Posts in “Archaeology” Category

In 2009, a metal detector enthusiast found a huge Anglo-Saxon treasure hoard in England. It's the largest collection of gold from this period ever found! Terry Herbert discovered the gold and has worked with a team of archeologists to dig up more than 3,500 different pieces. National Geographic Museum has more than 100 of these shiny objects on display in Washington, D.C.

The exhibition explains the history of the Anglo-Saxons, and explains why the gold may have been buried. In a kids area of the exhibit, you can search for buried treasure with a metal detector, find out how heavy Anglo-Saxon swords and shields were, and make your own Anglo-Saxon helmet. The exhibit will be at the National Geographic Museum through March 4, 2012.

Learn more about the hoard and the exhibit on the National Geographic Events website.

Put together puzzles of some of the objects on display on National Geographic Kids.


Photograph by Robert Clark, National Geographic

Earlier this year, many of you submitted designs for the official patch for one of Dr. Ballard's expeditions on the ship, Nautilus. Today, you can "ride along" on the Expedition Vessel Nautilus as the team members explore the depths of the ocean and search for shipwrecks! Visit the Nautilus Live page on National Geographic to watch the live expedition and check out video highlights of things the team has already discovered.

Check out the winning Nautilus patch design on National Geographic Kids.

Read an interview with Dr. Ballard on National Geographic Kids.


Image courtesy Sea Research Foundation

In July 1911, Hiram Bingham rediscovered the forgotten Machu Picchu site in Peru. Tomorrow, Peru will celebrate the 100th anniversary of this event. Bingham discovered the site on July 24, 1911, and wrote an article about the site for National Geographic magazine. Machu Picchu is the ruin of an ancient Inca city built more than 500 years ago. Today, it is the most popular tourist destination in Peru.

Learn more about Machu Picchu on National Geographic Traveler.

Watch a video about Machu Picchu on National Geographic Kids.

Get the facts on Peru on National Geographic Kids.


Photograph by Miguel Vilaxa, My Shot

Have you ever dreamed about being an archaeologist? Visiting the Children's Museum of Indianapolis gives you a chance to experience real archaeological discoveries as you explore the tomb of Egyptian pharaoh Seti I, the terra cotta warriors excavation site in China, and Captain Kidd's shipwreck off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The National Geographic Treasures of the Earth exhibit was created with the assistance of the National Geographic Society and opens on June 11, 2011. Watch this video to get an amazing behind-the-scenes look at the exhibit!

During protests against Egypt's leader Hosni Mubarek looters tried to steal precious artifacts from the Cairo's Egyptian Museum last Friday. Looters are using the chaos in the country to try to loot historic areas, archaeological sites, and museums, and are probably looking for gold.

Civilians and police helped secure the Museum's priceless treasures on Saturday. More citizens formed a human chain around the outside of the museum to keep additional looters from getting in. Although nothing has been stolen, some artifacts were damaged, such as two royal mummies whose heads fell off. Ordinary people have protected historic sites in other areas in Egypt, too, such as Luxor and Alexandria. National Geographic fellow Fredrik Hiebert explains that historical objects in Egypt are easier to loot than in other places. "In Iraq and Afghanistan, people [had] moved away from the archaeological sites." Egypt is mostly desert, though, so "you can't move anywhere--the Nile is it."

National Geographic explorer-in-residence Zahi Hawass says that the country's museums are now safe and guarded by the army, and should open near the end of the week.

Read more about the situation in Egypt on National Geographic News.

See pictures of what was damaged on National Geographic News.

Get the facts on Egypt on National Geographic Kids.

Read an interview with National Geographic fellow Fredrik Hiebert on National Geographic Kids.


Photograph by Kenneth Garrett, National Geographic

In April, planes flying over the ancient Maya city of Caracol used laser technology to look beneath the rainforest and see the remains of the city. The equipment, called Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), bounces lasers off the ground to construct 3-D maps.

The new map shows that the ancient city was much larger than previously thought. It had been impossible to see the majority of the site because of the dense rainforest covering it.

Read more about Caracol and LiDAR on National Geographic News.


Image courtesy University of Central Florida Caracol Archaeological Project

The life-size Terra Cotta Warriors from China are on display beginning today at National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.

Visitors can stand face-to-face with the 2,000-year-old statues, which were created to guard the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi. The exhibit will be open until March 31, 2010.

Learn about Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor exhibit.

Watch a video of the artifacts being unearthed.

A previously unknown pyramid was found buried under 23 feet (7 meters) of sand last week in Saqqara, Egypt. It is believed to be the tomb of Pharaoh Teti's mother, Queen Sesheshet, who lived 4,300 years ago. This pyramid may be "the most complete subsidiary pyramid ever found at Saqqara," according to Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence. It is considered to be a subsidiary, or satellite, pyramid to the tomb of Teti.

Read more about the discovery on National Geographic News.

Read about the remains found in the pyramid on National Geographic News.

Learn more about archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Zahi Hawass on National Geographic.