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Chichén Itzá, Yucatan, Mexico -

Chichén Itzá, a majestic ancient Mayan city in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, was built around 415 to 435 CE and flourished as a center of culture, politics, and astronomy. The city was ultimately abandoned in 1440.

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Chichén Itzá, Yucatan, Mexico -

Major excavations at Chichén Itzá began in the 1920s, revealing stunning structures like El Castillo (the Pyramid of Kukulcán) and the Great Ball Court. By that point, much of the city had already been destroyed by local vegetation.

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Tikal, Guatemala -

Nestled deep within the Guatemalan rainforest, Tikal is one of the largest and most impressive ancient Mayan cities. The city flourished between 200 and 900 CE, and its towering pyramids (like the iconic Temple of the Great Jaguar) rise dramatically above the jungle canopy.

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Tikal, Guatemala -

Tikal was rediscovered in the 19th century, and has since been extensively excavated. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers visitors a glimpse into the grandeur of Mayan civilization.

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Mayan Temple of the Inscriptions, Chiapas, Mexico -

The Temple of the Inscriptions is a magnificent Mayan structure renowned for its grandeur and historical significance. Built in the 7th century, this temple was constructed as a funerary monument for the great Mayan ruler Pakal the Great.

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Mayan Temple of the Inscriptions, Chiapas, Mexico -

The temple is located in the city of Palenque, which was rediscovered by a Spaniard traveling through the region in 1567. It is believed that the city was home to around 6,000 people at its peak, which is actually smaller than other Mayan cities in the area.

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Terracotta Army, Shaanxi Province, China -

The Terracotta Army has long been considered one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries in history. Buried in 210–209 BCE near the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, this massive collection of life-sized clay soldiers, horses, and chariots was intended to protect the emperor in the afterlife.

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Terracotta Army, Shaanxi Province, China -

The army (which features of 8,000 soldiers) was rediscovered in 1974 when a local farmer struck the head of a terracotta man while digging for water.

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Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde, Colorado, USA -

Much like the Terracotta Army, Cliff Palace was also accidentally rediscovered when ranchers were attempting to locate their stray cattle in 1889. Cliff Palace is the largest and most famous cliff dwelling of the ancient Ancestral Puebloans.

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Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde, Colorado, USA -

Constructed around 1200 CE, this remarkable site consisted of over 150 rooms and 23 kivas (underground chambers), which housed around 100 people.

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The Great Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq -

This ancient structure was built in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) around 2100 BCE to honor Nanna, the patron god of the city. By the 6th century BCE, the nearby Euphrates River (which provided scarce water to civilians) changed course, which meant that the Sumerian city of Ur became uninhabitable.

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The Great Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq -

Over time, the abandoned structure became heavily covered with sand from the desert, until a British archaeologist began excavation on the site in the 1920s.

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Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia -

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world and is truly a masterpiece of Khmer architecture. Built in the early 12th century by King Suryavarman II, it was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu before transitioning into a Buddhist temple.

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Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia -

Angkor Wat wasn’t 'discovered' so much as it was revitalized. In the 1900s, the French (who colonized Cambodia for much of the 20th century) commissioned to restore the site following its degradation after years of war and earthquakes.

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The Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt -

The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the world’s most iconic and mysterious monuments. Believed to have been carved from limestone around 2540 BCE, the Sphinx sits over 240 feet (73 meters) long and 66 feet (20 meters) high.

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The Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt -

The Sphinx was abandoned and left to the elements in 2181 BCE, which was at the end of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Only the head of the structure was visible until it was finally excavated in 1930.

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Borobudur Temple, Kedu Valley, Indonesia -

Borobudur Temple is the world’s largest Buddhist monument, with 500 Buddha statues and 3,000 various sculptures scattered throughout. The temple was constructed in the 9th century during the Sailendra Dynasty and then abandoned for unknown reasons in the 1500s.

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Borobudur Temple, Kedu Valley, Indonesia -

In the 19th century, a planned excavation led to the theft of many stones, statues, and other parts of the temple, which were used in buildings or private collections. Borobudur is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains a spiritual and cultural symbol of Indonesia’s rich history.

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The Great Temple of Abu Simbel, Aswan, Egypt -

Located in southern Egypt near the Sudanese border, the Great Temple of Abu Simbel is a monumental structure built by Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BCE. Carved into a mountainside, this temple was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to Ramses himself.

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The Great Temple of Abu Simbel, Aswan, Egypt -

The temple’s most iconic feature is the four colossal statues of the pharaoh that dominate the temple's facade, each standing nearly 70 feet (21 meters) tall. In the 1960s, the entire temple was relocated to higher ground to save it from flooding due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam along the Nile River.

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Machu Picchu, Peru -

Perched high in the Andes Mountains of Peru, Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city shrouded in mystery. Built in the 15th century under Emperor Pachacuti, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was likely a royal estate or religious retreat.

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Machu Picchu, Peru - Machu Picchu was hidden beneath jungle growth for centuries before it was rediscovered in 1911 by explorer Hiram Bingham. The city’s strategic location atop a mountain ridge, surrounded by steep cliffs and lush greenery, adds to its dramatic allure.

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Pompeii, Italy -

The ancient Roman city of Pompeii has been frozen in time since the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The eruption buried the city under layers of ash and pumice, preserving its buildings, streets, and even its residents in remarkable detail.

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Pompeii, Italy -

The city was rediscovered in the 18th century and has since offered an extraordinary glimpse into everyday Roman life, with well-preserved villas, baths, temples, and amphitheaters revealing the city's life as it was during the reign of the Roman Empire.

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Stonehenge, United Kingdom -

Nestled on Salisbury Plain in England, Stonehenge is truly an enigma in itself. Constructed between 3000 and 2000 BCE, this mysterious stone circle consists of massive standing stones, some weighing over 25 tons, arranged in a circular formation.

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Stonehenge, United Kingdom - The purpose of Stonehenge remains a subject of speculation, with theories suggesting it was an astronomical observatory, a religious site, or a burial ground. Excavations on the site began in the late 19th century, and many of the fallen stones were rearranged into their correct positions.

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The Great Wall of China, China -

One of the most iconic structures in the world, the Great Wall of China stretches over 13,000 miles (20,922 km) and was constructed over several centuries, beginning as early as the 7th century BCE. It was built primarily to protect China from northern invasions by nomadic tribes.

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The Great Wall of China, China -

Due to its size, it has seen many excavations throughout its history on various sections, much of which has been done to reconstruct broken or damaged parts.

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The Colosseum, Rome, Italy -

The Colosseum is one of the defining symbols of ancient Roman engineering and architectural grandeur. Completed around 80 CE during the reign of Emperor Titus, this massive amphitheater could hold up to 50,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests, public spectacles, and mock naval battles.

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The Colosseum, Rome, Italy -

One of the most significant excavation projects on the Colosseum occurred in the 19th century, during which much of the hypogeum (the underground complex of tunnels and chambers) was uncovered, revealing the intricate system of animal cages, machinery, and trapdoors used to stage the spectacular events that the Colosseum was famous for.

Sources: (Business Insider) (The Archaeologist) (Britannica) (History Hit)

See also: The largest empires in world history

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