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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

Mên-an-Tol by Mark Wilson

Mên-an-Tol is a formation of standing stones near the Madron-Morvah road in Cornwall, England. It is also known locally as the “Crick Stone”. It consists of three upright granite stones: a round stone with its middle holed out with two small standing stones to each side, in front of and behind the hole. Mên-an-Tol is supposed to have a fairy guardian who can make miraculous cures. Local legend claims that if at full moon a woman passes through the holed stone seven times backwards, she will soon become pregnant. Another legend is that passage through the stone will cure a child of rickets.. For centuries, children with rickets were passed naked through the hole in the middle stone nine times. Its curative powers actually are reflected in its name. The circular stone aligns exactly with the centre stone at Boscawen-Un and the church at nearby St Buryan. While this may conceivably be coincidental, the precision of the alignment suggests an intentional positioning of the structures in relation to each other.
The Hawk, The Castle, & The Temporal Anomalie by Mike Honour

This lone hawk was taken surveying St Michael’s Mount during the summer of 2008 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, when printed large…. particlarly on canvas. technical: / Canon A720IS / Full Telephoto. / Hand held auto. / 6 million Pixels High. / Post processed in Paint Shop Pro X2 and Photoshop 7
Sleeping god by Hélène David-Cuny

Sculpture on a roman basalt sarcophage – Museum on Deraa – Syria
Roman Ampitheatre, Pula, Croatia by Wimburian

Built in about AD78 could hold over 20,000 spectators. Could be flooded to show sea battles.
Giza Necropolis by Wayne Gerard Trotman

© All Rights Reserved – No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without My Written Consent From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments is located some 8 km (5 mi) inland into the desert from the old town of Giza on the Nile, some 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Cairo city centre. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only remaining monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Canon EOS 50e. FEATURED IN: / “All things Egyptian” Group – November 2009.
Skies of Home by Cindy Cooperider

Did I speak to you one morning on some distant world away / Did you save me from an arrow, did you lay me in a grave / Were we brothers on a journey, did you teach me how to run / Were we broken by the waters, did I lie you in the sun And the spirit fills the darkness of the heavens / It fills the endless yearning of the soul / It lives within a star too far to dream of / It lives within each part and is the whole / Its the fire and the wings that fly us home / Fly us home, fly us home —John Denver Ancient Puebloan building, southeast Utah, USA
Temple of Ramesses II by Wayne Gerard Trotman

© All Rights Reserved – No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without My Written Consent. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel is one of two massive rock temples in southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser about 290 km southwest of Aswan.
Morning Time at Gadsisar Lake. by Mukesh Srivastava

Camera: Nikon D700, 18-200mm Gadsisar Lake: Gadsisar Lake in Jaisalmer city, the rainwater fed reservoir, was built in 1156 AD and rebuilt in 1367AD by Maharwal Garsisingh. Until 1965, it remained the city?s only water supply. It is adorned with an arched gateway, which is believed to have been built by a courtesan. The Tilon ki Pol, the palatial archway at the water?s edge, was built by a local prostitute. The dismayed king tried to severe it down, but not the one to stay behind, Tilon constructed a tiny temple along the lake, dedicated to Lord Satyanarayan (Krishna, as truth) and ensured the building?s survival. Along the lakeshore and on the islands, is a plethora of little temples and cenotaphs. Arrayed all around the tank, are many small shrines and temples. An extraordinary plumage of birds can be seen here. Significance / Historical: / Built In : 1156 AD / Re Built In : 1367 AD By Maharwal Garsisingh. / An Indian Heritage site. General Information: / Location : Jaisalmer / Main Attraction : Arched Gateway Built By A Courtesan
Ruined by Tsitra

The ruins of the Tudor Mansion on the Neath Abbey site, South Wales. This forms a part of the ruins of a 12th century Cistercian monastery on this site.
Library of Celsus in Ephesus by Jens Helmstedt

The Library of Celsus in Ephesus was built by Romans in the early 2nd Century for Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, who was governor of the roman province Asia. The public library contained 12000 scrolls and the tomb of Celsus. Today only the front facade of the building is restored in Ephesus. / Ephesus (turkish: Efes) is located near the city of Selçuk, Aegean Sea Region, Turkey. © Photo by Jens Helmstedt Featured in Architecture and Cityscapes Photography
among the ruins I found... by IndraniGhose

PEACE! Shot at Wat Mahathat., Sukhothai. Shot with Canon DSLR / As is. The Sukhothai kingdom was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. It was First Thai Empire. It existed from 1238 till 1438. The old capital, now 12 km outside of New Sukhothai in Tambon Mueang Kao, is in ruins and is a historical park.
Detail from Akropolis by George Kypreos

The frame is dynamic… but i push it more with Redynamix plug in.

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!