Many of the greatest archaeological discoveries have been made in ancient burial grounds, but sometimes the tombs themselves are the most interesting part of the excavation. In many cases, they were forgotten for millennia, after which only random circumstances led to their re-discovery.
1. Presbyterians near New York
In 2015, workers in New York City tore up the Washington area to replace the plumbing. Imagine their surprise when they found a large empty space under the ground, filled with human remains. In the 1800s, two-thirds of Washington Square Park was a pottery settlement, and the remainder was a cemetery attached to a small Presbyterian church.
After another burial was discovered, archaeologists came to the excavation. Although the site is now located in midtown Manhattan, at the time many of the burials were on the outskirts of the city, and soon they were completely forgotten.
2. Ancient Egyptian novel
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In 2013, a 4000-year-old tomb was discovered in Saqqara, on the walls inside of which archaeologists found a beautiful romantic story of ancient Egyptian times between the priestess Meretitis and the singer Kahai. The tomb is one of the few pyramid-era scenes that depicts a scene of romantic affection (for example, in one of the scenes, a couple looks into each other's eyes), rather than standard images of married couples (which is most common). Inside the tomb were found not only the remains of lovers, but also their children, and possibly grandchildren.
3. The flooded tomb
In 2011, archaeologists excavated the grave of an Inca priestess in Peru. Although this find was impressive, even more intrigue lay under the grave. In 2013, archaeologists at the same site unearthed a submerged chamber, which is (believed to have been part of an ancient water cult). The flooded tomb was built by the little-known Lambayeque culture that existed about 800 years ago.
Inside it were four skeletons, one of which was decorated with pearl and turquoise beads. The other three were more modestly dressed. This was a common practice for wealthy people who were buried with their entourage, who accompanied their master to the afterlife.
4. Tomb filled with mercury
Qin Shi Huang Di was the first emperor of China. Today he is mostly known for his tomb and the army of terracotta warriors. Few people know that in fact most of the Qin Tomb has not been excavated due to the large amount of toxic mercury. Much of the modern knowledge of what is inside the Qin Tomb comes from texts written by the court historian Siam Qian during the Han Dynasty.
To recreate the rivers and lakes of China, the builders poured a huge amount of liquid mercury into the tomb. Until now, there is no technology to look inside the tomb, but thanks to remote control technology, it was possible to see some aspects of the structure, as well as terracotta dancers and musicians, which are in stark contrast to the famous terracotta army figures outside the tomb, which were dug earlier.
5. Shaman's grave
Twelve thousand years ago, a woman who was clearly respected during her lifetime was buried in the depths of a cave. The remains of a woman, who was about 45 years old at the time of her death, were found in a cave called Hilazon Takhtit in northern Israel in 2005. Twenty-eight other skeletons were also found, but this woman stood out a lot. She is believed to have been a shaman and was buried with great fanfare. Her funeral took place in six stages and began with the preparation of her grave in a cave and the slaughter of ritual animals.
6. Grave of Casta
In 2012, archaeologists discovered a mysterious tomb in northern Greece that dates back to the time of Alexander the Great. The tomb, known as the Tomb of Casta or the Tomb of Amphipolis, is very richly decorated, and mosaics of scenes from Greek mythology have been found on the walls, as well as columns carved in the shape of young women. The tomb was built during a turbulent period following the death of Alexander the Great and was the final resting place of someone very close to him.
Various theories have been put forward regarding the personality of the one in whose honor Amphipolis was built, from members of the family of Alexander the Great to his beloved commander, childhood friend and lover of Hephaestion. Five bodies were found inside the tomb, but excavations have practically ceased due to the financial crisis in Greece.
7. Europeans in China
In 1999, a grave was discovered in China containing the remains of a 1400-year-old man named Yu Hong. Remarkably, Yu Hong was not Asian, but European and belonged to an ancient genetic line that originated from western Eurasia. The grave was absolutely typical of most graves in Central Asia during that period, but Hun and his families had European features such as straight noses and blue eyes.
8. Polish necropolis
In 2015, Polish archaeologists made an incredible discovery: a huge 2,000-year-old necropolis that has served as a burial site for centuries. Its 120 tombs were used from the 1st to the 3rd century - during what is known as the period of Roman influence. People of the Pshevorsk culture were buried in the necropolis. Interestingly, their coffins have changed quite a lot over time.
The earliest burials were done in the Celtic manner. Over time, however, funeral rites were copied from the Romans. One of the unusual aspects of the necropolis is the presence of a tomb in which two people were buried together (a twenty-year-old man and a teenager). This tomb is very unusual because only five such double burials have been found worldwide.
9. Mayan tomb
At one time, the Mayan empire extended as far as Honduras, and Copan was one of the most important cities in Central America. Copan was a center of trade and politics from the 5th to the 9th century, but today almost nothing is known about this city. In 2005, all of this changed with the opening of a tomb that contained the remains of an elite member of Mayan society.
The tomb was very unusual in that the man who died around 650 AD was buried in a chair - in a sitting position with crossed legs (which is especially interesting, because it is known that the Maya did not sit that way). Also, this man was buried with a lot of jade jewelry.
10. Denisova cave
Denisova Cave is located in a remote region of Siberia and to an ordinary person it may seem completely harmless. In fact, Denisova Cave is one of the most important historical sites in the world. It all started in 2010, when a young girl's little finger was found in a cave. After testing, it was found that the girl lived about 50 thousand years ago, and her ethnicity, which was named "Denisov's man", was previously unknown to scientists.
Denisov's people lived and died in the cave, their remains were not found anywhere else. Later, other pieces of teeth and small fossil fragments of the "Denisov man" were found in the cave, many of which date back to 110,000 years old, while others are 170,000 years old.