well as his ancestry and lineage.
The inscription, which was discovered in Persia in late 16th century AD, includes three versions of the same text written in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian.
This archeological find provided archeologists with valuable information about the ancient nations of Mesopotamia, Sumer, Akkad, Persia, and Assyria.
Olduvai Gorge
Discovered by German entomologist Wilhelm Kattwinkel in 1911, Olduvai Gorge is located in Tanzania and is considered to be one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world.
Three separate species of hominins, including Australopithecus, Homo habilis, and Homo erectus, have been found in the gorge, which also contained the remains of hipparions (extinct three-toed horses).
Scientists are unanimous in highlighting the importance of this incredible find in helping them to better understand early human evolution.
Angkor Wat
The temple of Angkor Wat was discovered in 1601, when Spanish missionary Marcelo stumbled upon the huge stone construction in a Cambodian jungle.
Unable to solve the mystery of its origin, the temple fell into oblivion once again only to be ‘rediscovered’ some 200 years later.
Angkor Wat, which was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu and was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple, was built during the reign of Khmer king Suryavarman II and is the largest religious monument in the world.
Known as the Soul of the Khmer people, Angkor Wat is a massive three-tiered structure with plenty of stairs and hallways, crowned with five towers.
Troy
The ancient city of Ilion, famous for being mentioned in the poems of Homer and Virgil, was discovered in the 1870s by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.
Upon extensive excavations, archeologists divided the history of the ancient into several periods — from Troy I to Troy IX. Archeologists believe Troy VI to be “Homeric” Troy (1900–1300 BC). The city is located in modern Turkey in an aria now known as Anatolia.
Antikythera Mechanism
Discovered in a shipwreck near the Greek islands in 1901, the Antikythera Mechanism is believed to have been used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes.
This mechanical device dates back to around 100 BC and is composed of at least 30 bronze gears placed inside a wooden case, on the front and back sides of which there were bronze dials.
According to scientists, these dials were used to calculate the motion of stars and planets, but also to determine the exact date of the start of the Olympic Games.
A Denisovan’s tooth
This archeological find, which also includes a finger bone of an archaic human, was discovered in the Denisova Cave near Biysk, in Siberia.
Scientists believe these bones are more than 40,000 years old and belonged to a previously unknown type of archaic human that once inhabited the territory of Altai. Researchers speculate that Denisovans had dark skin, as well as dark eyes and hair.
Pompeii
Pompeii, located near modern Naples in Italy, was a thriving Roman port and resort destination with numerous villas, temples, theatres, and baths.
The city, which had about 20,000 residents, was destroyed by the eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD, which fully covered the city in cinders and ash but perfectly preserved many artifacts that provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city.
The remnants of the city were discovered in 1599 by Domenico Fontana, but excavations only started some 150 years later. It’s noteworthy that the finds in Pompeii contributed to the creation of the Empire style in art to a large extent.
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone was discovered in Egypt in 1799 and scientists date its origin back to 196 BC. It features two translations of the same decree honoring King Ptolemy V, carved on the stone in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic Egyptian, and ancient Greek.
The stone was originally displayed in a temple but was later used as a building material in a fort at the village of Rosetta.
Machu Picchu
Founded in about 1440, this famous Inca citadel and historic sanctuary of Peru was discovered by the American historian of Yale University, Hiram Bingham in 1911.
The sanctuary existed till 1532, but its picturesque ruins clearly demonstrate why it is considered the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire and one of the most important heritage sites in the world.
Lascaux Cave
Discovered by four teenagers in 1940 in southwestern France, the Lascaux Cave is actually a complex of caves which were inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979.
The walls of these caves feature over 600 excellently detailed wall paintings that depict animals (bison, rhinoceros, cats, bears birds, deer, etc.), humans, and abstract signs. Scientists believe the cave was not populated by humans, but was visited sporadically for the purpose of depicting images.
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