32 astonishing ancient burials, from 'vampire' decapitations to riches for the afterlife

Human burials are some of the most poignant and famous archaeological remains that survive from the ancient world. People were buried in a variety of ways, from being entombed within massive pyramids to simply getting dumped in a bog. In some cases, people feared that the dead would come back to life and cause harm — leading to their bodies being decapitated or driven through with a stake.

Tomb of the first emperor of ChinaIn 221 B.C. the Qin dynasty, led by emperor Qin Shi Huang, unified China for the first time. An elaborate tomb beneath a pyramid was constructed for the first emperor. While archaeologists have not excavated the place where the emperor's body is located, they have excavated some of the nearby areas, including those that hold the Terracotta Army, which consists of thousands of life-sized statues of soldiers, horses and chariots, armed with weapons.

Psusennes IPsusennes I was a pharaoh who ruled during the 21st dynasty of Egypt around 3,100 years ago. In 1940, his tomb was unearthed in the ancient city of Tanis. He was buried with a funerary mask made out of gold. The innermost coffin in his sarcophagus was made out of silver, leading to some modern authors calling Psusennes I the"silver pharaoh." Rich grave goods including necklaces and bracelets made of precious metals and gems were also found in the tomb.

Catalhoyuk floor burialsThe site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey dates back more than 9,000 years and is one of the oldest known settlements on the planet. There were no streets and the buildings were so close together that people would enter them through ladders on the roofs. Archaeologists also found that people were buried underneath the floors of the houses, with some houses having up to 30 burials underneath them.

Castel Sant'Angelo The Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome is a mausoleum built by the Roman emperor Hadrian that held urns containing the cremated remains of the emperor, his wife and a number of his successors. The cylindrical building is just under 164 feet tall and was later converted to a fortress that was sometimes used by the Pope. It also saw use as a military barracks and prison, and today it houses a museum.

Chauchilla Cemetery, NazcaThe Chauchilla Cemetery is located in southern Peru, in an arid area near the Pacific Ocean. The people buried in it are from the Nazca culture, which flourished in the area from roughly 100 B.C. to A.D. 800. Despite the ancient date of the cemetery, the people in there are remarkably well preserved due to the arid climate of the region.

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