Top 10 Greatest Archaeological Discoveries That Changed History Forever

#10: Olduvai Gorge

This isnt one specific archaeological location, but an entire locality housing some of the most important works relating to paleoanthropology - or, the study of early humans. Found in the northeast corner of Tanzania, Olduvai Gorge has been invaluable in our understanding of early human culture and evolution. Researchers have unearthed ancient stone tools and Hominid fossils. Occupation of the site is believed to stretch back nearly two million years, when it was inhabited by an archaic human species called Homo habilis. Without Olduvai Gorge and its riches of archaeological material, our understanding of archaic humans would be much more limited.

#9: Cave of Altamira

If youre interested in early humanity, then you cant go wrong with the Cave of Altamira. Archaeology has uncovered many notable caves relating to ancient humanity, including Lascaux and another in the small Spanish town of Ardales. But nothing beats Altamira. Also located in Spain, this cave houses numerous prehistoric drawings and paintings, most of which depict local animals. After the site was discovered in 1868, the suggestion that the paintings were prehistoric were met with some skepticism - not only owing to the nature of the drawings, but because no other prehistoric cave art was known to exist in Europe. But the research eventually prevailed, and its now believed that the paintings are around 36,000 years old.

#8: The Serapeum of Alexandria

Serving as the greatest library of its age, the Library of Alexandria attracted scholars to Egypt and served as the ancient worlds symbol of knowledge. It proved so popular that a so-called daughter library was later created called the Serapeum of Alexandria. The Serapeum lasted a bit longer than its famous father, and it was finally destroyed in the year 391. The site later became a Muslim cemetery. In the mid-1940s, the foundations of the Serapeum were discovered. With it, one of the greatest centers of learning in human history was unearthed.

#7: The Terracotta Army

This is one of the most significant archaeological finds of all time and it was discovered completely by accident! The Terracotta Army was first uncovered in the Shaanxi province of Western China by a group of farmers in the 1970s. The army resides within a tomb constructed over 2200 years ago as the resting place of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, which is why its so elaborate. In the parts weve been able to excavate, there are over 8000 soldiers made out of clay, there to guard Emperor Qin in the afterlife. But even more astonishing is the fact that the entire necropolis is believed to be almost 40 square miles in size, with most of the site hidden in vaults that arent yet accessible.

#6: Tutankhamun's Tomb

The Valley of the Kings is the final resting place of many Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, but throughout its history, a number of tombs have fallen victim to grave robbers. Tutankhamuns tomb was different; remarkably, though grave robbers did break in shortly after it was initially sealed up, most of its contents were intact when archaeologists found it in 1922. Today, Tutankhamuns gilded mask makes him arguably the most famous and recognizable Pharaoh in history. Considering Tutankhamun only reigned for about ten years and died between the young ages of 18-19, thats quite the legacy. Along with the mask, the tomb also contained a statue of Anubis, the God of the Dead, and a dagger made from a fallen meteor.

#5: Lucy

Several famous fossils have revolutionized our view of early Hominins. Discovered in 1924 in South Africa, the Taung Child, a skull of Australopithecus africanus, was described as the missing link between ape and human, although anthropologists initially resisted the idea that humans had evolved in Africa. Eclipsing the Tuang Child in renown is Lucy, the 3.2 million year old remains of an Australopithecus afarensis. Unearthed in 1974 in Ethiopia, she was named after the Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, which the research team was playing on repeat. The completeness of her remains gave us much more information on the evolution of bipedalism and brain size. In 1994, Ardi, the skeleton of an Ardipithecus ramidus thought to be 4.4 million years old, was also found in Ethiopia, becoming the most complete early hominid specimen ever discovered.

#4: The Library of Ashurbanipal

Famous writer H. G. Wells once called the Library of Ashurbanipal the most precious source of historical material in the world. He wasnt far off. English historian and traveler Austen Henry Layard found the ancient library in the remains of a palace in 1849. It consisted of over 30,000 clay tablets, which provided an enormous wealth of information relating to ancient civilizations of the Middle East. The tablets date to the 7th century BCE. Perhaps the greatest find within the Library of Ashurbanipal was the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is widely considered to be the oldest piece of literature in human history.

#3: Sutton Hoo

One of the most remarkable Medieval graves anywhere in Europe was excavated in England in 1939. The owner of an estate in Suffolk, Edith Pretty, enlisted some archaeologists to find out what was underneath the burial mounds on her property. What they uncovered was astounding, so much so that the story inspired a 2021 film, The Dig.The most promising mound contained an entire long ship and innumerable artifacts, including pieces of armor made of gold and other Anglo-Saxon relics. Though its one of the UKs most impressive archaeological discoveries, its still not entirely clear whose grave it actually is. Most evidence suggests it was the final resting place of a famous, East Anglian King, Rædwald, who ruled the region around 1400 years ago.

#2: Pompeii

Among the most famous ruins in the world, Pompeii was destroyed by a devastating eruption from Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 AD. The village was left forgotten until the 16th century, over 1500 years later, because it had been completely buried underneath volcanic ash. But that ash kept Pompeii largely intact when it was finally excavated, with people frozen in place where theyd died during the disaster. Today, its one of Italys most popular tourist attractions and a tremendous source of Roman history. As tragic as this story is, Pompeii has taught us more about Roman life than many other ancient archaeology sites anywhere in the world.

#1: The Rosetta Stone

For centuries, archaeologists had absolutely no idea how to decipher Ancient Egypts complex hieroglyphics. Without a starting point, they were unable to understand the inscriptions on Egyptian monuments and artifacts. But that all changed with the discovery of the long-lost Rosetta Stone in 1799, an enormous slab of stone inscribed with everything needed to start translating. The text it contained wasnt actually all that interesting, but the same passage was written three times in different languages, and one of those languages was Ancient Greek. By using the Greek, which is still widely understood by researchers, we were able to decipher the hieroglyphs and unlock the secrets of Ancient Egyptian writing.

Which of these archaeological discoveries fascinates you the most? Let us know in the comments!