After a devastating volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii – an ancient Roman city – was buried under ash and pumice. The eruption destroyed the city and killed its inhabitants, a tragic story but one that left us with a vast archaeological site and a hoard of Roman treasure.

Buried under ash means no air and moisture, so buildings, objects and cadavers have stayed well-preserved for thousands of years. A great deal of our knowledge of everyday life in a Roman city is owed to the very existence of Pompeii.

Tutankhamun’s tomb

The great Tutankhamun owes his fame to Howard Carter and George Herbert’s discovery of his tomb in 1922. KV62 (the Egyptian designation for the tomb) was uncovered fairly intact in the Valley of the Kings.

Although small in size and seemingly intended for a private individual rather than royalty, the tomb contained over 2,000 pieces of valuable antiques. Tutankhamun remains a worldwide symbol and sparks renewed interest in Ancient Egypt every day. It was a great find that contributed a significant deal to archaeological awareness.

Rosetta Stone

Dating back to 196 BC, the Rosetta Stone was inscribed with a decree from the Ptolemaic King Ptolemy V, inscribed in three languages: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script and Ancient Greek.

Its discovery in 1799 made it the first Ancient Egyptian bilingual text uncovered in modern times. The language had previously been impossible to decipher and a bilingual find of this kind meant we could begin to make sense of hieroglyphs. We can now translate almost any artefact with Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs thanks to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.

Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army is a mesmerising collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. It’s an example of funerary art made with the symbolic intention of protecting the emperor in his afterlife.

The army dates from the third century BC and numbers approximately 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots and 520 horses. It tells us a lot about how Chinese soldiers were equipped at the time, the weapons they used and the clothes they wore.

Richard III’s grave

The last Plantagenet King of England, Richard III’s reputation as a prince killer, crookback, and all-round nasty power grabber is a mainstay of English folklore. Despite his infamy, his burial site remained a mystery until the Looking for Richard project in 2012.

With the help from the University of Leicester’s archaeological services, the project uncovered human remains within the site of the former Greyfriars Friary Church in Leicester. The remains were tested and scientifically proven to be those of Richard III, attracting much media attention.