Do You Dig It? See the World’s 24 Most Important Archaeological Sites

Stonehenge

One of numerous “henges” in the United Kingdom, the archaeological site of Stonehenge, consisting of massive prehistoric stones standing vertically and arranged in an outer ring and an inner horseshoe with smaller stones interspersed, still survives at more than 5,000 years old. According to folklore, the site was created by the Arthurian wizard Merlin, who magically transported the stones from Ireland, where they had been assembled by giants.

Other theories posit that they were erected by invading Danish forces or that they are the ruins of a Roman temple. Most scientists agree that it was built in stages by Neolithic and Bronze Age people who constructed them with simple tools and limited technology.

While Stonehenge’s purpose remains unclear, the monument is aligned toward sunrise at the summer and winter solstices. At 13-foot-tall and 7-foot-wide, the outermost ring contains vertical sarsen stones—large sandstone rocks native to Southern England—weighing around 25 tons and topped with horizontal stones. Inside stands a smaller ring of bluestones. Within the bluestones, which are arranged in a horseshoe, is another set of free-standing vertical sarsen stones topped with a lintel.

There have also been human bones found in the area, suggesting that Stonehenge may have been a sacred burial ground or a site of ritual sacrifice. In 1986, the monument and the surrounding area were added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.

The Great Wall of China

Conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third century BCE, the Great Wall of China is a collection of fortifications originally intended to prevent intrusions by barbarian nomads. Made with a combination of earth and stone, it is one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by a civilization.

With a base ranging from 15 to 50 feet wide, it stood roughly 15 to 30 feet high and was topped with 12-foot ramparts and guard towers. Construction on the wall—including perhaps the best-known and best-preserved sections—continued through the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

The Great Wall spans more than 13,000 miles, making it the world’s largest military structure, though it was never effective in preventing invaders. UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá, founded by the ancient Mayans in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula around 600 CE, was a thriving metropolis for more than 600 years. At its peak, the four-mile-long city had up to 50,000 inhabitants.

One notable highlight of the city is El Castillo, a step pyramid constructed between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries that served as a temple to the god Kukulkán, and whose stairs cast a shadow of a moving serpent around the spring and fall equinoxes. In 1988, Chichén Itzá became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Great Sphinx of Giza

Located on the Giza Plateau along the banks of the Nile River in Egypt, the Great Sphinx is a limestone statue of a reclining creature from Egyptian myth featuring a human head and a lion’s body. It is believed to have been built during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafre in his likeness to guard his pyramid tomb in the third millennium BCE, making it around 4,500 years old. The Great Sphinx, facing toward the east, is the largest monolithic statue in the world at 66 feet high and 240 feet long.

The Great Pyramids

Almost as iconic as the Sphinx are the Great Pyramids, also located on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo. These pyramids, three in total, are elaborate burial complexes built roughly between 2550 through 2490 BCE by the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.

Believing they would become gods in the next lifetime, the pharaohs had temples and pyramid tombs constructed to house the goods that they would need in their next incarnation. Each pyramid is part of a larger complex that contains a palace, temples, and pits containing parts of a wooden boat mean to usher the pharaoh’s soul back to a primordial ocean. The area also includes the remains of smaller temples and settlements.

The Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis of Athens, perhaps the greatest architectural achievement of Greece’s Golden Age, comprises 21 archaeological sites including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheum, the Theater of Dionysus, and the Temple of Athena Nike.

Meaning “high city” in ancient Greek, the Acropolis was begun under the direction of the Greek statesman and general Pericles on an outcropping of rocks nearly 500 feet high. It underwent a series of construction periods beginning around the sixth century BCE and continuing until roughly 400 BCE. Its use of various orders and styles of Classical art has influenced cultural and building aesthetics for more than 2,000 years.

This sacred precinct is at the center of many seminal ancient Greek myths and religious festivals. Over the years the buildings have undergone extensive restoration made necessary by age, natural disasters, pollution, neglect, and war.

In 1687, the Parthenon was used to store gunpowder and exploded after being hit by an artillery shell during the Morean War. In the 1820s, during the War of Greek Independence, the Acropolis was used as a fortress and suffered extensive damage. The Acropolis has been operating as an archaeological site since 1833 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Petra

Dubbed the Rose City, Petra was carved from native pink sandstone in the Jordanian desert, where it began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire in the first century BCE through the trade of frankincense, myrrh, and spices. The city later became part of the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until the fourth century CE, when much of it was destroyed by a large earthquake.

This, combined with a switch from land to maritime trade routes, led to Petra’s abandonment. The ruins of the ancient site were lost for centuries before being rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.

The construction of numerous cisterns allowed Petra to thrive in an otherwise inhospitable environment. At the city’s main entrance is the Treasury, a 148-foot-high temple with a Greek-style facade, which was used as a set in the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Also of note are the royal tombs carved into the face of a cliff.

The Colosseum

The Roman poet Juvenal once wrote about the superficial appeasement of the Roman people using “bread and circuses.” In 72 CE, Roman Emperor Vespasian started construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre, known today as the Colosseum, as an entertainment venue for displays of exotic animals, executions of prisoners, recreations of battles, and gladiator fights. It was completed in 80 CE under his son Titus and remained in use for 500 years.

Located in the center of Rome, the Colosseum is the largest standing amphitheater in the world, measuring approximately 617 feet long, 512 feet wide, and 108 feet high. When it was in use, the structure would have been covered with a canvas roof to shade spectators from the sun, while machinery, cages, and now-visible tunnels would have been hidden beneath wooden floorboards.

The Colosseum has suffered looting, earthquakes, and World War II bombing since it was abandoned in the sixth century, leaving the structure quite bare; however, with more than 2,000 years of history, it continues to stand as a symbol of the Eternal City. In July 2007, the Colosseum became one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

Angkor

The ancient Hindu-Buddhist megalopolis Angkor was the largest known preindustrial settlement in the world with a population of more than one million people. Located in present-day Cambodia, it was built by the god-king Suryavarman II and served as the capital of the Khmer Empire from 800 to 1200 CE.

Angkor’s hydraulic system, which included canals, reservoirs, and tanks that provided a constant supply of water, was unmatched by any other city at the time and allowed the city to thrive. It wasn’t until the fifteenth century that the city was abandoned after being attacked by invaders from abroad.

The Khmer kings were believed to fulfill both human and godlike roles, and each constructed a temple to consecrate his relationship to the divine. The site boasts dozens of monuments and temples including Angkor Wat, known for its iconic silhouette with ascending conical towers, and the Bayon, known for the faces carved onto its facade.

Even after the city’s abandonment, Angkor Wat continued to function as an active Buddhist shrine. Collectively, in 1992, Angkor’s buildings became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Machu Picchu

Situated between four sacred peaks among the Andes mountains in Peru, Machu Picchu was a self-contained city believed to have been built by the Inca emperor Pachacuti around 1450. This citadel includes hundreds of buildings such as palaces, temples, and baths, as well as an intricate water-delivery system.

Due to its inaccessibility, Machu Picchu was not invaded by Spanish conquistadors during their campaign against the Inca in the 1530s. Once the Spanish overtook the Inca, however, the site was abandoned until 1911, when it was uncovered by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham.

Tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi

Nineteen miles from Xian, China, sits the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, a ruthless autocrat who ruled from 221 BCE until his death 11 years later.

On top of the burial chamber sits a pyramid-shaped mound with a circumference of almost one mile and a height of 165 feet—a fraction of the original 400 feet. Inside, the mausoleum is believed to contain a scale model of the capital city, including mercury-filled rivers and a planetarium with constellations made from pearls.

Since it has not been excavated, much remains unknown about the tomb; however, an army of more than 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses—each with an individual likeness—was discovered in a nearby pit. The terracotta army, which is still being unearthed by archaeologists, was believed to provide protection over the tomb in this life and to serve the emperor in the next.

Teotihuacán

The largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas, with as many as 250,000 inhabitants, Teotihuacán flourished in the Valley of Mexico between 300 BCE and 1000 CE. The site includes flat-topped temples, among them the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, where human remains have been discovered—possible evidence of sacrifices to consecrate the temple.

Notable monuments also include the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. According to legend, the Pyramid of the Sun marks the place where time began.

The Ziggurat of Ur

The Ziggurat of Ur, located in present-day Iraq, was constructed by the Sumerians around 2000 BCE near the city of Ur. The Sumerians are known for inventing a range of technology still used today—including writing, the wheel, and geometry—nearly 5,000 years ago.

Ziggurats are massive structures with multiple levels and terraces that the ancient Mesopotamians believed connected heaven and earth, thus allowing people to interact with the gods. (The Tower of Babel, for example, was a ziggurat.)

Dedicated to the god of the moon and wisdom, Nanna, the Ziggurat of Ur was rebuilt by numerous kings, the last of whom, Nabonidus of Babylon, was conquered by invading Persians in 539 BCE. It is one of the finest examples of Sumerian architecture still in existence.

Pompeii

In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the ancient Roman city of Pompeii just outside present-day Naples, Italy. It was frozen in time under layers of ash and pumice, later providing insight into the daily lives of the patricians and plebeians alike.

The city was rediscovered in 1748 by a group of explorers looking for ancient artifacts. There, they found well-preserved streets, houses, food, jewelry, sculptures, frescoes, household objects, and animal and human remains. Scholars estimate that roughly 12,000 people were living in Pompeii at the time of the eruption.

Located about five miles from the mountain, Pompeii had a few elaborate houses and villas as well as a 20,000-seat arena, small factories and artisan shops, taverns and cafés, and brothels and bathhouses. Highlights for modern-day visitors include the Roman mosaics in the House of the Faun, one of the city’s largest dwellings; well-preserved frescoes at the Villa of the Mysteries; the Sanctuary of Apollo, where worshipers gathered; brothel ruins; the House of the Vettii, an upscale residence; and the heart of the metropolis, the Forum of Pompeii. Since 1997, Pompeii has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela

After Muslim conquests thwarted Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land in the twelfth century, 11 monolithic medieval churches were carved out of rock in what is now northern Ethiopia in an effort by King Lalibela (1181–1221) to create a New Jerusalem. They took 24 years to complete.

The way the churches were created—hewn from monolithic blocks and further chiseled—is unique to this site. An extensive drainage system was installed, and the buildings were connected by ceremonial passages, with openings that led to hermit caves and catacombs. Several of the buildings feature interior murals.

Of the 11, Biete Medhane Alem, with its five aisles, is believed to be the largest monolithic rock-hewn church in the world, while Biete Ghiorgis is known for its cruciform layout. Scholars believe that Biete Qeddus Mercoreos and Biete Gabriel Rafael may have served as royal residences. Lalibela has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.

Cliff Palace

Built into a cliff alcove in Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park, Cliff Palace comprises more than 150 rooms and 23 sunken ceremonial circles called kivas. It was constructed by the Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloans) roughly 900 years ago as a central residence for those in the region.

It is believed the site was abandoned 150 to 200 years later due to extreme drought. In 1888, the site was rediscovered by cowboys Richard Wetherill and Charlie Mason as they searched for stray cattle. Cliff Palace was heavily damaged by looters and visitors in the late 1800s and early 1900s but is currently under the protection of the federal government.

Caral

Caral is one of the largest archaeological sites in Peru, spanning 165 acres. With six pyramids—some of which originally stood at 70 feet—as well as plazas and monumental architecture, it served as a precursor to later Andean civilizations.

Caral was built roughly 4,700 years ago, north of present-day Lima in the Supe Valley, an area that ranks among the first regions to develop a civilization, along with the Indus Valley, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. It is believed that Caral could have housed up to 3,000 people.

Jerusalem

A sacred city among the three major Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), Jerusalem sits on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea in present-day Israel. While parts of the more than 5,000-year-old city have been excavated, archaeological digs are problematic because the city is still a thriving metropolis and because discoveries can spark social, political, and religious conflict. Notable finds to date have included Jerusalem’s ancient market, old city walls dating to the First Temple period (roughly the eighth century BCE), and the Tower of David.

Mohenjo-daro

Meaning “mound of the dead men,” Mohenjo-daro was a brick metropolis constructed in the Indus Valley around 2500 BCE. Located in what is now the province of Sindh, Pakistan, it held a population of roughly 40,000.

One of the largest ancient settlements of Harappan culture, the city features standardized mud bricks, rectilinear street grids, and covered sewage systems complete with flush toilets, cesspits, and public baths. Uncovered in the early 1920s, the city was heavily excavated and rebuilt in the 1980s.

Skara Brae

Predating both Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza, the Neolithic stone village of Skara Brae is located on the coast of the largest of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. Settled roughly 5,000 years ago, the site remains intact with stone homes containing beds, dressers, and toilets. Grooved ware pottery, flint tools, and runic symbols were also found at the site.

A hunting and gathering community occupied Skara Brae for about 600 years before abandoning it around 2500 BCE. In 1850, the village was rediscovered but experienced looting until excavations began in the 1920s.

Since then the site has come to influence popular culture. An Irish Celtic folk group bears the settlement’s name, it is referred to in various video games, and it is mentioned in the 2008 movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Alexandria

An ancient harbor city located on the Mediterranean in northern Egypt, Alexandria was founded in 331 BCE by Alexander the Great after he conquered Syria. Originally called Rhakotis, it developed from a small port town into an Egyptian capital known for its prosperity and a learning hub that rivaled ancient Athens. Under the Ptolemaic dynasty the city was further developed, and it later became a center for early Christianity.

Alexandria was home to the Pharos (lighthouse) that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the legendary lost Library of Alexandria.  It fell into decline around the seventh century CE.

The Cave of Altamira

Located near Santillana del Mar in Cantabria in Spain, this 971-foot-long complex features a trove of prehistoric cave art, including charcoal and polychrome depictions of local fauna and the outlines of human hands, most of which appear on the cave ceilings. A number of artifacts such as bone carvings and stone tools have also been found at the site.

The caves are well preserved due to deep galleries that maintained a consistent climate within, and shine a light on life in the Paleolithic era. By dating the objects found within them, archaeologists were able to determine that they were used primarily by two cultures—the Solutrean (roughly 21,000 to 17,000 years ago) and the Magdalenian (roughly 11,000 to 17,000 years ago).

The site was rediscovered in the 19th century as a result of a rockfall. Since 1985, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sanxingdui

A major relic of Bronze Age culture, Sanxingdui is located in present-day Sichuan Province, China. The site was first discovered in 1927 when a farmer found a cache of ancient jade artifacts while dredging an irrigation ditch. In 1986, construction workers accidentally uncovered two sacrificial pits containing ancient jades, bone, pottery, elephant tusks, and bronzes dating to around 1800 BCE.

Excavation of the pits has led to some of the most important archaeological finds of the early 20th century. Archaeologists are still working the site, which in the last year alone has yielded rare finds such as a gold mask, a bronze box and altar, and various other bronze objects.

Carthage

Founded by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BCE on the Gulf of Tunis, near modern-day Tunisia, Carthage developed from a city-state into a commercial empire. During the Punic Wars, Carthage occupied Roman territories. In 146 BCE, the Romans destroyed the city and then rebuilt it on the ruins of the original.

Carthage played a central role in antiquity and, as such, saw the intermingling of several successive cultures including the Phoenico-Punics, Romans, Paleochristians, and Arabs. The city is also the setting of several great literary and historical narratives including such figures as Dido and Aeneas, Hannibal, Hannon, and Magon.

Highlights of the ancient city include, among others, the acropolis of Byrsa, the Punic ports, the Punic tophet (a sacred precinct where sacrifices and burials were conducted), the Antonin baths, and the Malga cisterns.