100 Wonders Of Archaeology

Our understanding of Human History has increased dramatically during the past two centuries, as EXCAVATIONS on six continentsaided by breakthroughs in technology, have unlocked the STORIES of OUR ANCESTORS.

- Andrew Lawler

Terra-Cotta Warriors, 210 B.C.

Buried to accompany China's first emperor in the afterlife, lifesize statues of soldiers and servants were discovered by farmers in 1974. Since then, archaeologists have unearthed some 8,000 warriors, as well as horses, chariots, acrobats, and musicians. O. LOUIS MAZZATENTA

Tomb of a Teenage Pharaoh, 1322 B.C.

After archaeologist Howard Carter opened King Tut's treasure-filled tomb in Egypt in 1922, the young pharaoh became a global celebrity. His gold funerary mask, a star attraction at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, is one of the most famous artifacts ever found. KENNETH GARRETT

Angkor Wat, A.D. 802-1431

At its height in the 13th century, the capital of the Khmer Empire was the most extensive urban site in the world. As archaeologists search for clues to the city's downfall, the temple complex in Cambodia endures as a revered religious shrine. KIKE CALVO

Last Moments of Pompeii and Herculaneum, A.D. 79

Touring Pompeii in 1981, a group studies victims of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius that entombed two wealthy Roman towns. Suddenly we are faced with human beings out of the dim past at their very moment of death, wrote archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri, who was in charge of Pompeii's excavations from 1924 to 1961. Some show an attitude of fierce struggle against their fate; others recline peacefully as though in sleep. DAVID HISER

DIGGING FOR TREASURE IS AS OLD AS THE FIRST PLUNDERED GRAVE.