relics
What excavations uncover
Relics are objects surviving from an earlier time, valued for their age or associations.
In religious contexts, relics are remains of saints or sacred items believed to hold spiritual power: pilgrims came to venerate the relics.
More broadly, anything outdated or obsolete becomes a relic: These policies are relics of the Cold War.
The singular relic works the same way.
Canonized holy person
- martyrVictim for beliefs
- shrineSacred devotional place
- pilgrimageReligious journey to shrine
- venerationProfound admiring respect
sacred · blessed · sanctified · canonized · bones · cathedral · chapel · miracle
Very old indeed
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- templesHoly places or head sides
- pyramidsApex-topped geometric solids
- ColosseumFlavian arena in Rome
Acropolis · Stonehenge · Machu Picchu · sphinx · obelisks · ziggurats · sarcophagus · tomb
Public exhibit space
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- excavationAct of unearthing
- digUnearth by shoveling
- potteryFired clay objects
amulet · tablet · inscription · shard · bronze · ceramic · sculpture · statuette
Incomplete portion of whole
- vestigeFaint surviving trace
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
- remainderWhat's left over
- leftoverFood saved after meals
residue · scrap · debris · rubble · wreckage · survivor · echo · ghost
Inherited family treasure
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- legacyWhat's passed down
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
patrimony · inheritance · lineage · antique · preservation · memorial · commemoration · archive
saint
Canonized holy person
- martyrVictim for beliefs
- shrineSacred devotional place
- pilgrimageReligious journey to shrine
veneration · sacred · blessed · sanctified · canonized · bones · cathedral · chapel · miracle · devotion
ancient
Very old indeed
Colosseum · Acropolis · Stonehenge · Machu Picchu · sphinx · obelisks · ziggurats · sarcophagus · tomb · pharaohs
museum
Public exhibit space
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- excavationAct of unearthing
- digUnearth by shoveling
pottery · amulet · tablet · inscription · shard · bronze · ceramic · sculpture · statuette · gold
fragment
Incomplete portion of whole
leftover · residue · scrap · debris · rubble · wreckage · survivor · echo · ghost · memento
heirloom
Inherited family treasure
- ancestralOf one's forebears
- legacyWhat's passed down
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
customs · patrimony · inheritance · lineage · antique · preservation · memorial · commemoration · archive · testament
- cultural heritagefolklore, traditions, customs, folk music revival, museum collections
- museum exhibitsscience exhibit, dinosaur skeleton, interactive exhibit, art displays, fossil exhibit
- cultural heritage.traditions, customs, folklore, monuments, artifacts
- ancient thingsruins, artifacts, fossils, monuments, megaliths
- museum itemsartifacts, specimens, exhibits, Egyptian artifacts, displays
- museum termspaintings, sculptures, exhibits, gallery, artifacts
relicsinnovations
New methods or devices
cutting-edge technology · novelties · modern conveniences · breakthroughs · state-of-the-art
- war relicsItems from past conflicts
- holy relicConsecrated religious artifact
- ancient relicsVery old historical objects
- sacred relicsSpiritually significant religious objects
- religious relicsVenerated sacred objects
- historical relicsObjects from earlier times