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Ancient Ruins and Relics

Ancient cultures of the world - artifacts, structures and art

Featured Work

Pompeii by Angie Muccillo

Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Pompeii was destroyed, and completely buried, during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in AD 79. Featured in The Grunge Art Gallery
Ancient Doorway by snefne

Ancient Roman house, nearly 2000 years old, taken in Ephesus, Turkey. Its amazing that such an old house looks to be so comfortable and civilised. The wall paintings and the mosaics are beautiful. / Over a century of excavations have been conducted here by the Austrian Archaeological Institute, currently conducted by Hermann Vetters. Canon Powershot S51S
Dusk at the Abbey by Tsitra

Night draws closer at the 12th century Cistercian Abbey ruins in Neath, South Wales
The red fortress by Lina Woods

The Alhambra (Arabic: Al-Ħamrā, “the red one”), is a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish rulers (the Nasrid dinasty) of Granada in southern Spain (known as Al-Andalus when the fortress was constructed during the mid 14th century), occupying a hilly terrace on the southeastern border of the city of Granada. Once the residence of the Muslim rulers of Granada and their court, the Alhambra is now one of Spain’s major tourist attractions exhibiting the country’s most famous Islamic architecture, together with Christian 16th century and later interventions in buildings and gardens that marked its image as it can be seen today. Alhambra is a part of UNESCO World Heritage. Featured in Ancient Ruins and Relics Group.
Ruined-Light by hologram

Light seeping into the ruin of an ancient church – Turkey Many thanks to the Ancient Ruins and Relics group for the feature (October 2009). Many thanks to the Tunnel Vision group for the feature (October 2009). /
Valle Crucis Abbey - Llangollen, Wales by Emma Wright

Valle Crucis Abbey is in North East Wales, near Llangollen. The abbey was founded in a remote location particularly suitable for the Cistercian order. Valle Crucis was founded in 1201 but some rebuilding of the church was necessary after a mid 13th century fire. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, Valle Crucis gradually fell into decay. Fortunately, enough of the fabric remains to remind us of the spiritual aspirations of our forebears.
Little stones to the sky by Hélène David-Cuny

Holyrood abbey – Edinburgh – Scotland – UK Featured in Ancient Ruins and Relics
Window of the Abandoned by PirateNeilsouth

St Mary Ruins / Little Chart / Kent
Qutab Minar by Mukesh Srivastava

Qutab Minar, the 239ft sandstone tower is an Indo-Islamic architectural wonder of ancient India. This magnificent tower of victory stands in the Qutab Complex located at Aurabindo Marg, near Mehrauli, 14 Km south of Connaught place in Delhi. / The complex has a number of other important monuments- the gateway built in 1310, the Alai Darwaza, Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque; one of the oldest existing mosques in India, the tombs of Altamish, Alauddin Khalji and Imam Zamin; the 2000 year old 7m high Iron Pillar- the Alai Minar; another tower 27m high, the Madrasa or School, great screen of Qutbuddin Aibak in the mosque etc. / King Qutubuddin Aibak of Slave dynasty laid the foundation of the Qutab Minar in 1199, adjoining the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, to proclaim the victory of Islam, after the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom in Delhi. It was the Afghan, Muhammad of Ghur who ousted the last Hindu king Prithviraj Chauhan in AD 1192, but he returned to his country leaving Qutbuddin Aibak as his viceroy. In 1206, on his masters death, Aibak crowned himself as the Sultan of Delhi. / The word ‘Qutab Minar’ means ‘axis minaret’. The tower which dominates the countryside for miles around has five storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony. The tower was built in three stages. Qutab-ud-Din completed the first storey. Second, third and the fourth were completed by his successor and son-in -law, Illtutmish in 1230. The minar was first struck by lightening in AD 1368 and the fallen top storey was replaced by two storeys’s, the fourth and the fifth in 1370 AD by Feroz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88). Camera: Nikon D700, 18-200mm Nikor VR It got featured in Shapes & Patterns Group on 29.7.09
DITCH BRIDGE by mgtech

THESE BRIDGES ARE A MEANS TO ENTER BIRGU MALTA / Birgu is a UNESCO World Heritage site
Silent and Graceful Arches by IndraniGhose

Arches those are silently crumbling, yet graceful. It is the incomplete mausoleum of Ali Adil Shah (1656 to 1686) who ruled Bijapur (in present Karnataka). Today it is in ruins. Ali Adil Shah of the Adil Shahi dynasty wanted to build a mausoleum of unmatched quality of architecture. As per the plan twelve arches had to be placed vertically as well as horizontally surrounding the tomb of Ali Adil Shah. However due to unknown reason the work on the structure was left incomplete and only two arches were raised vertically. The remains of the twelve arches placed horizontally can be seen. Featured in Ancient Ruins and Relics in Oct 2009.

Recent Work

Poulnabrone by Paulette x

Poulnabrone Dolmen (Poll na mBrón in Irish meaning “hole of sorrows”) is an ancient portal tomb in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland. Dating back to the Neolithic period (between 4200 BC to 2900 BC), it consists of a twelve foot tabular capstone supported by two slender portal stones, and is bordered by a nearby cairn. / Excavations during the 1980s found at least 22 adults and children buried under the monument. Personal items buried with the dead included a polished stone axe, a bone pendant, quartz crystals, weapons and pottery. In the Bronze Age, around 1700BC, a newborn baby was buried in the portico, just outside the entrance. With its dominating presence on the limestone landscape of the Burren area, the tomb must have remained a center for ceremony and ritual until well into the Celtic period. Canon DIGITAL IXUS 980 IS Other Poulnabrone image: /
Cappadocia by Sibel Sancar

Cappadocia,Turkey / (6th century)
Kaymakli Underground City by Jens Helmstedt

The underground city Kaymaklı is one of several underground cities in Cappadocia and was discovered in 1964. Between the 6th and 9th century many thousand of christian people lived in the 11 floors deep city under the earth. Traces of first settlement in Cappadocia can be dated back to 6500 BC. In the late Bronze Age named “Hatti”, after 1600 BC was the region part of the Hittite Empire. In the following time Cappadocia was under the reign of different kingdoms, e.g. Lydians, Persians and Alexander the Great until the region became in the year 18 AD part of the Roman Empire. Many early Christians built several underground cities in the volcanic tuff stone, used as hiding places before Christianity became an accepted religion. Because Cappadocia was located at the famous Silk Road, even in Byzantine Era and after 11th century under the Seljuks and other Turkish Clans, the region was destabilised by many conflicts and invasions. Some inhabitants converted to Islam, but until end of Ottoman Empire in the 1920 years, still many Christian Orthodox Greeks lived in Cappadocia. Related images: Cappadocia © Photo and text by Jens Helmstedt
A Spiritual Moment by IndraniGhose

A 15m tall brick and stucco seated Buddha, Shot taken at Wat Si Chum at Sukhothai, Thailand, a World Heritage Site.
Steps to the gods by Steve Page

These are the steps to the ruins on top of the mountain you see in the background of all the photos of Machu Pitchu, Peru taken 2003
The Hawk, The Castle, & The Temporal Anomalie... by Mike Honour

This lone hawk was spotted silently surveying St Michael’s Mount during the summer of 2008 on a walk from Praas Sands to Perranuthnoe, just round the corner from Prussia Cove, the old Smugglers Haven. It was taken using the extreme end of telephoto on Chris’s new Canon A720IS that we were trying out. / The image was then post processed in Paint Shop Pro X2 and Photoshop 7 to produce this Liquid Effect. Looks great,albeit a little disturbing, printed large…. particularly when on canvas. technical: / Canon A720IS / Full Telephoto. / Hand held auto. / 6 million Pixels High. / Post processed in Paint Shop Pro X2 and Photoshop 7
Bobbio - Old Bridge by paolo1955

Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities, Superintendence for the Architectural, the Landscape, the Historical Heritage. Artistic and Ethno-Anthropological of Italy It belongs the Club of “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN ITALY” was founded through the incentive of the Tourism Council of the ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities).This project arose from the need to promote the great heritage of History, Art, Culture, Environment and Traditions found in small Italian towns which are, for the most part, cut off from the flow of visitors and tourists. THE HUNCHBACK BRIDGE AND THE TRESURED ABBEY Bobbio appears in the high valley between the Ponte Gobbo and the bell towers of the cathedral and the Church of San Colombano. / The Irish monk Colombano started building, in the place where the castle now stands, what would become a large monastic complex. Like Montecassino, it was also a beacon of culture thanks to its schools, the scriptorium and the most important library of the middle Ages. / A village that later grew to become the economic centre of Val Trebbia developed around the Benedictine Abbey of San Colombano, which was moved to its current location around the ninth century by the abbot Agilulfo. / Only part of the bell tower, together with the mosaic flooring, the crypt and fragments of the circular apse remain of the old Agilulfo Basilica . The current Basilica rose on the ruins of the Proto-Romanesque building (between 1456 and 1522). It has one nave, two aisles and a transept which were frescoed by Bernardino Lanzani during the period 1526-30. Note the much appreciated beauty of the Madonna con Santi (“Madonna and Saints”). / In the Presbytery there are the wooden stalls for the choir (1488) and from the same period, the sarcophagus of San Colombano by Giovanni De Patriachi (1480) that is preserved in the crypt. Before entering the crypt, on a level under the church floor you can admire the beautiful mosaic which was the original flooring of the Agilulfo Basilica. / It was like a prayer mat where the faithful told of their toils working the land through the year, in a period where the symbolic exchange between man and nature was not broken. / The crypt preserves some fifteenth-century frescoes surmounted by finely decorated Lombard marble slabs, which contain the graves of the abbots of San Colombano. On the right side of the crypt there is an iron fence from the first half of the twelfth century, that divided the area of the faithful from that of the monks. / The hamlet of Porta Nuova leads to Piazza Duomo which is crowned with arcades, on top of which are old palaces. A thirteenth-century head for driving out malignant spirits looks at you from Palazzo Brugnatelli: its headress makes it possible to identify it as a magistrate. / The cathedral, which was erected in the eleventh century and enlarged between 1450 and 1475, has a simple facade flanked by two bell towers dating back to the same period. In the Chapel of San Giovanni, restoration works have brought to light a beautiful Annunciazione from the second half of the fifteenth century. / Beside the church is the Episcopal Palace, thats original structure dates back to the eleventh century while the current one, built by the Comacini masters, is from the fifteenth century. / Going down through the hamlet of Porta Alcarina, you will find the oldest building in Bobbio, called “of queen Teodolinda”, dating back to the fifteenth century. Continuing down, with a view the Malaspina-Dal Verme Castle that overlooks the village with its mighty turret, you get to the state road. Crossing it you get to the symbol of Bobbio, the famous Ponte Vecchio, which is also called Gobbo (“hunchback”) or “Devil’s bridge” thanks to its peculiar contorted profile. / The Romanesque style bridge which has had subsequent modifications including a baroque superstructure is 280 meters long and has eleven different arches. The earliest records date back to 1196, in the past it was destroyed by flooding and has been rebuilt several times. / Finally in Piazza San Francesco, you can see the 1621 Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Aiuto and the simple Franciscan style Monastery of San Francesco from the thirteenth-century with a fifteenth-century cloister, and the church that was rebuilt in Baroque style at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Nikon D100 Sigma 15/30
Bobbio - Italy by paolo1955

Featured in Visions of Italy Group November – 14 – 2009 —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—- / Featured in The Weekend Photographer Group November – 13 – 2009 —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-——- / Featured in You’re Accepted Group November – 12 – 2009 —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-——- / Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities, Superintendence for the Architectural, the Landscape, the Historical Heritage. Artistic and Ethno-Anthropological of Italy It belongs the Club of “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN ITALY” was founded through the incentive of the Tourism Council of the ANCI (National Association of Italian Municipalities).This project arose from the need to promote the great heritage of History, Art, Culture, Environment and Traditions found in small Italian towns which are, for the most part, cut off from the flow of visitors and tourists. / —-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-——- Bobbio Bobbio is a small town and commune in the province of Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is located in the Trebbia River valley southwest of the town Piacenza. Known to the ancients as Bobium or Ebovium, it underwent many settlements from the Neolithic Age up to the contemporary one. Several archaeological finds testify to the presence of Liguri, Boii (Gauls of Celtic origin), and from the fourteenth century B.C. the Romans. But the history of Bobbio is tied to the existence of the Abbey founded in 614 by the Irish monk Saint Columbanus (It. Colombano), who received this district from the Longobard King Agilulf. Bobbio Abbey increased its possessions and became one of the principal seats of culture and religion of Northern Italy and a center of learning during the Middle Ages, and was renowned for its famous Scriptorium and Library, in the 10th century there were 700 codes; but its decline in the 15th century led to the dispersal of the library. The monastery was officially suppressed by the French in 1803. This monastery is in part the model for the great monastery in Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose Nikon D100 Nikkor AF-S VR 70-300mm f/4,5-5,6 IF-ED
Ruins on the Nile by Steve Page

Egypt 1985 near Luxor
Buddhist Centered Existence by Zakari

Taken at the famous Ayuthaya Ruins in Thailand, was shot during a biking tour of the place. Its quite humbling to put in amongst such history. The energy from the place was sheer awe.
Silbury Sunset - Silbury Hill, Wiltshire #1 by J J Everson

The mysterious monument in beautiful Wiltshire.
Scotland : Castle Stalker by AngelaBarnett

....or , if your a Monty Python fan , castle ARRRHHGG G g g g :-) Castle Stalker off the West Coast of Scotland , between Oban and Glencoe. stood in freezing water up to my knees to get this shot…..uckily I had a bit of company from my fellow Togs shouting out Monty Python quotes at eachother :) After dark it was back off to Glencoe and a nice hot dinner in the Clachaig Inn and a warm by the log fire. Sorted :) canon 400D sigma 10-20mm iso 100 raw

About This Group

We are lovers of the ancient, the old, the beautiful stones of vanished peoples the world over.
Is it handmade?
human made?
old and rusty?
crafted lovingly?
an artifact?
an ancient human made site?
cave art?

As long as the object in your work is 500 years or older we will happily accept it.
Put a description on your piece w/ info about the age, not a link that we have to go research on our own – Thanks!

Please check out our sister group Rocks and Stones!