#ShortList : Archaeological Discoveries

Still today, discoveries of the ancient past are being made. Some of the most significant finds were only discovered in modern times, laying hidden from civilisation for centuries. Drawing crowds from all over the world to admire these archaeological discoveries continue to provide us with insights into civilisations of times gone by.

Les Grottes de Lascaux, France

Estimated to be older than 17,000 years, these caves contain some of the best known paleolithic cave paintings. Here you’ll see prehistoric man spark creativity with representations of the world around him. The original cave is now inaccessible to the public due to damage from moisture and mould from the thousands of daily visitors – an impressive replica a few hundred meters away was made with a margin of error under 2 millimetres of the original.

#france #lascauxcaves #lascauxcavepaintings #travel #lascaux

A photo posted by Miki Haim (@mikipattaya) on May 6, 2016 at 8:41pm PDT

Terracotta Warrior Army, China

This enormous army of warriors made entirely of terracotta was discovered in 1974. They were buried at the foot of a funerary pyramid, where they stood guard at the east of the burial site, which represented a microcosm of the then Emperor’s palace complex. In all, there are an estimated 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses – all to guard the Emperor in the afterlife.

????????#xian #china #terracotta #terracottawarriors Farmers digging a well in a field approximately 20 miles east of Xi’an stumbled upon a pit containing 6,000 life-size terra cotta statues in March 1974. The site was soon identified as the burial place of Emperor Qin, and excavations began almost immediately. Historians now believe that some 700,000 workers worked for nearly three decades on the mausoleum. So far, archaeologists have uncovered a 20-square-mile compound, including some 8,000 terra cotta soldiers, along with numerous horses and chariots, a pyramid mound marking the emperor’s tomb, remains of a palace, offices, store houses and stables. In addition to the large pit containing the 6,000 soldiers, a second pit was found with cavalry and infantry units and a third containing high-ranking officers and chariots. A fourth pit remained empty, suggesting that the burial pit was left unfinished at the time the emperor died.

A photo posted by project.blue (@project.blue) on May 4, 2016 at 7:24am PDT

Pompeii, Italy

After a violent eruption of Mt Vesuvius that covered the ancient city in volcanic ash, the town and its inhabitants lay undiscovered for nearly 1,500 years. Its initial discovery in 1599 came by chance from a surviving letter of an eye-witness to the eruption by Pliny the Younger. During the excavation, cavities were discovered and were subsequently filled with plaster from which the moulds of human bodies and other day-to-day objects were found.

#Italy #Pompeii

A photo posted by @mindora_94 on May 14, 2016 at 4:21am PDT

Baalbek, Lebanon

As an ancient Roman city, it was formerly known as Heliopolis. Well-preserved temples to Jupiter, Venus and the god of wine, Bacchus can be found here. In the foothills of Lebanon, 85km from Beirut, it is an archaeological site well-worth a visit.

tbt when it was safe to travel to baalbek 😐 #baalbek #roman #lebanon

A photo posted by Diako Arshak (@diako) on May 16, 2016 at 9:29pm PDT

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Legend tells of ghosts living in the jungle surrounding the township of Siem Reap, discouraging its inhabitants to venture too far into the scrub. This is how the enormous and impressive temple comlpex of Angkor Wat was left to be reclaimed by nature, the vines of the jungle encroaching the ancient stone structures. The name means “City of Temples,” giving an idea of scale and area that it covers.

The King is ruling. #siemreap #Cambodia

A photo posted by [ S e a n ] * (@seanny___) on Jun 22, 2015 at 4:44am PDT