Top 75 Greatest Archeological Discoveries Ever

VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Arianna Wechter

From ancient tombs to lost cities, history is buried just beneath our feet. Join us as we count down the coolest and most impactful archaeological discoveries ever made! Our countdown includes the Rosetta Stone, Lucy, Tutankhamun's Tomb, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Pompeii, and so much more. Which discovery do you think changed history the most? Our picks also feature incredible finds like the Terracotta Army, Göbekli Tepe, the Antikythera Mechanism, the Voynich Manuscript, Ötzi the Iceman, Sutton Hoo, and even a handwritten copy of Sonnet 116 that rewrote what we thought we knew about Shakespeare. Let us know your favorite in the comments below!

  • #75: Handwritten Copy of Sonnet 116
  • #74: Tikal
  • #73: The Jade Burial Suit of Liu Sheng
  • #72: The Nefertiti Bust
  • #71: The Tomb of Philip II of Macedon
  • #70: The Uluburun Shipwreck
  • #69: The Dead Cities of Syria
  • #68: Prehistoric Calendar
  • #67: Öseberg
  • #66: Ancient City of Peñico
  • #65: Tomb of Te' K'ab Chaak
  • #64: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum
  • #63: Great Zimbabwe Ruins
  • #62: The Royal Cemetery at Ur
  • #61: 2,000-Year-Old Nabataean Temple
  • #60: Al-Natah
  • #59: Evidence of Moche Matriarchy
  • #58: Ancient Babylonian Hymn
  • #57: Oldest-Known Fingerprint
  • #56: L'Anse aux Meadows
  • #55: Dinosaur Tracks
  • #54: The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang
  • #53: Angkor Wat
  • #52: Oldest Known Cave Paintings
  • #51: Tomb of Thutmose II
  • #50: Akrotiri
  • #49: The Mummification Workshop of Saqqara
  • #48: The Pet Cemetery of Berenice
  • #47: Skara Brae
  • #46: The Sacrifices of Huanchaquito
  • #45: Lost Golden City of Aten
  • #44: Europe's Oldest Map
  • #43: Dragon Man
  • #42: Harappa's Lost Civilization
  • #41: Lost Leaders of Jamestown
  • #40: The Herculaneum Papyri
  • #39: Kabwe 1 Skull
  • #38: Blombos Cave
  • #37: Oldest War Monument
  • #36: The Earliest Story
  • #35: Tombs of the Pyramid Builders
  • #34: Petra
  • #33: Voynich Manuscript
  • #32: Hurrian Hymn No. 6
  • #31: The Atlantis of the Sands
  • #30: Suontaka Grave
  • #29: Staffordshire Hoard
  • #28: The Gold Mask at Sanxingdui
  • #27: The Benin Bronzes
  • #26: Neolithic City of Shimao
  • #25: Homo Naledi in Rising Star Cave
  • #24: Derinkuyu
  • #23: Aztec Calendar Stone
  • #22: Neanderthal Genome in Vindija Cave
  • #21: Easter Island Moai
  • #20: Göbekli Tepe
  • #19: The Oldest Footprints in North America
  • #18: Richard III's Grave
  • #17: Madaba Map
  • #16: The Serapeum of Alexandria
  • #15: Knossos
  • #14: Ötzi the Iceman
  • #13: Mohenjo-daro
  • #12: Antikythera Mechanism
  • #11: Troy
  • #10: Tutankhamun's Tomb
  • #9: Sutton Hoo
  • #8: Olduvai Gorge
  • #7: Cave of Altamira
  • #6: The Terracotta Army
  • #5: Dead Sea Scrolls
  • #4: Pompeii
  • #3: The Library of Ashurbanipal
  • #2: Lucy
  • #1: The Rosetta Stone

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