Each year, archaeologists get a little bit closer to solving 7 ancient riddles

Hiebert says archaeologists are using LiDAR to physically ‘see’ through impenetrable jungle canopies in Honduras and Belize to find settlements we didn't know existed. 

Finding unknown Central and South American towns or civilizations

Hiram Bingham “discovered” Vilcabamba, a secret Incan fortress utilized during the 16th-century uprising against Spanish control, near Cuzco, Peru, in 1911.

 Finding the tomb of Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great

Archaeologists know where Qin Shi Huang Di's tomb is—surrounded by his Terracotta Warriors in X'ian—but they're scared to risk damaging approximately 2,000-year-old artifacts. 

Entering the tomb of China’s first emperor

Linear A, the language of the great Minoan civilisation of the Mediterranean, has eluded scholars for more than a century. 

Deciphering the mystery language of the ancient Minoans

Anthropologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Johan Reinhard agrees with Hiebert that no single judgment establishes a Nasca line idea. 

Understanding the purpose of the Nasca lines

Hiebert predicts a well-preserved Neanderthal will emerge “very, very likely” if global warming causes ice sheets and glaciers to melt, like the 40,000-year-old Siberian baby mammoth.

Recovering an intact Neanderthal

According to Hiebert, as temperatures rise, glaciers will divulge their secrets and the thawing shores of Canada will uncover Viking colonies that will change the “discovery” of the Americas.

Confirming large-scale Viking presence in North America

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