This is a list of significant archaeological expeditions by date, which include first excavations at important sites, or expeditions that uncovered important objects.
1500s Pompeii - 1599 - Domenico Fontana called when the digging of an underground channel to divert the river Sarno ran into ancient walls covered with paintings and inscriptions.
1600s Ur - 1625 - Pietro Della Valle noted bricks with cuneiform writing and stone seals at the site of Ur.
1700s Julliberrie's Grave - 1702 - Heneage Finch
1800s 1810s Babylon - 1811–12 - Claudius Rich
1840s Dur-Sharrukin (Knorsabad) - 1842 - Paul-Émile Botta Ninevah - 1843 - Paul-Émile Botta Ninevah - 1845 - Austen Henry Layard Dur-Sharrukin (Knorsabad) - 1847 - Austen Henry Layard found Sennacherib's palace, and the library of Ashurbanipal
1850s Larsa - 1850 - William Loftus Nippur - 1851 - Austen Henry Layard Borsippa - 1854 - Henry Creswicke Rawlinson Eridu - 1855 - John George Taylor
1870s Troy - 1871-1879 - Heinrich Schliemann conducted two excavations at the site, determining that the city pre-dated the Classical era
1880s Sippar - 1880-81 - Hormuzd Rassam Sippar-Amnanum - Hormuzd Rassam Tell Zurghul - 1887 - Robert Koldewey Lagash - 1887 - Robert Koldewey Great Serpent Mound - 1887-89 - Frederic Ward Putnam
1890s Delphi - 1892 - Theophile Homolle, French School of Archaeology
1900s 1900s Knossos - 1900 - Arthur Evans Shuruppak - 1902 - Robert Koldewey and Friedrich Delitzsch Gezer - 1902-09 - R.A.S. Macalister Adab - 1903-05 - Edgar James Banks Girsu - 1903-09 - Gaston Cros
1910s Tell al-'Ubaid - Henry Hall
1920s Ngaut Ngaut (also called Devon Downs) - Norman Tindale Mohenjo-daro - Kashinath Narayan Dikshit in 1924–25 and John Marshall in 1925–26 Jemdet Nasr - Stephen Langdon
1930s Sutton Hoo - Basil Brown Eshnunna - Henri Frankfort Khafajah - Henri Frankfort
1940s Tell Uqair - Seton Lloyd
1960s Masada - Yigael Yadin Tel Arad - Yohanan Aharoni
1990s Marad - 1990 - Excavations led by Na'el Hannoon
2000s Tulul al-Baqarat - 2008-10 - Ayad Mahir Mahmud
2010s Tell Khaiber - 2013-17