Excavations

Excavations are conducted by universities, museums, and historical societies all over the planet year-round. Whether you want to join an expedition, take a class, or just learn about how digs work, start here.

  • Diorama display at the American Museum of Natural History, based on Mezhirich
    Mezhirich - Upper Paleolithic Mammoth Bone Settlement in Ukraine
  • Garden of Gethsemane, Church of All Nations, Jerusalem
    Garden of Gethsemane: History and Archaeology
  • Gobekli Tepe and Other Pre-Pottery Neolithic Sites in Turkey and Syria
    Abu Hureyra, Syria
  • La Ferraissie, Paleolithic Cave Art Site in France
    La Ferrassie Cave (France)
  • Dmanisi Excavations, 2007
    Dmanisi (Georgia)
  • People walking in and out of Queen Hatshetsup's temple.
    Pharaoh Hatshepsut's Temple of Deir el-Bahri in Egypt
  • Full frame shot of handprints on the cave wall at Cueva De Las Manos.
    Cave Paintings, the Parietal Art of the Ancient World
  • People surveying the excavated Ruins of Troy (Hisarlik), Turkey
    Ancient Troy's Possible Location in Hisarlik
  • Throne Room, Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece
    The Palace of Minos at Knossos
  • Works at Atapuerca Archeological Site
    Sima de los Huesos, the Pit of Bones
  • The Asmar Statues, ca 2900-2500 BCE
    The Tell Asmar Sculpture Hoard of Prayerful People
  • Ozti the Iceman: Reconstruction
    The Iceman of the Italian Alps
  • Artifacts from the Pre-Clovis Occupation at Debra L. Friedkin Site
    Pre-Clovis Sites
  • Maya Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque,
    The Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque
  • Anzick Artifacts against black background.
    The Anzick Clovis Site
  • Paleolithic animal paintings in Lascaux Cave
    Upper Paleolithic Art Lascaux Cave
  • Blombos Cave Paint Pots
    Introduction to Blombos Cave and the Creativity of Early Modern Humans
  • Close up of flax growing.
    Dzudzuana, 30,000 Year Old Cave in Georgia
  • Klasies River Mouth Cave
    Klasies River Caves
  • Stone axe and chip found in a midden in New South Wales
    Midden: An Archaeological Garbage Dump
  • Windover Bog, Florida
    The Windover Bog Site
  • Scientists Working at the El Sidrón Cave (Spain).
    El Sidrón, 50,000 Year Old Neanderthal Site
  • Stonehenge, famous Neolithic site, on a sunny day.
    See the Important Neolithic Sites in Europe
  • Coffin from the Mawangdui tomb.
    Mawangdui, Amazing Han Dynasty Tombs
  • Abri Castanet, France
    Upper Paleolithic Sites in Europe
  • Ruins of Nam Linh Son Pagoda, Oc Eo Culture
    Oc Eo, 2,000-Year-Old Port City in Vietnam
  • Location of Molodovo District of Ukraine in Europe
    Molodova I (Ukraine)
  • The Chinese terracotta army.
    How Emperor Qin's Terracotta Soldiers Were Made
  • 3D Reconstruction, Cranial Trauma of Qazfeh 11 Juvenile
    Qafzeh Cave, Israel: Evidence for Middle Paleolithic Burials
  • Lake Mungo Landscape
    Lake Mungo, Willandra Lakes, Australia
  • Overview of Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon
    Pueblo Bonito: Chaco Canyon Great House in New Mexico
  • Cast bronze vessel with animal motif from Igbo Ukwu
    Igbo Ukwu (Nigeria): West African Burial and Shrine
  • Northwestern University Excavations Near Kampsville, 1975
    The Koster Site - Living 9,000 Years on the Lower Illinois River
  • Mudbrick Walls and a Shrine at Catalhoyuk Tell, Turkey
    Çatalhöyük: Life in Turkey 9,000 Years Ago
  • Frozen Spring in Tundra, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
    Clovis, Black Mats, and Extra-Terrestrials
  • Chichén Itzá at dusk, featuring intense purple clouds and many tourists surrounding the edifice
    A Walking Tour of the Maya Capital of Chichén Itzá
  • Yucatan Peninsula Map
    Maya Archaeological Ruins in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico
  • The Forum at Pompeii, with Vesuvius in the Backgrouund
    What 250 Years of Excavation Have Taught Us About Pompeii
  • Broken terracotta soldier at Qin Shi Huangdi Tomb
    Emperor Qin's Tomb -- Not Just Terracotta Soldiers
  • Northern Entrance of Nawarla Gabarnmang
    Nawarla Gabarnmang (Australia)
  • Excavations at Kostenki 14 in 2003
    Kostenki - Evidence for Early Human Migrations into Europe
  • Workers at the Gran Dolina
    The History of Spain's Gran Dolina
  • Rujm El-Hiri, megalithic monument in the Golan Heights, ID 16-4007-101
    Rujm el-Hiri (Golan Heights) - Ancient Observatory
  • Vindija Cave, Croatia
    Vindija Cave (Croatia)
  • 20,000-Year Old Pottery Fragment from Xianrendong, West Section 2A.
    Yuchanyan and Xianrendong Caves - Oldest Pottery in the World
  • Neanderthal Rock engraving from Gorham’s Cave, Gibraltar
    Neanderthals at Gorham's Cave, Gibraltar
  • Copan ruins
    Copán, Honduras
  • The mountainous terrain. Oimyakon district, Republic Sakha (Yakutia).
    Dyuktai Cave and Complex - Siberian Precursors to the Americas?
  • Heuneburg Hillfort - Reconstructed Living Iron Age Village
    Archaeology of a German Hillfort Called Heuneburg
  • Dolni Vestonice Venus
    Dolní Vestonice (Czech Republic)
  • Qesem Cave Excavations
    Qesem Cave (Israel)
  • Area TW at Tell Brak from the West
    Tell Brak - Mesopotamian Capital in Syria
  • Huaca del Sol, Peru
    Huaca del Sol
  • Pyramid of the Magician
    The Pyramid of the Magician (Mexico)
    • More In: Social Sciences
    View more