Best Burial

The death mask of Tutankhamun is a gold funerary mask made for the young pharaoh of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty. Howard Carter's excavation team found it in Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, where it covered the head and shoulders of the wrapped mummy. The mask depicts the king wearing t...

The Terracotta Army is a collection of sculptural depictions of the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Discovered by local farmers near Xi'an in 1974, the figures date to the late third century BCE. The funerary complex contains over 8,000 life-sized terracotta soldiers, along with...

The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is a large painting completed by El Greco in 1586 for the Church of Santo Tome in Toledo, where it remains. It represents a local legend in which Saints Stephen and Augustine descend to bury Gonzalo Ruiz de Toledo, while an upper heavenly realm opens above a gatherin...

The Sutton Hoo Helmet represents a significant find from an early medieval Anglo-Saxon burial site in Suffolk. Constructed primarily of iron, it’s notable for its intricately crafted face mask and demonstrates high levels of craftsmanship associated with elite warrior burials during the 7th century....

Newgrange is a monumental Neolithic burial site located in County Meath, Ireland. Constructed approximately 5,200 years ago, it represents a significant example of early megalithic architecture. The carefully designed structure aligns with the winter solstice sunrise, illuminating its central chambe...

The Oseberg Ship is an exceptionally well-preserved medieval vessel discovered in Norway during excavation in 1904. Constructed primarily of oak, it served as a burial ship for a wealthy Viking individual and his wife, along with several other remains. The ship's notable preservation allows research...

Vergina is an archaeological site in northern Greece that corresponds to the ancient city of Aigai, the first capital of the Kingdom of Macedon. In 1977, archaeologist Manolis Andronikos led excavations that unearthed a cluster of royal tombs beneath the Great Tumulus. One of these tombs is widely a...

The Red Lady of Paviland is a Paleolithic human skeleton discovered in 1823 by William Buckland in Goat's Hole Cave on the Gower Peninsula of South Wales. Despite the name, the remains are those of a young male, stained red by ochre used in the burial. Radiocarbon dating places the burial at approxi...

The Varna Gold Treasure represents one of archaeology’s most significant finds. Discovered in Bulgaria during 1972, this assemblage originates from a Copper Age burial. It contains over 60 gold artifacts including torque necklaces and decorative items. The treasure's age – dating back to approximate...

The Pazyryk Carpet is an exceptionally well-preserved woolen carpet discovered within a burial mound in Siberia’s Altai Mountains. Dated to approximately 5th century BC, it represents one of the earliest known examples of knotted pile carpets globally. The intricate design and remarkable state of pr...

The Gokstad Ship is a remarkably well-preserved Viking Age vessel discovered in Norway. Constructed primarily of oak during the 9th century, it represents one of the most complete examples of a medieval ship recovered from a burial site. Archaeologists study this relic to understand shipbuilding tec...

Albrecht Dürer’s The Entombment is a significant German Renaissance woodcut from his Great Passion series. It depicts the biblical scene of Christ's burial, showcasing Dürer’s masterful technical skill and detailed observation. This work is notable for its precise rendering of form and emotion withi...

Untrue represents Burial’s pivotal contribution to electronic music. The album employs minimalist production techniques alongside atmospheric soundscapes and melancholic melodies to create a distinctly haunting experience. Its fragmented rhythms and evocative vocal textures influenced subsequent exp...

The Hallstatt-Dachstein region in Austria's Salzkammergut is a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its continuous salt mining heritage dating back to the Bronze Age around 1200 BC. This area gave its name to the Hallstatt culture, a dominant Early Iron Age Central European society known for its...

This gold crown originates from the Hwangnamdaechong royal tomb in Gyeongju, Korea. Dated to the 5th century, it represents a significant Silla dynasty relic. The crown’s distinctive tree-shaped upright design and discovery within a high-status burial demonstrate its importance as an artifact of Kor...

Moundville Archaeological Site is a Mississippian center in Alabama, notable for 29 platform mounds around a plaza and National Historic Landmark status.

Xaghra Stone Circle is a Neolithic funerary complex on Gozo, Malta, notable as Europe's only prehistoric stone-enclosed hypogeum.

Mound City Group is a Hopewell burial mound complex near Chillicothe, Ohio, notable for 23 mounds covering charnel houses and rich ceremonial offerings.

The Bush Barrow Lozenge is a thin, lozenge-shaped gold ornament recovered from the Bush Barrow burial near Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. Dating to the Early Bronze Age, around 1900 BC, it was found with an exceptionally rich assemblage of grave goods. Its surface carries precisely arranged geome...

Mehrgarh Cemetery belongs to a Neolithic farming settlement in Balochistan, Pakistan, notable for early burials and evidence of drilled teeth.

Albrecht Dürer's 'The Entombment' is a woodcut from his Small Passion series, published in 1511. The scene shows Christ's body being laid in a stone tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and others. The Small Passion consists of 36 woodcuts illustrating the life and Passion of Christ, reflecting Dürer's maste...

Mont Lassois is a fortified Late Hallstatt Celtic hillfort located in Burgundy, France, that dominated the upper Seine valley during the 6th century BCE. Excavations at the base of the hill uncovered a princely burial mound, famously known as the Vix Grave. This tomb contained the Vix Krater, a mass...

The Bat Archaeological Site is a Bronze Age settlement and necropolis located in the Al Dhahirah Governorate of Oman, dating primarily to the 3rd millennium BC. The complex is distinguished by its well-preserved "beehive" tombs and several monumental circular stone towers, which are characteristic o...

Alaca Höyük is a Bronze Age and Hittite archaeological site located in the Çorum Province of central Anatolia, Turkey. It is most famous for its Early Bronze Age royal shaft graves, which date to around 2400–2200 BCE and contained rich artifacts including elaborately decorated gold, silver, and bron...

Rakhigarhi Cemetery is a Mature Harappan burial ground in Haryana, India, notable for 4,600-year-old graves and ancient DNA research.

The Gochang Dolmens are a dense concentration of prehistoric megalithic tombs located in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Dating primarily to the Bronze Age in the 1st millennium BC, the site features over 1,000 dolmens used for elite burials. In 2000, this location was inscribed as a UNESCO Worl...

Tepe Sialk Necropolis comprises burial areas at the ancient site near Kashan, Iran, notable for Late Bronze Age graves excavated by Roman Ghirshman.

Jiroft Necropolis is a Bronze Age cemetery area near Konar Sandal in Iran, notable for looted and excavated Halil Rud graves of about 2400 to 2200 BCE.

Adichanallur is a significant archaeological burial site located in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India, dating predominantly to the Iron Age around 1000 BCE. Excavations have uncovered extensive megalithic urn burials containing skeletal remains, pottery, iron weapons, and bronze artifact...