2025 in archaeology

This page lists significant events in 2025 in archaeology.

Finds

January

• 9 – A joint French-Swiss archaeological team uncovered the richly decorated tomb of Tetinebefou, a high-status healer or "wizard doctor", dating to Egypt's 5th Dynasty, near the Saqqara necropolis, revealing rare medical instruments and inscriptions indicating his role as a priest and physician.^[1]
• 14 – Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia reported on the results of a mapping project, begun in 2018, that unveiled the lay-out of X’baatún's core area.^[2]
• 17 – The director of the Pompeii Archeological Park revealed the discovery of a large thermal complex.^[3]

February

• 12 – The Museum of London Archaeology announced the find of remains of the first roman basilica in the City of London.^[4]
• 14 – The Journal of the American Chemical Society published the results of a study about the smell of mummies. It found that even after 5,000 years in a sarcophagus, mummified bodies from ancient Egypt still smell quite nice.^[5]
• 19 – Archaeologists announced the discovery of the Tomb of Thutmose II, the first royal Egyptian tomb to be discovered since the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.^[6]
• 26 – Archaeologists announced the discovery of a large frieze at the House of Thiasus in Pompeii, depicting the Dionysian Mysteries.^[7]

March

• 5 – Nature published a study showing that the oldest human-crafted bone tools on record are 1.5 million years old, found in Tanzania.^[8]
• 14 – Archaeologists from the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology uncovered iron shackles at the Ghozza site in Egypt's Eastern Desert, providing evidence of forced labor in Ptolemaic gold mines during the 3rd century BCE.^[9]
• 15 – An Egyptian-American archaeological mission announced the discovery of a royal tomb from the Abydos Dynasty and 32 ostraca inscribed in Demotic and Greek scripts, detailing commercial transactions and tax payments.^[10]
• 25 – The Yorkshire Museum announced the discovery of the Melsonby Hoard, a large collection of Iron Age items, in a field near Melsonby, England.^[11]
  • Archaeologists in the Judean Desert discovered a 2,200-year-old pyramid, along with papyrus documents, Hellenistic-era coins, weapons and tools, dated back to the Ptolemaic period.^[12]

April

• 2 – Archaeologists with the Vienna Museum announce the discovery of a mass grave in Simmering district in Vienna, Austria, of around 150 Ancient Roman soldiers from the 1st century who likely died in a battle.^[13][14]
• 8 – Archeologists working in the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, Guatemala discover a 1,700-year-old altar.^[15]
• 12 – Archaeologists uncovered royal wine production sites in a 3,500-year-old Egyptian settlement beneath Hellenistic ruins at Kom el-Nugus, located 27 kilometres (17 mi) from Alexandria, dating back to the 18th Dynasty.^[16]
• 17 – An extensive Roman-era horse cemetery containing over 100 equine skeletons, believed to be associated with a Roman cavalry unit active around A.D. 100–150 in Stuttgart, Germany.^[17][18]
• 18 – A joint Egyptian-American team discovered the tomb of Prince Waserif-Re, son of Userkaf of the 5th Dynasty, along with 32 ostraca with Demotic and Greek texts revealed records of taxes and trade.^[19]
• 19 – A hieroglyphic inscription featuring the cartouches of Ramses III was reported discovered in Wadi Rum, southern Jordan, marking the first known evidence of the pharaoh's presence in the area.^[20]
• 24 – Archaeologists from the University of Barcelona confirm that the remains discovered in Valls, Catalonia, Spain, correspond to the ancient Iberian city of Cissa, the scene of the Battle of Cissa during the Second Punic War.^[21]
• 25 – An 8,400-year-old Mesolithic stone figurine, dated to between 6400 and 6100 BCE and associated with the early Shomutepe culture, was discovered in Damjili Cave, located in western Azerbaijan's Qazakh District, by a collaborative Azerbaijani-Japanese team.^[22][23][24]
• 28 – The long-lost Sanctuary of Apollo in Cyprus was rediscovered; originally found in 1885 but later buried under sand. Over 100 statue bases and numerous fragments, including colossal limestone feet were revealed.^[25][26][27]

May

• 6 – An 11th-century hoard containing a collection of nearly 300 silver coins was discovered during a forest restoration project near Lübs, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.^[28][29]
• 14 – A long lost version of the British Magna Carta dating to 1300 is believed to have been found at Harvard University.^[30]
• 18 – A Roman-era mosaic panel was discovered in Maryamin, Homs, Syria, during the excavation of a well at a depth of 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in). The central scene featured the upper part of Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune.^[31]
• 21 – An 18th-century brass eagle, belonging to the period of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, was discovered in the Chełm Forest District of eastern Poland. The find features a brass or tin-lead eagle badge (12.8 × 11.5 cm) that was once riveted to a pointed-arch brass plate (15 × 19 cm).^[32][33]
• 22 – A joint Egyptian–Canadian archaeological mission identified the owner of the Kampp 23 tomb in Luxor's Asasif necropolis as Amun‑Mes, a high‑ranking official and former Mayor of Thebes during the Ramesside period, also holding titles such as divine father of Amun, tax collector, and overseer of quarry services.^[34]
• 24
  • A 5,000-year-old fire altar within a pyramidal structure was uncovered at the Era de Pando site in Peru's Supe Valley, part of the Caral Archaeological Zone.^[35][36]
  • A 2,000-year-old ceramic vessel, which is also the first intact Roman pot found in Ireland, was discovered during excavations at Drumanagh, an Iron Age promontory fort in north Dublin.^[37][38]
• 26 – Three 3,500-year-old tombs were discovered in Luxor's Dra' Abu el-Naga necropolis, dating to Egypt's New Kingdom. The tombs belonged to Amum-em-Ipet (Ramesside period), Baki (grain silo supervisor), and S (scribe and mayor at the Temple of Amun), both from the 18th Dynasty.^[39]
• 26 – Polish archaeologists announced the discovery of over 1,200 archaeological sites in Sudan’s Bayuda Desert including a natron-rich paleolake near Jebel El-Muwelha.^[40][41]
• 29 – Archaeologists announce the discovery of the remains of a nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan complex in Guatemala, revealing sanctuaries, pyramids and a unique canal system.^[42]

June

• 3 – A previously unknown Avar-era cemetery with two log coffin tombs was discovered through aerial photographs revealing rectangular discolorations in a grain field by Hungarian National Museum on the outskirts of Tatabánya, Hungary.^[43][44]
• 5 – A 4,000 square meters Roman villa complex was revealed by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) at the site known as Sainte-Nitasse in Auxerre, France.^[45][46][47]
• 6 – A well-preserved Viking boat burial containing the remains of a woman accompanied by a small dog was discovered on Senja Island in northern Norway, dating to around AD 900–950.^[48][49]
• 9 – A 1,700-year-old Roman-period marble sarcophagus was unearthed outside the ancient walls of Caesarea, Israel, featuring a unique carved scene of a drinking contest between the gods Dionysus and Hercules.^[50][51]
• 12 – A 16th-century merchant vessel, dubbed "Camarat 4", was identified as the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters. Discovered by the French Navy during a routine seabed survey off Ramatuelle in March 2025, the wreck lay approximately 2,567 metres (8,422 ft) beneath the Mediterranean surface.^[52]
• 15
  • A well-preserved Hellenistic–Roman domestic structure known as House 19, which included an artisanal workshop equipped with clay molds as well as ovens and basins, suggesting small-scale, home-based craft production was revealed at the ancient Greek city of Finziade, located in present-day Licata, Sicily, Italy.^[53][54]
  • A 1,600-year-old Roman-era burial site, believed to belong to a Germanic warrior and located along the Lippe frontier, includes at least three farmsteads active between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, featuring wooden-post buildings and evidence of craft activities, including a kiln for non-ferrous metalworking.^[55][56]
• 17 – A cache of over 50 primarily German World War I and II helmets along with Polish and Soviet examples was unearthed during roadworks on Koszarowa Street near Wrocław’s University of Archaeology, Poland.^[57][58]
• 21 – A British archaeological team from the University of Manchester uncovered remains of the ancient city of Imet at Tell Nebesha in Egypt's Sharqia Governorate, revealing 4th-century BCE residential structures, a processional way linked to the Temple of Wadjet, and Late Period artifacts including a faience ushabti, a bronze sistrum with Hathor's head, and a Horus stela.^[59]
• 30 – An Egyptian archaeological team uncovered three rock-cut tombs at Qubbet el-Hawa in Aswan, dating to the late Old Kingdom, with artifacts including fragments of a funerary mask, a small metal amulet depicting the god Khnum, and Late Period pottery vessels.^[60]

July

• 2 – A pre-Hispanic mortuary cave containing the bundled remains of 17 individuals was discovered in the desert mountains of Coahuila, Mexico.^[61][62]

• 6 – Discovery of a 3,500-year-old city in Peru's northern Barranca province, named Peñico, by archaeologists was announced.^[63]
• 14 – 1,700-year-old Roman bathing complex was discovered in the village of Salkaya, Elazığ Province, Turkey.^[64][65]
• 16 – A 3,800-year-old Middle Bronze Age kurgan, believed to be the burial site of a warrior was discovered in the Ceyranchol plain, near the village of Yovshanlidere, Azerbaijan.^[66][67][68]
• 17 – A castle complex over 50 rooms extending approximately 4 km featuring massive stone walls, towers, and gates dating to the first millennium BCE was discovered on the Tirişin Plateau in Hakkari Province, Yüksekova district, Turkey.^[69]
• 21 – Discovery of the wreck of British Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Nottingham (1913), torpedoed in the North Sea during the Action of 19 August 1916, was announced.^[70]

Events

January

• 25: The Helmet of Cotofenesti and three golden royal bracelets from the Dacia - Empire of Gold and silver exhibit were stolen from the Drents Museum.^[71]

March

• 1 – Restoration of the ancient Western Theater at Laodicea on the Lycus, in Denizli province, Turkey, was completed.^[72][73]

April

• 3 – Saved Treasures of Gaza: 5000 Years of History, an exhibition of artefacts found during excavations in the Gaza Strip, open at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris^[74]

May

• 26 to 30 – "45th International Symposium of Excavations, Survey and Archaeometry" was held at the Prof. Dr. Uğur Oral Cultural Center on Mersin University's Çiftlikköy Campus.^[75][76]
• 27 – A 1,600-year-old Byzantine mosaic known as the Be’er Shema (Birsama) mosaic from a Christian monastery near Kibbutz Urim in southern Israel was unveiled to the public for the first time.^[77][78]

June

• 9 to 11, “Poles on the Nile” conference, University of Warsaw.^[79]
• 18 to 19, Rome and Barbarians conference, University of Warsaw.^[80]
• 22 to 28, Darwin: 10th World Archaeological Congress.^[81]
• 25 to 27, "Women’s Perspectives in the Nile Valley" conference, University of Warsaw.^[82][83]

August

• 7 to 10, near Blanding, Utah, 2025 Pecos conference.^[84]

September

• 3 to 6, Belgrade: 31st Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists^[85]

October

• 24 to 26, Ankara, 3rd International Congress of Anthropological Sciences.^[86]

See also

• List of years in archaeology
• 2025 in bioarchaeology