The museum
Archaeology around the world
![Finding our past: Buried Treasure [image]](../i/museum/britMuseumLink.gif)
Archaeologists sometimes make thrilling discoveries of ancient treasures and even long-lost towns and cities which have been buried under the ground for centuries.
Read about some famous discoveries by clicking on the place names on the modern day map.
King Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun was a king who died in about 1352 BC. For many years, archaeologists had searched for his tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Then, in 1922, Howard Carter made the breakthrough. He dug his way into Tutankhamun’s tomb and became the first person in over 3,000 years to see the dead king’s collection of priceless treasures.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls were found, quite by chance in 1947, in caves above the Dead Sea. The Scrolls were written between the 2nd Century BC and the 2nd Century AD. The text is mostly from the Old Testament of the Bible, written in the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages. The Scrolls are made from strips of sheepskin. They had been hidden inside clay jars.
Jorvik
In the 1970s, the remains of a Viking town were found in York. The site was being excavated at the time for a new shopping centre. Jorvik was a great trading centre in the 10th Century AD.
Pompeii
The Roman town of Pompeii was buried under hot ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. It was rediscovered in 1748. Many of its buildings and paintings had been well preserved. There were also hollows (shaped holes) left by the bodies of people who had tried to flee. These were used to make plaster casts of the victims.
The Terracotta Army
In 1974, villagers near the city of Xi’an began to dig a well. Instead of water, they made an amazing discovery underground. They found rows and rows of life-size terracotta (reddish-brown clay) soldiers. Some were holding real weapons. There were about 8,000 warriors in this underground army. They had been made over 2,000 years ago to guard the tomb of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
Knossos
The palace of Knossos, on the island of Crete, was the centre of Minoan civilization. People were already living there over 5,000 years ago. The palace was destroyed by fire in about 1375 BC. Its remains were rediscovered in 1894 by the English archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans.
You sure know your geography - but not all discoveries are made by experts.
Many of the most important archaeological discoveries have been accidental, whether historical artifacts discovered during quarrying or items found by young geologists.
Geology is the study of the earth. It tries to understand natural forces of the earth, such as volcanoes and earthquakes like Vesuvius; forces so powerful they can destroy cities.
The study of rocks gives clues about the way rocks were formed. Fossils of long-dead animals can tell us about the way life began, many millions of years ago, and how it’s been changing ever since.