Hardly week goes by without a major archaeological discovery or the publication of a radical new theory about the human past. Reducing a year's worth of these stories to the 10 most important was a tall order, especially since our intent was to go beyond the headlines and select those we thought made a significant impact on the field--ones that will be talked about for decades.
With that in mind, here are our picks for the 2007's most important finds...

Early Squash Seeds, Peru |

Ancient Chimpanzee Tool Use |

Urbanization at Tell Brak, Syria |

Lismullin Henge, Tara, Ireland |

Polynesian Chickens in Chile |
Of course, we couldn't agree on our own top ten, and many of us lobbied for stories that didn't make the final cut. So, we have added here nine of 2007's other most important finds...

Baby Mammoth, Russia |

Alexander's Isthmus, Tyre, Lebanon |

Ötzi's Final Moments, Italy |

Neolithic Mural, Syria |

Imperial Standards, Rome |

Building the Great Pyramid, Giza |

Paleolithic Tools, India |

5,800-Year-Old Mass Grave, Syria |

Polynesian Breakthroughs |
Top 10 Discoveries: 2006 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010