An interesting addition to the game either for the base game or a DLC (dlc would be easier development wise) would be archaelolgy and the ability to build muesems and display what you've dug up. Displays could be a menu you can bring up to see what you've dug up with a description on what it is, making these tradable could also be an option as one nation might not have access to anothers type of artifact/fossil.

 A way to make this useful for the player in game would be to award fame for each discovery, with differening amounts given for how large of a discovery there was but not enough to where solely doing this will allow you to win the game or get too far ahead of your peers. Ways to do this in game would be either having an event pop up and the dig costing a set amount with a chance percentage for a discovery or having it be a feature on the map you can exploit with the proper technology with the percentage of a new find going up with increases of tech availible to you empire.

If its a pop up event then no visual on the map is needed for the dig and you get a random percentage chance to find something based on your technology, this would cost money to do and players would have to weigh whether or not its worth it to pursue or spend their money elsewhere.

 If its a feature I would suggest they be set into catagories, such as different periods of ancient life like precambrian or jurassic for example. Or artifacts from old battles/long gone civilizations or cities. 

To further elaborate they would have a symbol on the map like any other resource, with chances of them spawning being higher in certain biomes such as desert or tundra for the best preserved fossils like real life or for artifacts/forgotton cities being random. Each site would represent fossils or artifacts of a certain past era and only that era to promote finding other sites rather than focusing on one or trading for artifacts/fossils to get more from different eras. 

I'm not sure how popular this idea would be as archaelogy and artifacts were handled poorly in civ in my personal opinion, and the current community seems to be divided on the combat system and thats a core of the game. Please tell me your thoughts on this though, or if you have any ideas I'd be happy to hear them.

I think you're idea is much better than how it was implemented in CIV VI, where artefacts would actively hinder you if you didn't go for culture, but I still don't see a need for an archeology system overall. The only place I can kind of see benefitting heavily culturally from artefacts in real life is the British Museum. I wouldn't hate it if it was a small scale system, but the extreme focus on artefacts in the late eras of CIV VI was also a bit immersion-breaking for me.

Oh I dont think theres a need for it, the posts I've made so far on these forums is about game ideas that could expand the game in a potentially interesting way. Something that could be added down the line part of a a future dlc but definately not the main focus.

Archeology and dig sites were actually one of the best CIV V elements. And as a person who loves archeology and museums I'd love to see it in Humankind.

As an expansion, portraying how cultures postioned themselves from previous one is interesting, it could fit well with the ideology system, maybe orienting archeologies discoveries to affect it or be affected by it. After a discovery is done, maybe you would want to hide it to protect your ideology, try to tie it to it or try to truly understand it but changing your ideology

This mechanic coming into industrial could be fun to make it a bit more unique, beginning with stealing artifacts from conquered cultures and start interesting yourself to the one who lived in your homeland.

I too really liked the idea of archeology in Civilization. Not sure if fame is the way to go, since fame is the way to win. That would basically force people to hunt artifacts or risk falling behind. Maybe that is a ood thing, maybe not. Not 100% decided myself If I think it's good or bad to go with fame as reward for them.

As I just read Your post and the replies in this thread I haven't thought too deeply abvout it yet.

However some kind of archeology, even if just having them give boosts to various stats, like in Civlization they gave culture, would be a welcome feature. Maybe in Humankind various artifacts could give various bonuses. Like to Science etc. This nees sopme thought, but I'm definetly for archelology in one form, or another. I liked making archeologist and go out and dig. Just as I miss spies being acctual units in earlier Civ games and You went out and infiltrated various cities and spied on them and stole techs. Not just being in a menue like in later Civ games like Civ 6. I want hands on units to control, art to visualize them in the game, see them walk around and carry out actions, not just some numbers and stats in some menues when I play a game.

After all, one of the reasons to play a game on a computer with art and graphics to represent and visualize the game, is the immersion it gives. If not, then it's just like some text based game.

One possible idea, whenever you dig up an artefact it gives fame both to you and the player who created it. Basically, dig up your own stuff to let everyone know how awesome your anscestors were, but digging the stuff from enemy players will make both of you more famous. This could even work for factions that were eliminated earlier in the game, giving them a higher final score.

So for example, in the mordern era the "tower of bable" could be rediscovered in a dig?