Famous Archaeological Discoveries
Famous Archaeological Discoveries is a structured history & culture dataset with 15 entries. Its fields include Discovery, Location, Year Found. The source values are preserved as a structured reference table.
Every row is shown below and is also available as CSV, JSON, or Excel.
Dataset details
- Table scope
- All 15 rows
- Fields
- 5 columns
- Source
- Community curated
- Data updated
- Mar 7, 2026
Included fields: Discovery, Location, Year Found, Approximate Age, Known For.
The table contains every record in this dataset; the same records are available in each download format.
Preview observations
- Year Found span
- 1799 to 2009
- Across 10 preview rows
Useful for
- Comparing Discovery, Location, and Year Found across history & culture entries
- Building reference tables, charts, or analyses from 15 downloadable records
Discovery↕ | Location↕ | Year Found↕ | Approximate Age↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rosetta Stone | Rashid (Rosetta), Egypt | 1799 | ~2,200 years (196 BC) | Key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, three scripts on one stone, Champollion cracked the code, now in the British Museum |
Terracotta Army | Xi'an, Shaanxi, China | 1974 | ~2,200 years (210 BC) | 8,000 life-size soldiers guarding Emperor Qin Shi Huang's tomb, each face unique, discovered by farmers digging a well |
Pompeii | Near Naples, Italy | 1748 (formal excavation) | ~2,000 years (79 AD eruption) | Entire Roman city frozen in time by Mount Vesuvius, preserved bodies in ash casts, graffiti reveals daily Roman life |
Tutankhamun's Tomb (KV62) | Valley of the Kings, Egypt | 1922 | ~3,300 years (1323 BC) | Howard Carter's wonderful things moment, golden death mask, curse of the pharaohs legend, most intact royal tomb ever found |
Dead Sea Scrolls | Qumran, West Bank | 1947 | ~2,000-2,300 years | Oldest known biblical manuscripts, found by Bedouin shepherds in caves, 972 texts, rewrote understanding of early Judaism and Christianity |
Machu Picchu | Cusco Region, Peru | 1911 (Hiram Bingham) | ~550 years (1450 AD) | Lost city of the Incas, 2,430m above sea level, never found by Spanish conquistadors, one of the New Seven Wonders |
Lascaux Cave Paintings | Dordogne, France | 1940 | ~17,000 years | Prehistoric art masterpiece, discovered by teenagers and a dog, cave closed to public to prevent damage, replica cave built nearby |
Troy | Hissarlik, Turkey | 1870 (Heinrich Schliemann) | ~4,700 years (2750 BC earliest layer) | Homer's Iliad proven to have historical basis, nine layers of cities built on top of each other, Priam's Treasure controversy |
Gobekli Tepe | Sanliurfa, Turkey | 1994 (Klaus Schmidt) | ~11,500 years (9500 BC) | Oldest known temple complex, predates pottery, farming, and Stonehenge by 6,000 years, rewrote human civilization timeline |
Tomb of Philip II of Macedon | Vergina, Greece | 1977 | ~2,350 years (336 BC) | Alexander the Great's father, gold larnax with the Vergina Sun, unlooted royal tomb, confirmed historical accounts of Macedonian royalty |
Olduvai Gorge Fossils | Tanzania, East Africa | 1959 (Leakeys) | ~1.8 million years | Cradle of mankind, Louis and Mary Leakey found Homo habilis, oldest known stone tools, proved human origins in Africa |
Sutton Hoo Ship Burial | Suffolk, England | 1939 | ~1,400 years (625 AD) | Anglo-Saxon king's burial ship, iconic helmet, rivaled Tutankhamun in significance for British history, inspired The Dig film |
Antikythera Mechanism | Antikythera shipwreck, Greece | 1901 | ~2,100 years (100 BC) | Ancient Greek analog computer, predicted eclipses and Olympic games, 30+ bronze gears, most sophisticated ancient technology ever found |
Staffordshire Hoard | Staffordshire, England | 2009 | ~1,350 years (7th century) | Largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found, 5.1 kg of gold, discovered by a man with a metal detector, mostly war gear |
Cave of Altamira | Cantabria, Spain | 1880 | ~14,000-36,000 years | First cave art to be recognized as prehistoric, bison paintings on the ceiling, initially dismissed as a forgery, Sistine Chapel of prehistory |
Free to explore · No signup needed
Frequently asked questions
How is Famous Archaeological Discoveries organized?
The table starts in the source data's default order. You can sort and filter the loaded rows by the displayed fields.
How much data is available on this page?
This dataset contains 15 entries, and every row is available in the table and in the downloadable files.
Can I download the complete dataset?
Yes. CSV, JSON, and Excel downloads contain all 15 rows. Before republishing the data, review the source and any usage terms listed on this page; dtbse does not replace the original source's licensing terms.
Related Datasets
More in History & Culture
Greatest Book Libraries
Library of Congress, Bodleian, Alexandria, the New York Public — which library is the greatest temple of knowledge?
Famous Shipwrecks
Titanic, Lusitania, Mary Rose, Bismarck — which sunken ship has the most gripping story beneath the waves?
Famous Curses
King Tut's Curse, the Hope Diamond, the Curse of the Bambino, the 27 Club — which legendary curse sends the biggest chill down your spine, and which jinx has done more to shape how humanity makes sense of coincidence, tragedy, and the terrifying possibility that some things cannot be explained?
Famous Sieges
Troy, Masada, Stalingrad, Constantinople, Leningrad — which siege tested human endurance to its absolute limit, and whose outcome changed the course of civilization more dramatically than any open battlefield ever could?
Famous Military Vehicles
Sherman Tank, Spitfire, B-52 Stratofortress — which military machine is the most legendary weapon of war?
Famous Diaries and Journals
Anne Frank, Samuel Pepys, Frida Kahlo — which famous diary is the most powerful?
Famous Speeches
I Have a Dream, Gettysburg Address, We Shall Fight on the Beaches — which speech most powerfully moved the world and shaped history?
Mythological Creatures
Dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, krakens — which mythological creature is the most legendary?
Famous Ancient Ruins
Pompeii, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu — which ancient ruin is the most awe-inspiring?
Types of Swords
Katana, Claymore, Rapier, Gladius, Scimitar — which legendary blade has the best design, history, and fighting style?
Famous Prisons
Alcatraz, Bastille, Robben Island, Sing Sing — which notorious prison has the most gripping history?
Famous Cults
Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, Branch Davidians, Aum Shinrikyo, NXIVM — which cult's story is the most chilling cautionary tale about charisma and obedience, and whose methods of manipulation reveal the most about human psychology's darkest vulnerabilities?