September 17, 2024 | Sarah Ng

Wild Historical Artifacts Found On Construction Sites


What Came Before Us?

It's fascinating to think that historical artifacts are potentially buried beneath our feet. These construction sites led to the discovery of wild objects and remains that shed light on who came before us.

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A 700-Year-Old Mummy From The Ming Dynasty

In 2011, the city of Taizhou became the home of a fascinating historical find. Construction workers had been working to expand a street when they found 700-year-old mummy—a woman from the Ming dynasty.

Landscape Photo of Cross Road in Taizhou City, ChinaSheenyao, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A 700-Year-Old Mummy From The Ming Dynasty

Though languishing only two meters beneath the street, the woman was incredibly preserved. Chinese archaeologists from the Museum of Taizhou couldn't believe their eyes.

Photo of the Taizhou Museum in Taizhou Zhejiang, China猫猫的日记本, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

A 700-Year-Old Mummy From The Ming Dynasty

The woman's body was in excellent condition, so much so that even her delicate features, such as her skin and eyelashes, had barely deteriorated over time. Inside her coffin, she'd been lying in a brown liquid. However, she wasn't the first mummy to be found.

Photo of the Taizhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition HallRowingbohe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

A 700-Year-Old Mummy From The Ming Dynasty

From 1979 to 2008, five other mummies had been discovered in the region. These jaw-dropping finds gave experts greater insight into the Ming dynasty's traditions, including their funerary customs and mummifying techniques.

Landscape Photo of the Views of Yandang Mountains in Zhejiang Province江上清风1961, Wikimedia Commons

A 700-Year-Old Mummy From The Ming Dynasty

According to Taizho's museum director, the mummy wore silk garments, which was a very difficult cloth to preserve. This likely meant that the woman had come from a high rank, and had been preserved in a specific way based on her status.

Photo of Linhu Chanyuan in Taizhou, China猫猫的日记本, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Whale Fin Bones

In Edinburgh, Scotland, there was a construction site working on the light rail system in Leith. Here, workers came across some strange bones.

Tram Works on Bernard Street, Leith, Dec 2019alljengi, Flickr

Whale Fin Bones

After being inspected by experts from the National Museum of Scotland, the truth came out. The bones came from a couple of male sperm whales. But where did these fin bones come from?

People in froth of the New main entrance of National Museum Of ScotlandNachosan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Whale Fin Bones

According to researchers, these fin bones could potentially be as old as 800 years. One guess was that people had acquired the bones during a whale expedition from a past century. They may have even been trophies.

Close Up Photo of Sperm Whale Tale coming out of the waterBernard Spragg, Wikimedia Commons

Whale Fin Bones

John Lawson, an archaeologist from Edinburgh, weighed in on the discovery, saying, "These bones provide a rare glimpse into and also a physical link with Leith's whaling past, one of its lesser-known maritime industries and one which in the 20th century reached as far as the Antarctic."

Aerial Photo of Leith (centre), Edinburgh, Firth of ForthRuthAS, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Whale Fin Bones

There were other artifacts found on the same tramworks site, including a cannonball and a stone wall, but the whale fin bones were undoubtedly the most mysterious discovery of all.

Photo of Tram Works at Victoria Swing Bridge, Leith, Scotlandalljengi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

A Lost Egyptian Temple

In 2019, a construction project in Kom Shakau Village unearthed an ancient Egyptian temple. They had been working on the sewage drainage when the ruins came to light.

Street Photo of Sohag Midan and city hall, Sohag, EgyptRoland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A Lost Egyptian Temple

The temple hand once belonged to the fourth pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, Ptolemy IV, who ruled from 221 to 204 BC.

Close Up Photo of Head Bust of Ptolemy IV.Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

A Lost Egyptian Temple

In the wake of this exciting discovery, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities shared that construction had ceased. The temple ruins had become a priority, and there would be an archaeological mission devoted to their recovery.

Person Walking in front of Temple Ruins in Sohag EgyptAhmed T Kandiel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

A Lost Egyptian Temple

The temple itself was no doubt an awe-inspiring find. The floor and walls were made of limestone, and Ptolemy IV's name could be found in multiple engravings.

Ptolemy IV depicted with MontuMerlin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A Mayan Ball Court

In Mexico, ancient historical ruins were shockingly discovered during an excavation project for a 2006 housing development. These ruins turned out to be an ancient Mayan ball court.

Landscape Photo of Great Ball Court in Mexico, Chichén ItzáReinhard Link, Flickr

A Mayan Ball Court

Luckily, archaeologists stepped in to assess this major find, meaning that the construction plans had to change to ensure the preservation of the site.

Great Ball Court, Chichen Itza, MexicoMariordo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

A Mayan Ball Court

According to researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the ball court's dimensions are as follows: 82 feet long and 15 feet wide.

The Palace of the Marqués del Apartado, National Institute of Anthropology and HistoryFernan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A Mayan Ball Court

Discovered 12 kilometers from Merida, this ball court dates back 2,500 years and was once a major part of Mayan culture, featuring in religious and royal ceremonies.

Close Up Photo of Mayan Ball Court in Merida MexicoDavid Hamill, Flickr

A Mayan Ball Court

According to the researcher Donato Martin España, 70% of the court was in good condition. Moreover, it brought to light the advanced development of the Mayas of the Merida region.

Close Up Photo of Original Maya ball court hoop, Merida, Yucatan, Mexicosmilla4, Flickr

An Intact Mammoth Tusk

In 2014, a construction site in Seattle became the center for a mammoth historical find... quite literally.

Photo of Construction Site in Seattle, USATom Harpel, Wikimedia Commons

An Intact Mammoth Tusk

AMLI Residential Partners uncovered a mammoth tusk seven feet below their apartment development site—and thankfully contacted the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture to properly assess it.

Burke Museum Of Natural History And Culture In Seattle, WashingtonRichard N Horne, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

An Intact Mammoth Tusk

Expert paleontologists descended on the site and extracted the massive mammoth tusk, which ended up being over eight feet long. The fossil was likely the largest tusk ever found in this particular region.

Corner of Fourth and Stewart Seattle, Washington, with Escala under construction.Jmabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

An Intact Mammoth Tusk

The paleontologists from the museum also have some stunning estimates regarding the fossil. At the time it was found, they believed it could be anywhere from 16,000 to 60,000 years old. 

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Cloudy Sky in the Background.Adam Fagen, Flickr

An Intact Mammoth Tusk

They also explained how important this find was to history: “The tusk presents a rare opportunity for paleontologists and other researchers to understand the paleoenvironmental conditions present in Seattle during the ice age."

Storefronts On Pine Street in Downtown SeattleSounderBruce, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

An Intact Mammoth Tusk

Discovered on private property, the mammoth tusk in the wrong hands could have easily wound up in a private collection. However, AMLI Residential graciously accepted the construction delays and ensured that qualified people handled the tusk properly.

Photo of 124 S Washington Street, Seattle, Washington, U.S. Blurred Background.Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

An Undetonated 4,000-Pound WWII Bomb

The number of explosives dropped during WWII was jaw-dropping. Across Asia and Europe, the Allies dropped 3.24 million tons of bombs, while Indo-China faced seven million tons of bombs. However, an estimated 15 percent of these dangerous explosives didn't go off. 

Some of them even disappeared.

American Fighter Planes Over Camp Artun Iceland 1943United States Army, Wikimedia Commons

An Undetonated 4,000-Pound WWII Bomb

After the war, many undetonated bombs got lost to time as countries focused on reconstruction. In modern times, these have been known to be discovered beneath buildings.

Photo of Two large segments of a large building siteRobert Carr, Flickr

An Undetonated 4,000-Pound WWII Bomb

For instance, on December 25, 2016, a construction project in Augsburg, Bavaria unearthed a shocking artifact: a 4,000-pound RAF bomb dating back to WWII.

Photo of Construction Site in Augsburg Germany.Mailtosap, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

An Undetonated 4,000-Pound WWII Bomb

This dangerous historical artifact meant some serious safety measures had to be put in place—and 54,000 locals evacuated the area.

Photo of Construction Site in Augsburg GermanyNeitram, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

An African Burial Ground

In 1991, a soaring federal office tower had been planned for 290 Broadway. However, before they could start building, archaeologists had to conduct a research excavation to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act. What they unearthed was staggering.

African Burial Ground National Monument, NYC - Civic Center.Wally Gobetz, Flickr

An African Burial Ground

30 feet below Broadway, the survey revealed human remains—and not just one body, but rather, 15,000 bodies. This was a major archaeological find, and would become what is known today as the African Burial Ground.

African Burial Ground National Monument, NYC - Civic CenterWally Gobetz, Flickr

An African Burial Ground

This burial ground covered six acres. The 15,000 skeletal remains were African Americans—some enslaved and some free—who had resided in New York during the colonial period.

African Burial Ground National Monument, NYC - Civic CenterWally Gobetz, Flickr

An African Burial Ground

This burial ground existed from the mid-1630s to 1795, and its rediscovery changed how scholars understood enslavement and its role in shaping New York City.

African Burial Ground National Monument, NYC - Civic CenterWally Gobetz, Flickr

An African Burial Ground

Eventually, all of the human remains were returned to their original resting places. Today, the African Burial Ground has become a memorial that honors the memory of the African Americans who lived in colonial New York. An interpretive center and research library were also built on the site.

African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City7mike5000, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

A 121-Year-Old Time Capsule

In 2015, construction workers found a fascinating time capsule that had been stored deep within the Ruthven road bridge in Scotland, close to the Cairngorms.

View over the Ruthven Barracks in Kingussie Scotland4kclips, Shutterstock

A 121-Year-Old Time Capsule

The time capsule was a simple metal box, but it contained some real treasures: a newspaper dating back to September 1893, a bottle, and a paper scroll.

Ruthven Barracks and the River Spey Once a military strongholdJim Barton, Wikimedia Commons

A 121-Year-Old Time Capsule

One of the men working for the construction company Morgan Sindall, Robert Ogg, later commented, "It is fascinating to think these items have been sitting in the bridge's structure for 121 years. The changes which have occurred since it was placed there are extraordinary. If you think that the bridge was being used by horses back then, it gives you a sense of the time which has passed."

Landscape Photo of the Ruthven Barracks in the Scottish HighlandsFabianIrwin, Shutterstock


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