ELi5 : Why does it seem a lot of archeology began so recently in the 20th and 19th centuries? Why weren’t we digging up stuff much earlier?

Question

It seems many of the most important archeological findings were in the 20th and 19th century. Why did humans wait so long to start digging stuff up?

In: 961

Answer 1

This should blow your mind

During the time of Cleopatra, the Egyptians had archaeological studies underway of several pyramids

We’ve been doing it a long time, just more as knowledge and discovery today Vs looting in the past