304 Items Tagged

Tombs

Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

Hili Grand Tomb

In an Emirati park near the Omani border, a reconstructed Bronze Age tomb with impressive reliefs.

Tomb of the Netherlander

Tainan City, Taiwan

Tomb of the Netherlander

Behind a 300-year-old temple hides a small tomb said to house the bones of 17th-century Dutch soldiers.

Dona Paula's Tombstone

Legends of adultery, love affairs, and charity swirl around this mysterious 17th-century Portuguese woman.

Dilmun Burial Mounds

These 4,000-year-old tombs form a surreal landscape.

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Hidden Crypts

AO Puzzles April 22, 2024

Is This the World's Oldest Eclipse Art?

There's something shady about the idea that an ancient rock carving on a Neolithic tomb in Ireland depicts the Moon blotting out the Sun.

Indi Bains April 4, 2024

medical museums

Podcast: A Journey Through Death With Joanna Ebenstein

What does our fascination with mortality reveal about who we are?

The Podcast Team March 29, 2024

Tomb of Eurysaces the Baker

A freedman baker’s lavish tomb has a relief showing various stages of Roman bread making.

Astronomical Clock - Cathedral Notre-Dame de Strasbourg

Uncover Hidden Treasures and Surprising History Along the Rhine

Explore a world of antique oddities, marvels of ancient engineering, and monuments to time.

Sponsored by AmaWaterways

Preston on the expedition to the Lost City in Honduras.

The Archaeology Journalist Whose Adventures Are Stranger Than Fiction

From venom that can bubble human skin to a sealed Egyptian tomb, Douglas Preston's got an Indiana Jones thing going on.

Danielle Hallock February 13, 2024

Beehive Tombs of Al Ayn

Beehive Tombs of Al Ayn

The best-preserved beehive tombs in Oman with spectacular backdrop.

Frog Garden Fountain

Frog Garden Fountain

Unbeknownst to many, this fountain was erected as a tomb and still holds the remains of a Frenchman.

Two stone tombs on a raised stone platform

New Delhi, India

Razia Sultan Tomb

Delhi's only female ruler is buried in this neglected, forgotten tomb.

Which States Have the Most Dead Presidents?

The answer reveals grave robbing problems for America’s deceased leaders.

Frank Jacobs, Big Think October 20, 2023

By the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC), both royals and non-royals were buried with dozens of figurines known as shabti, which would serve them in the afterlife.

In Ancient Egypt, Human Sacrifice and Shabti Figures Ensured an Afterlife of Servitude

Clay figurines and murdered retainers provided plenty of company—and a workforce—for the dead.

Nicky Nielsen October 17, 2023

Bournemouth, England

Mary Shelley's Grave

The author of Frankenstein is buried here, along with her parents and the heart of her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Elaborately inscribed false doors in tombs of the elite allowed family and friends to leave offerings that ensured the dead would want for nothing in the afterlife.

In Ancient Egypt, Soul Houses and False Doors Connected the Living and the Dead

Rich or poor, you could reach out to friends and family in the afterlife—and communication went both ways.

Nicky Nielsen October 10, 2023

If the bones aren’t taken care of correctly, the spirit could put a curse on the family.

Meet the Man Who Digs Up Graves to Lift Curses

Families hire a bone collector in Taiwan to fix problematic tombs—and sometimes deal with ghosts.

Clarissa Wei October 5, 2023