Explore 1250 Archaeology Collections - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

1250 Items Tagged

Archaeology

Share
Disk of death on display at the museum.
Mexico City, Mexico

Disk of Death

This strange sculpture of a menacing skull surrounded by sun rays was discovered at the foot of the Pyramid of the Sun.
9,500-year-old chewed-up birch bark contains the DNA of ancient Scandinavian hunter-gatherers.
food

Why Scientists Are Studying 9,500-Year-Old Chewing Gum

Back then, it was used as adhesive for tools and weapons.
Anna Kusmer December 13, 2018
The dancers.
Monte Albán, Mexico

Monte Albán

These sacred Mesoamerican ruins feature peculiar petroglyphs hidden in the stones.
The Thames mud can provide ideal conditions for the preservation of organic materials such as leather.
shoes

Found: Unfortunate 'Booted Man,' Who Met a Muddy End 500 Years Ago

The footwear would have been well-suited to tromping through the London mud that preserved it.
Anna Kusmer December 6, 2018
Hoa Hakananai'a.
London, England

Hoa Hakananai'a

The "lost friend” is the most famous of the six moai statues that were removed from Easter Island.
Karl Martin's toothbrush holder.
ancient

This 4,000-Year-Old Pot Spent Years as a Toothbrush Holder

It was purely acci-dental.
Matthew Taub November 30, 2018
Pirámide de los Nichos
Papantla, Mexico

Pirámide de los Nichos (Pyramid of the Niches)

The singular ruins of a mysterious lost city.
The King Userkaf complex held dozens of mummified cats.
mummies

Mummifying a Beetle Is a Lot Easier Than Mummifying a Cat

Not all animal mummies were created equal.
Jessica Leigh Hester November 29, 2018
The Venus of Brassempouy on display with other artifacts at the National Archaeological Museum.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

The Venus of Brassempouy

This prehistoric figurine is the oldest known realistic depiction of a human face.
Sambor Prei Kuk.
Prasat Sambour, Cambodia

Sambor Prei Kuk

More than 100 Hindu temples are slowly being swallowed by the forest.
The Ocelotl cuauhxicalli.
Mexico City, Mexico

Ocelotl Cuauhxicalli

This colossal ancient jaguar sculpture was used as a vessel for the hearts torn from sacrificial victims.
Kantharodai.
Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kantharodai

This rural Sri Lankan village hides a cluster of small, enigmatic stupas.
Aefre with the brooch and knife she was burried with.
Folkestone, England

Aefre

These 1,500-year-old remains were found in a mysterious Anglo-Saxon mass grave.
The ruins of Tlatelolco with the backdrop of the Plaza de las Tres Culturas.
Mexico City, Mexico

Pyramids of Tlatelolco

These haunting ruins of a 700-year-old Prehispanic city have witnessed centuries of wars and massacres.
Original Dare Stone
Gainesville, Georgia

Dare Stones

A mysterious inscription may hold a clue about the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke.
Gastro Obscura

Tinder Fungus

One of the earliest fire-starting “technologies.”
Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia at night.
Palestrina, Italy

Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia

The city of Palestrina was built around this magnificent terraced sanctuary dedicated to the pagan goddess Fortuna.
Ruins of Um er-Rasas.
Umm ar-Rasas, Jordan

Um er-Rasas

The remains of three different ancient civilizations have been found at this rich archaeological site.