Buried treasures

Tombs, armies and hoards found beneath ordinary ground.

2 stories

Rows of terracotta soldiers standing in an excavated pit under a modern hall roof

No. 001 · Buried treasures

The Terracotta Army: How Farmers Digging a Well Found China's Buried Soldiers

In 1974, farmers looking for water near Xi'an hit fragments of clay. They had found the edge of an army of more than 8,000 life-size soldiers, buried for over 2,000 years to guard China's first emperor.

6 min read

Crowds in hats and with umbrellas lean over a stone wall around the excavated entrance pit of a tomb in a rocky valley

No. 013 · Buried treasures

Tutankhamun's Tomb: The Step in the Sand That Led to 'Wonderful Things'

In November 1922, after years of finding almost nothing, Howard Carter's team uncovered a step cut into the rock of the Valley of the Kings. It led to the most complete royal tomb ever found in Egypt, and to a curse legend that has never quite gone away.

5 min read