At Large  December 19, 2023  Danielle Vander Horst

The Top Archaeological Finds of 2023

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Author: rozalia
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities

One of the mummies within a sarcophagus recently excavated from the newly discovered cemetery at Tuna al-Gebel in central Egypt.

2023 was a busy year in the world of archaeology. With numerous exciting and important discoveries made around the globe, this was a year that continued to prove just how much we still have yet to learn about our collective histories. As such, many of these new discoveries have either expanded our knowledge of the ancient world and its peoples or provided us with astonishingly beautiful or well-preserved examples of ancient craftsmanship, ingenuity, and artistic talent. From newly discovered Etruscan tombs in Italy to entire Maya cities in Mexico, 2023 did not disappoint. Though we’d love to tell you about all of these amazing discoveries, we’ve elected to pick a selection of what we think are five of the most exciting archaeological finds made this year. 

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Ivan Šprajc via National Institute of Anthropology and History
 Ivan Šprajc via National Institute of Anthropology and History
A Lost Mayan City in the Jungle

Over the summer, researchers from Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) discovered the remains of a Maya city that had been hidden beneath the dense jungle cover of the Balamkú ecological reserve for over a thousand years. Thought to have once been a critical regional center in the area during the Maya Classical period (250-1000 CE), the city was built atop a peninsula of over 123 acres and played host to many large structures including several pyramids reaching almost 50 feet high. The site also contained numerous stone columns—Ocomtún in the Mayan language Yucatec Mayan (which is spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula)—after which the site was named. The team from INAH also located ceramics, city plazas, and a ball game court. According to the research team, the decline of the city of Ocomtún appears to align more broadly with the collapse of Maya civilization in this area between 800 and 1000 CE, allowing us to add another piece to the historical puzzle of the Maya people and their lives. 

Image: Ruins of Ocomtún building and staircase.

About the Author

Danielle Vander Horst

Dani is a freelance artist, writer, and archaeologist. Her research specialty focuses on religion in the Roman Northwest, but she has formal training more broadly in Roman art, architecture, materiality, and history. Her other interests lie in archaeological theory and public education/reception of the ancient world. She holds multiple degrees in Classical Archaeology from the University of Rochester, Cornell University, and Duke University.