Archaeological study feels a bit different when a team of archaeologists and scientists makes it a point to dig for artifacts lost in time.

But when construction crews stumble upon strange items – like mummies! – when fixing a house or repairing a section of road, it’s not quite what anyone is expecting.

Call it luck, but these workers have inadvertently contributed to history with their accidental finds, and the world thanks them for it.

Discoveries range from the fascinating to the macabre, and tales of how they got there are yet to be uncovered (mostly).