famous ruins. What ordinary tourists will never see on the ruins of ancient Mayan cities. Ruins of Yuanmingyuan, China

image from the site 1zoom.ru

Ruins, abandoned castles and ancient labyrinths - each of us, or rather, our game characters, has visited such places more than once. It is especially interesting to explore places whose traces of builders have long been lost in people's memory and on the pages. They spoke a different language, they worshiped other gods, they thought differently and ... of course, they left a lot of secrets and mysteries.

They are the inhabitants of an ancient powerful civilization.

If you like not only climbing such ruins, but also designing them yourself for tabletop role playing and similar hobbies, the following 4 tips will not interfere with you at all.

In fact, the ruins themselves

In fact, if we imagine that some other, possibly highly developed civilization flourished in these places earlier, then it is difficult to find a better monument to it than some picturesque ruins.

But adventurers should understand at first glance that they are not dealing with ordinary ruins, but with something “foreign”, inaccessible to understand at first sight. And therefore, even more intriguing and mysterious.

From the time of ancient civilization so many years have passed that only the most significant and monumental buildings have survived to our time, over which time is powerless. They amaze the imagination and seem out of place in our world:

... A surviving piece of an incredibly large fortress wall, which seems to be higher and stronger than anything you have seen in the world.

... An obelisk made of black stone, with symbols carved on it, some of which seem to have been deliberately knocked down by an unknown person. It is so heavy that you understand - a considerable part of this block has long been sunk into the ground under its own weight.

... An incomprehensible structure of complex geometry from incredibly large and evenly hewn blocks. It seems that some giant carefully arranged these stones in one understandable order, but you cannot think of a single reasonable explanation for why someone needed to drag these huge blocks here.

Remember that players see exactly what they see: "part of the fortress wall", "obelisk", "tomb", etc. What this place was originally, what it was built for and what tasks it performed - the initial inspection will not give answers to these questions, however, it should become clear to the players that the thing in front of them is most likely not what it seems.

natural features

What do people say?

It is clear that the ancient civilization has long since disappeared, and books about it are not remembered. Surprisingly, but better than books can remember what is called . Some long-forgotten concepts, names, "special" words can be hints or allow you to create special atmosphere around the ruins.

Such concepts sometimes do not disappear for centuries, and sometimes they only seem old, in fact being yesterday's notion.

… “Let's go to the mill,” people say, meaning going to a very specific place, despite the fact that the mill has not been there for two hundred years. A stranger will not understand this.

... “No one has ever walked past the Obelisk at night,” the innkeeper whispers confidentially, but does not mention that this rule has been working “by inertia” since last year, when a tipsy carpenter was killed by wolves in those places.

… “Old Forge” – people call this place, but not at all because a forge really operated at one time not far from the ruins, but because from time to time a noise comes from the ground, similar to the measured blows of a hammer on an anvil.

It may be a good idea to use obsolete words indicating "the traditions of the old days" (tinderbox, slash, gold, etc.).

Cultural Features

The ruins of an ancient civilization can contain quite a few interesting surprises based on cultural differences.

The simplest example: for Hindus, a cow is a sacred animal, Europeans eat cows without a twinge of conscience, in many places in Africa these animals are considered symbols of wealth. Now suppose that in your ruins, you come across an incomprehensible inscription accompanied by an image of a cow. What will this mean in the context of our example - what is ahead of the temple, the treasury or the slaughterhouse?

A structure built by elves or dwarves is likely subject to a different concept of "right/wrong" than a human one. The value, purpose, the very meaning of individual things and concepts for “those others” may differ from ours.

All these simple tricks can simply change the picture familiar to adventurers beyond recognition, creating a complex and intricate plot.

The prospect of going to the "treasure tomb" ( Well, really, what else could this hefty crap be? Only a tomb. What is customary to put in tombs? Of course, treasures), and on the way to be in a spaceship with a yaut inappropriately released from suspended animation ( whose main treasure, most likely, will not be gold, but scalps) - this, you know, significantly changes the idea of ​​​​plot goals!

Without a doubt, modern buildings are beautiful, aesthetic and comfortable in terms of technical progress. However, nothing can compare with the buildings of the past, if only because they have stood the test of time. Many of the construction methods of ancient cities, temples and monuments remain a mystery to us to this day, thus attracting tourists from all over the world. TravelAsk invites you to enjoy the great achievements of mankind together.

Test your knowledge of the most amazing and enduring ruins of ancient civilizations.

Machu Picchu (Peru)

Machu Picchu, lost city Incas, or, as it is also called, the "city among the clouds" was discovered by the American archaeologist Hyrum Bingham in 1911. The ruins are at the top mountain range at an altitude of 2450 meters. Archaeologists suggest that the city was created by the Inca ruler Pachacutec as a sacred mountain shelter a century before the conquest of the empire, that is, approximately in 1140, and functioned until the Spaniards invaded the territory of the Inca empire in 1532.

Chichen Itza (Mexico)

holy city Itza people, founded around the 7th century AD. Name " Chichen Itza” translated from the language of local tribes means “The mouth of the well of the Itza tribe”. The ruins of the city can be divided into two groups: the first includes buildings belonging to the period of the Maya culture, the second group of buildings belongs to the Toltec period. More than 1.2 million tourists visit Chichen Itza every year, making it one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.

Stonehenge (England)

This prehistoric monument English county Wiltshire is one of the most mysterious. Archaeologists believe that it was built between 3000 and 2000 BC. e. There are about a hundred versions of the origin and purpose of Stonehenge: an altar, a tomb, an ancient observatory, an art object, an element of a navigation system, and even an encrypted message to posterity.

Ta Prohm (Cambodia)

Ta Prohm (or Ta Prum) was originally called Rajavihara. As you know, most temples ancient capital were largely rebuilt, but Ta Prohm remained intact (except, of course, if you do not count the jungle that has grown here).

Longmen Rock Caves (Henan Province, China)

Literally " stone caves at the Dragon Gate" is a complex of Buddhist cave temples, carved in 495-898 in limestone rocks along the banks of the Yihe River. Some of the statues here are only one inch, while the most big statue The Buddha reaches 57 feet.

Borobudur (Java Island, Indonesia)

The largest Buddhist temple complex in the world, Borobudur, is a huge stupa made in the form of a mandala. The stupa has eight tiers: the lower five are square, and the upper three are round. The shape of the mandala, in accordance with Buddhist beliefs, represents the scheme of the universe.

Luxor (Egypt)

Bagan (Myanmar)

Pagan or Bagan was the capital of the kingdom of the same name from the 9th to the 13th century. Currently, there are more than 2,200 temples and pagodas that can be found in the area. Despite the obvious cultural and historical significance, UNESCO was unable to declare Bagan a site world heritage for political reasons.

Mycenae (Greece)

Ancient city in Argolis dates back to the second millennium BC. Mycenae was a Greek military stronghold and is now considered one of the most important sights ancient greece.

Jerash (Jordan)

The city, built during the time of Alexander the Great, was home to a number of empires. But in 749 AD, an earthquake destroyed most of it, and wars and subsequent earthquakes led to its complete destruction. The ruins were discovered only in 1806.

Moai from Rano Raraku (Easter Island, Chile)

On the slopes of Mount Rano Raraku, especially in its southern part, you can see quarries where moai were carved, stone statues Easter Islands (they date back to 1250 and 1500). The most tall statue moai weighs 82 tons.

Much of what we know about ancient civilizations today comes from archeology and written documents left to us as the legacy of the ancients. In some cases, artifacts can leave clues as to who the people who created the ancient monuments, now in ruins, were. But often we have more questions than answers.

Lake Michigan holds the secret of Stonehenge at the bottom

Historians, archaeologists, and geologists have many theories about the ruins on this list, but they are just theories. These ancient ruins have more questions than answers, and in some cases, experts are not even sure that they were created by human civilization on Earth.

STONEHENGE LAKE MICHIGAN.

In 2007, explorer Mark Holley was scouring the bottom of Lake Michigan looking for the cause of shipwrecks. Indeed, among other things, this place is considered an analogue of "". At the site of the study, he discovered that the lake harbors a structure similar to Stonehenge in its waters. 13 meters below the surface of the water are large stones arranged in a circular shape.

We do not know who built this structure and why it was built. Location mysterious building kept secret to follow the wishes of the Traverse Bay American Indian Community, who seek to keep the area a secret.

The stones do not look as great as we would like, but they are almost perfectly aligned with each other. At the same time, if they were laid out by people, then the circular rock formation should have appeared between 6,000 and 10,000 years.

Over 6,000 years ago, the Lake Michigan region was dry and home to hunter-gatherers. The reason why some suggest that education rocks may be older than 6000 years, associated with the image on one of outer rings mountain circle.

Underwater explorers have found a petroglyph clearly carved on a large granite block that looks like an ancient "mastodon" animal. The ancient elephant is a serious artifact in itself, as it disappeared about 10,000 years ago, so for ancient man who carved the animal had to live at the same time as the mastodon in order to meet.

On the other hand, some geologists claim that all formations are "built" in a natural way. Yonaguni is in an area prone to frequent earthquakes, which causes the sandstone to break down and the subsequent movement of the plates into exotic shapes.

Of course, it is very unusual to see so many of these types of formations in such a small area. But we have no evidence that Yonaguni's education is really the work of man, skeptics say.

GOBEKLI TEPE.

Göbekli Tepe is a unique archaeological site that has the potential to completely change the way historians and archaeologists understand human history.

Potbellied Hill (another name for Göbekli Tepe) challenges many of the assumptions made about hunter-gatherers who, after completing this phase of development, moved on to farming and raising livestock. Gobekli Tepe - ancient area, located in Turkey, but unlike the other ruins on our list, there is no doubt that it was man-made.

The area was discovered in 1963, and construction is now suspected places of worship began in the Mesolithic, stretching for several thousand years. Initially, researchers believed that this was an ancient human settlement. However, more than that, this is something more than a medieval burial.

In 1994, Klaus Schmidt came across an overview of Göbekli Tepe and decided to take a closer look at the ancient ruins. On the spot, he found out that limestone stones and slabs had the potential not only for tombstones, but also for T-pillars.

The ongoing excavation allowed the team of archaeologists to find massive columns that were buried under the surface. Studying amazing artifact will take about 50 years, experts believe. Schmidt, for example, suggested leaving most complex intact, preserving the construction of future generations of scientists, when archaeological tools should become more advanced.

The massive structure was created by placing a ring of massive 7-ton stone pillars on the ground. Another ring of stone pillars will be placed on top, continuing to create the gently sloping hill structure. The ruins date back 11,000 years and were created at a time when there were no settled inhabitants in the region.

An interesting structure would require a large number of people working for a long period of time. Bones found at the excavation site confirm that the builders hunted wild animals a lot.

Surprisingly, we see in this artifact the ability to create large structures. After all, in fact, the weight of some parts of the complex reaches 50 thousand tons! It is still not really clear how ancient people could handle such a huge weight of stones.

The researchers, comparing the images with the constellation map of that time, also concluded that around 10950 BC, a comet could have fallen to Earth. The image of a man without a head speaks of the numerous victims of a long-past event, scientists have suggested. In addition, for major disaster followed by a period from the end of the XI to the end of the X millennium BC, known as the "Late Dryas", marked by a sharp cooling.

Today, the archaeological site of Göbekli Tepe is known as the "Navel of the Earth". The huge temple complex on the Navel Mountain was erected in the pre-ceramic Neolithic era, dating back 12 thousand years. Indeed, this oldest structure on a planet older than Stonehenge and the first Egyptian pyramids. The monument is not just a heritage of ancestors, it shows us how little we know about ancient civilizations and amazing technologies of ancient people.

Original taken from geogen_mir in MYSTERIES OF CIVILIZATION. Ancient ruins in paintings and engravings by Sebastian and Marco Riccia

Original taken from by_enigma in The ruins of an ancient civilization in the paintings and engravings of Sebastiano Ricci and Marco Ricci

Hubert Robert, Panini Giovanni Paolo and, of course, Piranesi Giovanni are recognized masters of painting. However, there were painters little known to us who also painted the ruined legacy of previous civilizations. It was with such artists that I wanted to introduce you. Meet Sebastiano Ricci and Marco Ricci.

My remarks: People very often post collections like this without understanding their hidden meaning. As far as I understand, the artists who painted these paintings lived at the end of the 17th century. And Italy is depicted in the paintings of their time. And what do we see? And we see "ancient" Rome. Just this one" ancient world"No more than 100 years old. If not less. Pay attention to the statues, they are painted almost intact in the paintings. With rare exceptions. Only the heads are torn off. the statues have been preserved. The material from which they are made is stronger than the one from which the houses were built? But one way or another, we can safely date "ancient" Rome to the 16th century. By the way, in the next picture and the last one, the pyramids are very clearly visible. But the current archaeologists will dig up such ruins and, how to drink, they will attribute them to the time before the birth of Christ.
In general, all this converges with my research on this matter. The history known to us began in Europe somewhere in the 15th century. And all the antiquities from there, from the Middle Ages. Although what kind of Middle Ages is it?
I wrote a comment here:We have an abandoned building from 1986. it was not completed. Bushes and trees like those sprouted on it. what's in the pictures. And thicker birch trees grow nearby than here. This is despite the fact that Belarus is not Italy. Our trees grow slowly. The ruins according to the structure of damage to buildings are not destroyed by time and not by local marauders. There is no "cultural layer" on the ground under the buildings. I believe that the artists painted the destruction that occurred during their lifetime..

Many historical monuments, which has worldwide fame, is impossible to see today for a number of reasons. You can spend holidays in Istanbul, Rome and Athens, exploring the ancient ruins and monuments that have survived to this day and, in addition, enjoy the beauties of modern times. We offer an overview of cities whose streets are no longer walkable, but you can still get to know them.

Those for whom history and mythology are not empty words know that there were legendary cities, the glory of which far exceeds the glory of Rome or Athens. But, unfortunately, they disappeared from the face of the Earth and remained only in legends. The location of some of them can be calculated thanks to modern technologies. If these cities had survived to this day, then today they would probably be the most developed and beautiful in the world. In many cases, we have the opportunity to visit the ruins of the legendary metropolises and get acquainted with the features of architecture, building materials and engineering of that time.

The ancient city of Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians, on the territory of modern Tunisia, under the rule of the legendary queen Elissa, or Dido. The city was a large, prosperous center of the region. For this reason, the rulers of Syracuse and Rome looked at him with envy.
The city survived the war with Rome, but in 698 BC. was destroyed during the Muslim invasion. At one time, Carthage, with its hills, the Forum, houses decorated with mosaics and paved streets, was the pearl of the Mediterranean.

14. Troy

Troy - legendary city, sung in the epic works of Homer ("Iliad" and "Odyssey"), played an important role in history during the 12th-14th centuries BC. e. Archaeologists carefully and carefully examined layer by layer during the excavations of the city (today it is located in Turkey). Its ruins have stood for thousands of years and thanks to them we can imagine what the city was like in its best years.

The ancient city of Tikal is located deep in the jungles of Guatemala. Once it was the capital of one of the powerful and warlike state of one of the Mayan tribes. The city was founded in the 4th century BC. and existed until 200-900 AD. Excavations have shown that Tikal had many monuments, temples and palaces, and the city itself was a center of art and architecture. In addition, there were many pyramids in it, decorated with faces of gods carved from stone and other images.

Memphis was founded in 3100 B.C. during the reign of the first Egyptian dynasty. At one time, the city was a fortress that controlled land and water routes between Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta. The city later became religious center and a thriving capital beautiful temples and works of art. majestic temple, royal palaces and a statue of Ramses II - all this was in the center of the ancient city. The ruins exist today and beckon with their mystery, but this is only a small part of the greatness of the whole city.

11. Babylon and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Iraq)

The capital of the Mesopotamian Empire, Babylon was known for its luxury and innovation. Today, its ruins are located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq, and the Babylonian Hanging Gardens are generally considered one of the seven wonders of the world, although there is not a single material confirmation of this fact. The legend associated with the Hanging Gardens tells that King Nebuchadnezzar II built them for his wife, who missed her homeland, located in a mountainous region. The gardens were located in the middle of the desert on terraces, which were watered thanks to a specially built irrigation system. If the gardens existed today, they would be one of the most desirable attractions and a real paradise on earth.

Ctesiphon was the capital of the ancient Persian Empire and was located on the banks of the Tigris River in what is now Iraq. It could be another incredible city with masterpieces of architecture and technology. One of the sights of the city is an amazing, from the point of view of ancient construction technologies, vaulted wall, which was located above the massive and grandiose throne room. Today it is the largest brick arch in the world.

Located in the Indus River Valley, which today flows through the territory of Pakistan, the city of Mohenjo-Daro was built in 2600 BC. and was not inferior in size to the Greek and Egyptian cities of that period.
The ruins testify to the masterpiece of engineering solutions in the construction of entire residential complexes, shops and streets.

A unique ancient city, which is located on the territory of the same name national park in the USA, surprises with more than 600 dwellings built by the Anasazi people from stone, wood and limestone in the rocks. Massive rocks have become home to 100 inhabitants. To get to these houses, you need to climb stairs. If the city were inhabited today, it would be one of the unique places in the world.

Imagine a city with 1001 churches among picturesque hills. Such a city existed and was called Ani, now it is the territory of modern Turkey. It was the capital of the Armenian kingdom in the 10th century. Until now, the ruins of these churches are being explored, and each time they surprise with the richness of the decor and unique architectural style. The city of Ani has always been a rival of the mighty Constantinople in terms of population.

The city of the god Amun, the god of the Sun, Thebes was buried in luxury, splendor worthy of the gods. The ruins of the legendary Thebes, witnesses former luxury, and today impress visitors. Tutankhamun's tomb is located in Thebes. During its prosperity, talented artists lived in the city, who painted the walls of the tombs with frescoes, carved images from stone and sculpted statues. Thebes took pride in the pomp of the streets, adorned with many statues, some of which have survived to this day, having stood for thousands of years.

Vijayanagar, whose ruins are today in India, was one of the most big cities world with a population of 500,000 people. At one time it was the capital of the Vijayanagar Empire, which was located in southern India. The city at that time contained impressive religious buildings and sculptures, among which were majestic temples some of which have survived to this day. caves, running water, community centers And temple complexes were located in all parts of the city.

The city of Persepolis, is the territory of modern Iran, was built for a century, and, judging by the ruins, all this was not in vain, since, obviously, during its heyday (for two centuries) the city was luxurious, and today it would be one of the most beautiful. A huge building was built in Persepolis architectural complex with carved statues of slaves, kings and other figures of the Persian Empire. In addition, majestic royal palaces with columns and large halls were built in the city. Unfortunately big royal palace was burned by Alexander the Great, who wanted to destroy the Persian kingdom.

Palenque is another powerful Mayan city-state located in the Valley of Mexico, which impresses with its architecture and engineering solutions. Although the city was abandoned about a thousand years ago, its ruins have survived to this day and are amazing with the grandeur of massive platforms, palaces, squares and sports arenas. The city had tap water thanks to the aqueducts that have survived to this day - in other words, living in the city was comfortable, unless, of course, traditional human sacrifices are taken into account.

Petra is the city made famous by the Indiana Jones trilogy. The city is literally carved out of pink stone right in the rock, today it is the territory of Jordan. In Petra, who stood on trade route from Asia to Arabia, traded in silk and spices, thanks to which the city flourished. Today, no one lives in the city, but at one time 30,000 people lived in the city, and 10,000 people constantly visited the settlement during their journey, including Bedouins and merchants.

The ancient city of Angkor, whose ruins now jut out like an island from the forests and farm fields of modern Cambodia, was once proud luxury buildings and a million inhabitants, which made it the most big city pre-industrial period in the world. In the 9th-15th centuries, the city was often visited. At 400 square kilometers there were temples, huge and neatly carved statues. Especially popular today famous temple Angkor with the famous luxurious decor.