Two Years of Work in 30 Seconds — Minecraft Fan Shows Timelapse of Excavating an Ancient City

A devoted gamer gradually stripped back layer after layer.

Recently, a player on Meksanet, under a chosen username, completed an extensive excavation of an ancient city. He began the project last year:

“I always declined physical assistance during the digs because I wanted the achievement to be entirely my own, though the moral support from others was invaluable.”

The excavations began in January 2024 and were finished in October 2025.

From the outset I systematically cleared layer after layer, preparing each stratum to make the work easier. This approach let me keep shows playing in the background without needing to watch every in-game detail closely.

In total, the Meksanet dig took roughly 333 hours. The quarry measured 200 x 200 blocks (about 4,000,000 blocks removed by hand). He chose to compile a timelapse — the two-year excavation condensed into a 30-second clip.

Source: iXBT.games