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.
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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Between Bangkok and Chiang Mai is an ancient Thai capital full of ruins and evidence of its one-time glory as the Kingdom’s capital. The ancient city of Sukhothai was the first unified kingdom of Siam and was founded in 1238. Prior to this the area was governed by the Khmer empire of Angkor. The Sukhothai…
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The Acropolis of Athens is a must see when visiting Athens. It is the most important center of ancient Greece and represents the birthplace of democracy. An acropolis refers to a complex built on a high hill or high point so the Acropolis of Athens is literally a complex built on a high point in…
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Ta Prohm is part of the Angkor complex that most people know as Angkor Wat. Ta Prohm is such a small portion of the Angkor complex that it normally would not get much attention but there are two things that made it one of the top points of interest to visitors coming to see the…
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The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum constructed primarily from white marble on the south bank of the Yamuna River near the city of Agra, India. The memorial was completed in 1653 but it took 22 years to build using a labor force of 20,000 people and 1000 elephants. The Taj Mahal is one of the…
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The Temple of Literature is a place of study rather than a religious landmark and was originally built in 1070 as a university dedicated to Confucius. Originally the university only accepted students from elite and royal families but later became a university for exceptional students from all over the nation. The layout of the temple…
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The Bayon Temple is a Khmer Temple that is part of the Angkor Complex located in Cambodia near Siem Reap. Prior to my visit, I knew about the stone faces that I thought was part of Angkor Wat but I did not know about The Bayon Temple or Angkor Tom. Angkor Wat, Angkor Tom and…
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Angkor Wat Complex is the largest religious complex in the world. It was originally constructed as a Hindu temple of god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire at the beginning of the 12th century but was converted into a Buddhist temple by the end of the 12th century and has been in virtually continuous use since…
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