I really enjoy seeing ancient sites and ruins because they are a glimpse into the past. They give us a hint of the civilization that may have lived in isolation from other parts of the world.
Some of these sites truly are in ruins and leaves much of our knowledge to speculation but other sites are in excellent condition and are very similar to the way the site looked when it was occupied. When the sites are well preserved then we are able to get a better picture of how people lived in that time period and in that culture.
The posts that will be shown under this category are the ancient sites and ruins that I have been able to photograph in my travels around the world. I hope that you will enjoy seeing these places and that I will be able to communicate how these place look through my photography.
Wat Ratchaburana was built in 1424 and is located adjacent to Wat Maha That in the center of the old city in Ayutthaya, Thailand. The meaning of Wat Ratchaburana is “the temple of Rayal Restoration” and was built by King Boromaraja II as a memorial to his two elder brothers. At the center of the…
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Teotihuacan is a vast archaeological complex that predates the Mayas and Aztecs which was home to more than 150,000 people and covered an area of 12 square miles (20 sq. km). The abandoned city was discovered by the Aztecs in the 14th century and they gave it the name of Teotihuacan which means “The place…
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The Nazca Lines are a collection of about 300 designs in the shapes of living creatures, plants and geometric figures that are scratched on the surface of Peru’s arid coastal plan. They are located about 400 kilometers south of Lima between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. The Geoglyphs are created between 300 B. C….
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The Temple of Hephaestus may be the best preserved ancient temple in Greece. It is located about 500 meters northwest of the Acropolis in Athens and was dedicated to Hephaestus, the ancient god of fire and Athena, the goddess of pottery and crafts. It is believed to have been built around 450 B. C. …
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The Museum of Cham Sculpture is located in Da Nang, Vietnam and is the only museum in the world completely dedicated to the Champa era. The museum was founded in 1915 and displays almost 300 works of art ranging from the 7th to the 15th centuries. This post is a follow-up to my post on…
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The Cham archeological site at Mỹ Sơn is a Hindu religious site that is located near Hoi An and close to Da Nang, Vietnam. The Mỹ Sơn complex dates from the 4th to the 13th centuries and was the central worship complex of the Champa people. There are around 50 remaining Cham sites dotted over…
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Elephanta Caves are located near Mumbai, India on Elephanta Island in the middle of Mumbai Harbour. The island is 10 Km (6.2 miles) from the Gateway of India and can only be reached by taking a one hour long ferry ride. There are a total of seven caves that make up the Elephanta Caves and…
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The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC and reached their height of popularity in 576 BC. The original Olympic Site was in Olympia, Greece and games were banned in 394 AD by emperor Theodosius II because they were pagan and the temples were destroyed. The events in the original Olympic Games included foot…
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The Pantheon is one of the best preserved monuments remaining from ancient Rome. It was completed between 126 and 128 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The name “Pantheon” is derived from the Greek words “pan” meaning “all” and “theos” meaning “gods” so the meaning of the name Pantheon is “all gods”. Plaza and…
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Khai Dinh was the 12th Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam. The Royal Tomb of Khai Dinh is located on the Chau Chu Mountain near Hue, Vietnam. It was built from 1920 to 1931 taking 11 years to complete. The tomb complex is built on the hillside and is separated into 5 levels leading…
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The archaeological site of Delphi is located near the city of Delphi, Greece and is the second most important complex of ancient Greece after the Acropolis of Athens. This site is where many political decisions were taken for the consultation of the Oracle. No colony was founded in the Mediterranean without the consent of the…
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The Roman Forum was the original downtown of Rome. It consisted of temples, government buildings and markets. The portion of the original Roman Forum that remains today provides just a hint of this historic site. The surviving remains are a mixture of triumphal arches, once important buildings, standing columns and unidentified relics lying tumbled on…
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