FILE 001Archaeology🗿Terracotta ArmyThe Terracotta Army in Xi'an, China consists of over <hl>8,000 individually sculpted soldiers</hl>, each with a unique face, buried with Emperor Qin Shi Huang around 210 BCE to protect him in the afterlife.SrcUNESCO World Heritage CentrePass the claimOpen file
FILE 002Archaeology🏺ShareRosetta StoneThe Rosetta Stone, discovered in Egypt in 1799, contained the same text in three scripts — Greek, Demotic, and hieroglyphics — and became the key that finally unlocked the <hl>ancient Egyptian writing system</hl> after 1,400 years of silence.SrcBritish Museum
FILE 003Archaeology📜ShareDead Sea ScrollsThe Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in caves near the Dead Sea between 1947 and 1956, contain the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible — some dating back to the <hl>3rd century BCE</hl>.SrcIsrael Antiquities Authority
FILE 004Archaeology🏰ShareMachu PicchuMachu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca citadel perched at 7,970 feet in the Peruvian Andes, was unknown to the outside world until explorer Hiram Bingham stumbled upon it in <hl>1911</hl>. It had been hidden by jungle for nearly 400 years.SrcNational Geographic
FILE 005Archaeology🔥ShareLascaux CaveThe Lascaux Cave paintings in France, discovered in 1940, are roughly <hl>17,000 years old</hl> and depict over 600 animals in vivid detail. The cave was sealed in 1963 because visitors' breath was damaging the art.SrcFrench Ministry of Culture
FILE 006Archaeology🦴ShareÖtzi the IcemanÖtzi the Iceman, found in the Alps in 1991, died approximately 5,300 years ago. Analysis revealed he had 61 tattoos, Lyme disease, and was murdered by an arrow to the shoulder.SrcSouth Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
FILE 007Archaeology📜ShareDead Sea ScrollsThe Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947 in caves near Qumran, contain the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE.SrcIsrael Antiquities Authority
FILE 008Archaeology⛏️ShareÖtzi the IcemanÖtzi the Iceman, found in the Alps in 1991, died roughly <hl>5,300 years ago</hl> and is the best-preserved natural human mummy in Europe. His stomach contents revealed his last meal was dried ibex meat and einkorn wheat.SrcSouth Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
FILE 009Archaeology📿ShareAngkor WatAngkor Wat in Cambodia is the largest religious monument ever built, covering over <hl>400 acres</hl>. At its peak around 1100 CE, the surrounding city of Angkor may have been the largest urban center in the world with up to 1 million residents.SrcUNESCO
FILE 010Archaeology🏺ShareTerracotta ArmyThe Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang contains over 8,000 uniquely sculpted soldiers, 670 horses, and 130 chariots, each warrior bearing an individualized facial expression.SrcUNESCO World Heritage Centre
FILE 011Archaeology🪨ShareGöbekli Tepe in TurkeyGöbekli Tepe in Turkey, dating to approximately 9600 BCE, predates Stonehenge by 6,000 years and agriculture by 1,000 years, challenging the assumption that organized religion followed farming.SrcSmithsonian Magazine
FILE 012Archaeology🦴ShareNeanderthal who collected and displayed eagle talonsA 2023 discovery in a Turkish cave revealed a Neanderthal who collected and displayed eagle talons as jewelry roughly <hl>130,000 years ago</hl> — evidence that our ancient cousins had symbolic thinking long before modern humans arrived in Europe.SrcPLOS ONE