The city of Meroë laid undiscovered for two millennia before British archaeologist John Garstang excavated it in the early 20th century. Garstang took the radical decision to document his discoveries with photography – and immortalised an ancient world. “Meroë: Africa’s Forgotten Empire” is being shown until 14 September at Garstang Museum of Archaeology, Liverpool. Here: A group visiting the excavations at Meroë, including (from left) Midwinter Bey, director of Sudan Railways; Lord Kitchener; General Sir Francis Reginald Wingate, Sirdar of the Egyptian Army; Professor Archibald Sayce; John Garstang; and Lady Catherine Wingate, 1911. (Photo by Garstang Museum of Archaeology)

A man walks past specially designed wash basins in a public toilet at the Foreigners Street on April 26, 2007 in Chongqing Municipality, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

An employee at Christie's auction house examines a complete sub-fossilised elephant bird egg on March 27, 2013 in London, England. The elephant bird egg is expected to fetch 30,000 GBP when it features in Christie's “Travel, Science and Natural History” sale, which is to be held on April 24, 2013 in London. (Photo by Oli Scarff)

One part of “Celestrial Texts – Heavenly Tweets” by Laine Hogarty is seen as part of the “Hidden” annual sculpture exhibition at Rookwood Cemetery on September 15, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. Located in the suburb or Rookwood in Western Sydney Rookwood cemetery is the largest necropolis in the southern hemisphere. The Annual “Hidden” exhibition features works by local artists. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Photographer John Fatkin captured these jaw-dropping images of a rainbow and ferry on the River Tyne, England, with the iconic red-painted Herd Groyne Lighthouse. (Photo by Tom Fatkin/Cover Images)

The aerial photo taken on November 20, 2024 shows a general view of buildings during a foggy day in Yinchuan, in northern China's Ningxia region. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

Cattle are the most important way of livelihood for the Karamojong: they provide milk, meat, blood and money when sold, Karamoja, Uganda, February 2017. (Photo by Sumy Sadurni/Barcroft Images)

A young festivalgoer jumps to burst a bubble at Latitude Festival at Henham Park, Britain, July 22, 2021. (Photo by Peter Cziborra/Reuters)