Travelling to the tropical paradise has its own rewards but nothing can be more rewarding than visiting archaeological sites and these places are geared towards people who want to know more about the traditions and culture of the old world which in some of them are surprisingly still practiced today. Archaeological sites tell a different story about what the world has been compared to how education is at school in which they are taught through rote learning.
- Apis tombs, Cairo - no question about it. Egypt has long been known for a place where history started and has many mysteries left to be solved by digging further deep into the earth that were covered by sand by the centuries. The Apis tombs, also known as the Serapeum of Saqqara is open to the public just recently after its renovation for ten years. This tomb was first discovered in the year 1851 by Auguste Mariette and it dates to have been erected in 1400 BC. This site is famous for its giant sarcophagus made of granite of Apis bull, an animal that is held sacred by the pharaohs. It weighed around 60 to 70 pounds.
- Large Jewish Courtyard in Germany - the foundations of the seventeenth century houses was recently uncovered while there were a number of archaeological exhibits and events that took place in the city. The courtyard was used as a parking lot before but today the archaeologists have found remains of a mikveh and synagogue which can be traced back to the Middle Ages. You can also see here around 4000 skeletons which are the remains of the first inhabitants of the town.
- Convent of Saint Ursula in Florence, Italy - there has been a mystery lurking around who was the model for Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci and recently there are claims that archaeologists found the remains of the model herself. It was recently unearthed in this convent. The remains belonged to Lisa Gheradini, known for having posed for the painting in 1504. It took almost on year to uncover her remains which was nearly 2 meters under the original floor of the convent.
Being able to witness the archaeological sites first hand is different from reading history books at the library because you will be able to see how the archaeologists dig their find, come up with theories based on their finds and even update the missing pieces to solve a puzzle they have been solving for many years.