Conclusion famous buildings and structures of antiquity. even time recedes before these giant man-made structures. The oldest buildings in the world
Today people look at giant skyscrapers and consider them the pinnacle of human engineering. At the same time, many are not even aware of technological miracles. ancient history- buildings and temples, which, it would seem, could not be built at that distant time.
In this review, little-known examples of amazing ancient buildings.
1. Pueblo Bonito. USA
Located in northwestern New Mexico, the settlement of Pueblo Bonito is the largest and most famous example of the "palace village" built by the Anasazi culture. The settlement began to be built in the first half of the 10th century AD, and completed only 180 years later. At its peak, Pueblo Bonito had about 800 separate buildings, some of which were as many as five stories high. The ancient settlement was first discovered in 1849 by US Army Lieutenant James H. Simpson. Since then, Pueblo Bonito has become one of the most excavated and explored archaeological sites in the southwestern United States. Unfortunately, a number of structures were damaged when part of the rock behind the settlement collapsed. What is especially interesting is that many mysterious petroglyphs were found in Pueblo Bonito, made somewhere at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century.2. Chatal. Turkey
The ancient settlement of Chatal, discovered in the south of Turkey, according to modern scientists, existed from 7500 BC. until about 5700 BC It was built by an unknown Neolithic culture, which scientists believe was highly developed at that time. Excavations have been ongoing since the discovery of Chatal in the late 1950s by British archaeologist James Mellaart. A number of interesting objects have been found, including (presumably) the earliest famous map and some of the highest quality daggers of the period. Houses in Chatal have one intriguing feature: they do not have doors, and you had to enter the house through the roof, climbing the stairs. In addition, the dead in this ancient settlement were buried under the floors of houses, in particular under the hearths.
3. Lokmariake. France
The French region of Brittany is famous for its group of the largest prehistoric European megaliths. The dimensions of the largest megalith, created around 4500 BC, are almost 21 meters long and weigh between 200 and 280 tons. Today, no one will know why this megalith, known as the "Fairy Stone", was broken millennia ago. Perhaps this happened as a result of an earthquake, but most likely people did it. What is especially striking is that the Fairy Stone was delivered in one piece. whole piece from a quarry more than 10 kilometers away. How this was done is unknown.
4. Colossi of Memnon. Egypt
Built as a memorial to Pharaoh Amenhotep III and placed near his now ruined temple, the Colossi of Memnon are a pair of statues 23 meters high. Also on these statues (to be more precise, at the foot of the thrones of the statues) you can find reliefs of the wife, daughter and mother of Amenhotep. The statues were named after Memnon, the hero of the Trojan War. There was a legend that before the statues were damaged by an earthquake, the northern statue made a sound resembling a bell ringing in the morning (possibly due to rising temperatures). The Egyptians believed that this sound expressed the approval of the gods.
5. Pillar of Pompey. Egypt
Pompey's Pillar was erected as a memorial to the Roman Emperor Diocletian after he put down a rebellion in Alexandria. It is often mistakenly believed that it was built in honor of the Roman consul Gnaeus Pompey the Great, but the inscription on its base clearly indicates that the pillar was made in honor of Diocletian by the people of Alexandria. The story that when Pompey was defeated by Julius Caesar and fled from Rome to Egypt, he was killed in Alexandria, and his head was placed in a burial vessel on top of the pillar (thus giving the pillar its name) is a myth. The 27-meter pillar was built during the fourth century AD and was once part of the temple of the Roman god Serapis, which was subsequently destroyed.
6. Dolmen Menga. Spain
Dating back to around 2000 BC, the Menga dolmen (also known as Cueva de Menga) is a large megalithic burial mound located in southern Spain. The rows of burial chambers (their walls, roof and pillars) were created from huge stone blocks weighing up to 180 tons. As for the name, the legend says that a leper named Menga settled inside the dolmen after her husband died. Archaeologists believe that this dolmen is the largest such structure in Europe, and several hundred different skeletons inside it may have belonged to the rulers of the culture that built Menga. However, who these builders were remains a mystery to this day.
7. Quirigua. Guatemala
Built by the Maya between 200 and 800 AD. The city of Quirigua contains wonderful examples of Mayan architecture, as well as some of the largest stelae (carved stone monuments) in existence. Only one "stele E" weighs an incredible 65 tons. Quirigua was abandoned around 900 AD, which was probably due to the decline of the jade trade.
8. Dur Sharrukin. Iraq
Dur Sharrukin, which means "Sargon's Fortress" in Akkadian, was built by the Assyrians sometime between 717 and 707 BC. in the northern part of present-day Iraq. The size of the city was almost 2.6 square kilometers, and of particular note in it were the temple of Nabu (the god of vegetation) and Royal Palace. However, the most interesting artifact, restored from the ruins, is an Assyrian bull - stone statue weighing about 40 tons. The city was abandoned shortly after its construction was completed because the king of Assyria, Sargon II, was killed in battle.
9. Hajar-Kim. Malta
Located in Malta, the megalithic temple complex of Hajar Qim is believed to have been built by a culture unknown to modern scholars between 3200 and 2500 BC. It is believed that this culture was destroyed as a result of famine or natural disaster. One of the earliest examples of religious beliefs can be found in Hajar Qim - a number of statues of the goddess of fertility have been preserved in the local temple. Interestingly, Hajar Kim was built hundreds of years earlier than Stonehenge.
10. Tiwanaku. Bolivia
The prehistoric capital of Tiwanaku culture, the city of Tiwanaku is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. He was originally small village, but in between 400 and 900 AD the city literally flourished and many of the largest stone structures V South America. However, suddenly the city was deserted around 1000 AD, most likely due to floods. In the end, the Tiwanaku civilization was conquered by the Incas. The city, once home to over a million people, was only rediscovered in 1876.
When people in the ancient world found gigantic ruins, they often thought that only the mythical Cyclopes could have built them. Today, as a rule, this is no longer believed, but the origin of many mysterious buildings from the past still causes a lot of controversy. No one knows who built them or even why.
1. Nan Madol
Nan Madol in Micronesia is an ancient city built on hundreds of tiny islands in the sea. Because of this, Nan Madol is often referred to as the "Venice of Pacific Ocean". The buildings and walls of the city are built from huge basalt and coral blocks. The very appearance of this city is associated with a myth among the locals. Two wizard brothers, Olisichpa and Olosokhpa, arrived from across the sea in a giant canoe. They sought to create a place to worship the god of the sea and the god of a good harvest. The first two attempts of the brothers to move the stones into the bay ended in failure. It wasn't until they used dragon magic to levitate giant blocks that they managed to build a city. The descendants of these early masters allegedly ruled the city until it was abandoned. Research is still ongoing today to figure out how Nan Madol was built, given that the locals, who lacked pulleys and metal tools, would have had to move 2,000 tons of stone a year for 400 years.
2. Teotihuacan
Some of the largest pre-Columbian structures in the Americas can be found in Teotihuacan. At one time, over 100,000 people lived in the city, making it one of the most big cities peace. Despite this, today scientists have no idea who founded Teotihuacan. It is believed to have been founded around 200 BC. - 1000 years before the rise of the Aztec empire. The city has many pyramids, the largest of which, the Pyramid of the Sun, is the third largest in the world. No less puzzling is why Big city was suddenly abandoned. Although many theories have been put forward, there is no evidence for any of them.
3 Puma Punku
Puma Punku is a megalithic complex in Bolivia that attracts a lot of attention from scientists. The blocks of stone that make up it are carved amazingly evenly and have perfectly round holes of unknown purpose. At the same time, the blocks temple complex weigh up to 130 tons and were mined in a quarry located at a distance of 80 km. How thousands of years ago they could do this is a mystery. Radiocarbon analysis showed that the complex was built around 530 AD.
4. Derinkuyu
In order to understand what Derinkuyu is, one must imagine that it is necessary to build a city for 20,000 people without modern technologies. Underground. 3000-4000 years ago. These underground cities is in modern Turkey, and Derinkuyu is the largest of them. Interestingly, the city was used as a refuge until at least 1923, but then it was completely forgotten and rediscovered only in the 1960s. It is worth noting that the structure of the local soil and rocks makes the construction of underground cities surprisingly easy. These rocks are soft enough to be carved into caves, yet strong enough to resist landslides.
5. Ggantija
Ggantija (meaning "tower of the giants" in Maltese) is a megalithic temple complex on the island of Malta. Local legend says that Ggantija was built by a giantess named Sasuna. She wore huge building stones on her head, some of which were over 5 meters long. Ggantija consists of three giant walled temples. Its construction began around 3600 BC, i.e. these temples are much older than the invention of metal tools and the wheel in Malta. Not surprisingly, subsequent generations thought that only giants could build the complex.
6. Great Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city that is the largest ruin in sub-Saharan Africa. Local legend says that it was here that the capital of the biblical Queen of Sheba was located. This is unlikely since the city was built and inhabited from the 6th to the 15th centuries. There is still debate about who built the Great Zimbabwe. This has been a politically fraught issue in the past, as the white Rhodesian government was unwilling to acknowledge that the developed city was built by indigenous peoples. Currently, most researchers believe that it was built by the ancestors of the Shona people. During its heyday, about 18,000 people lived in Great Zimbabwe, and the city was protected by walls 5 meters high.
7. Baalbek
The city of Baalbek in Lebanon reached its peak during the Roman Empire, but was famous in the region long before that. In the center of the Roman city stood three temples built in honor of Jupiter, Mercury and Venus. And at the base of the temple of Jupiter there is one mysterious feature - three giant stones, each weighing 800 tons. They are the largest stones ever used in construction.
8. Taulas of Menorca
On the island of Menorca you can find huge stone formations T-shaped, which are called "taula". These tauls, reaching a height of 3.7 meters, are made of a vertical pillar, on which a single stone lies horizontally on top. All tauls are surrounded by walls with a single entrance, and all but one are directed to the south. Scientists have established that they were created by the Talayot culture in 1000 BC. It is obvious that these stone monuments had some kind of ritual purpose, but what is a mystery.
9. Longue Caves
In the Chinese village of Longyu, from time immemorial, there has been a belief that the local ponds are bottomless. But until 1992, this was just a belief, until local decided not to drain one of the ponds. As a result, 27 giant underground grottoes were discovered. After their research, it was found that the 30-meter grottoes were created by hand about 2000 years ago. They were carved into hard rock and not connected to each other (some of them are separated only by thin stone walls). The purpose of these giant caves unknown.
10. Tomb of the first emperor of China
Most people know about the Terracotta Warriors. These thousands of statues were placed around the tomb of the emperor to guard him in death. Records indicate that the emperor was buried in a palace built for him under a hill. Today, a terracotta army (and far from all) has been excavated, and there is evidence of voids inside the hill where it was found. But Chinese government prohibited further excavations. Curiously, according to a Chinese historian, whole lakes and rivers of mercury await in the tomb of the person who discovered it.
Especially for those who are interested in antiquities,.
Hello 🙂
Every day, walking around the center of St. Petersburg, I pay attention to the sights of our city, which, of course, are familiar to everyone:
Saint Isaac's Cathedral,
Alexandria Pillar,
marble castle,
Engineering lock.
All of them were built a very long time ago, they cannot yet be classified as the oldest buildings, but a lot of time has passed, but they have not lost their attractiveness and beauty.
At the same time, if you just go deeper into the city, you can see buildings that can be called the most ancient buildings in appearance, although they were built several decades ago.
You can even not go far, every day, almost everywhere you can hear about dilapidated housing. It happens even when buying an apartment in a new house, the very next year flaws appear, because of which it is simply dangerous for life to be in these apartments.
I was wondering what the oldest buildings in the world?
The oldest buildings in the world
First of all, I want to express my gratitude to Alexander (his blog), the reader of my "".
It was discovered in 1975; bronze bracelets and ceramic buttons were found in it.
Currently, it has been completely restored and is open to the public. This is one of the symbols and main attractions of the city of Menorca.
The most ancient buildings - 8th place!
Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon, built in ancient city Mycenae (Greece) during bronze age about 1250 years BC, which is more than 3250 years ago and takes the 8th place in the ranking of the most ancient buildings in the world.
The Treasury of Atreus, due to its grandeur and monumental form, is one of the most impressive monuments preserved from Mycenaean Greece. For example, the lintels over the aisles weigh more than 120 tons!!!
The most ancient buildings - 7th place!
The city of Coral was inhabited approximately between 2600 BC. and 2000 BC. is more than 4600 years ago. And on its territory of 60 hectares there are 19 pyramids.
The most interesting thing is that during the archaeological excavations were found - necklace beads, musical instruments and much more, but there were absolutely no weapons. This means that this one of the most ancient cities was peaceful and most likely its inhabitants were engaged in trade.
The most ancient buildings - 6th place!
The Pyramid of Djoser in Egypt is the oldest stone building in the world.
It was erected before 3000 BC. - this is more than 4700 years ago and consisted of six steps located on top of each other. Overall Height the pyramid of Djoser is 62 meters.
The most ancient buildings - 5th place!
And again the mound. On line 5 of the top 10 ancient buildings in the world, I placed the Hulbjerg barrow, located on the southern tip of Langeland Island.
The most interesting thing is that Hulbjerg Tomb was built 5000 years ago. At the same time, it is completely assembled from 13 stone blocks precisely fitted to each other.
The most ancient buildings - 4th place!
Newgrange is a prehistoric monument under the protection of UNESCO and is located in County Meath, in the eastern part of Ireland, about one kilometer north of the River Boyne.
It was built around 3200 BC - that's over 5,100 years ago.
Today, Newgrange is a popular tourist attraction.
The walls of the passages are made up of large stone slabs, twenty-two of which are on the western side and twenty-one on the east. The height of the stone sides is on average about 1.5 meters in height; decorates many blocks.
The most ancient buildings - 3rd place!
With each line we are getting closer and closer to the first place. And we go deeper and deeper into history.
Monte d'Accoddi was built in the north of Sardinia, between Sassari and Porto Torres around 2700 - 2000 BC - that's about 5,200 years old.
The oldest buildings - 2nd place!
Knap of Howar - on the island of Papa Westray in Orkney (Scotland) approximately 5500 years ago in the period from 3700-2800 years. BC. a manor was built - This is the oldest stone house in Northern Europe.
The walls of the Knap of Howar are still standing and support a 1.6 m high cornice, and the stone furniture has also been preserved, which gives a vivid picture of life in this house. Fireplaces, beds, shelving were found almost intact. Just imagine - more than 5000 years have passed, and they are intact!
The most ancient buildings - 1st place!
Here, in fact, we got to the very ancient building our rating.
And his right is occupied Megalithic temples Malta is a series of prehistoric sites in Malta, seven of which are listed world heritage UNESCO.
Surprisingly, they were built (just think about it!!) more than 5.5 thousand years ago.
Archaeologists believe that these megalithic complexes are the result of local innovations in the process of cultural evolution. The temples were erected between 3600-3000 BC. BC, which were fully operational and in use until 2500 BC.
Perhaps you can suggest your options in the comments?
“Well, here we are. Well, let's take a dip. Well, let's have a cocktail. So, what is next? What do we do?" Familiar? If yes - congratulations, you belong to the same type of people who can not sit still. Well, if, besides, limp reclining in deck chairs inspires you as little as strong-willed surfing, then you are completely one of their small, but elite class of aesthetes, greedy for art and architecture.
Admit it, you simply cannot look at Dali's creations without trembling in your knees, the Acropolis brings you into a state close to prayerful ecstasy, and the streets of old Prague almost drive you crazy. Congratulations, you are an "excursion-oriented, ordinary tourist."
All salt excursion tourism lies in the fact that it quietly coexists with beach holiday, and with skiing, as, indeed, with any other. One does not exclude the other, rather, it complements.
However, there are also whole tours dedicated to sightseeing of cities and capitals, antiquities and natural wonders all five continents. Such trips are usually chosen by individuals who are married to art or simply greedy for it in a good way, and people who want to see the world on vacation, and not just a couple of paradise, but completely identical atolls.
But, in order to be as honest with yourself as possible, it is still necessary to say that a “naked” excursion will not give you much pleasure - only a messy cocktail of porticoes and rotundas, dozens of museum halls and thousand-year-old ruins will remain in your head.
When choosing a program, do not chase the number of attractions - in the end, go on a trip again. Choose a moderate pace - richly sprinkle excursions with rest, and get the most vivid and fresh impressions.
Leisure destinations
Classic: Europe. The main impact of the excursion element usually falls on Mother Europe with its Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and other ancient medieval joys. Tours in Europe, which, as you know, are not so great, often cover more than one country. Sometimes tours include visiting world-famous attractions - such as, for example, Versailles in France, the Colosseum in Italy, the Acropolis in Greece. Sometimes there are guided tours exclusively little known places, sometimes - highly specialized tours are organized, for example, in baroque architecture or in temple construction.
ancient civilizations. The second number in the popularity rating are countries that grew up on the ruins of ancient civilizations - Egypt, India, China, Chile, Peru, Mexico. Obviously, such tours take second place not in terms of tourist interest, but in terms of remoteness, expressed not so much in geographical terms as in terms of money. Ancient civilizations that have monuments that take us not even centuries, but millennia, are surprisingly mysterious and therefore alluring. The further into the dust of time - the more secrets, to which, as you know, no one can remain indifferent.
Exotics and ecology. Ancient civilizations are followed by countries with exotic landscapes and landscapes - the Australian Great barrier reef, US lakes, Nigerian waterfalls, fantastic nature Galapagos. All this is really unusual. Amazing. Almost unrealistic.
Way of life. Next come countries with an unusual way of life - that is, any place on the planet whose existence is different from our multi-story panel existence. Tunisian Berbers living in caves Arab countries with its unconditional and bewitching adherence to the laws of the Koran, Japanese culture and American Indian culture. For a civilized person, which, obviously, is the whole excursion-amateur tribe, such differences cause only admiration - at least from an understanding of how diverse the life of people on this planet can be.
Excursion Russia. Well, native Russia closes the top five directions-leaders. The expanses of our country are huge: 9 climatic zones and the same number of time zones mountain ranges, hills, deep rivers, tens and hundreds of natural wonders - Avacha Bay, Kungur ice cave, Krasnoyarsk pillars, Uzon caldera... it would be impossible to list them all. And then, there is also the magnificent architecture of our cities - Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, the luxury of folk crafts - Suzdal, Semenov, Gus-Khrustalny. Russia is inexhaustible, great and magnificent, besides, in comparison with all of the above, it is quite budgetary.
According to experts, architecture structures appeared long before our era. The ancient structures preserved on our planet are amazing, they amaze the imagination. Find out what are the most ancient buildings in the world. Buildings that have come down to us ancient world completely different from the structures of modern architecture.
Who built ancient buildings, for what purpose, and by what technology, how they have survived to this day - all these questions arise when you see the structures of the ancient world. Further more about the most interesting buildings of that period.
The Bugon Necropolis is the oldest surviving building
The oldest building in the world is located in the Bougon Necropolis, which was discovered in France on the banks of the Bougon River in the first half of the nineteenth century. Extensive excavations were carried out there in the late sixties of the last century. The necropolis consists of five megalithic burial mounds dating back to the Neolithic era. As a result of the excavations, it turned out that the oldest building of this complex was built in 4800 BC. e.
Skara Brae - the remains of the oldest settlement in Scotland
Ten houses built in what is now Scotland in 2500 B.C. e. are the oldest structures in Europe. This settlement is called Skara Brae. It is located on the islands. All houses are perfectly preserved, thanks to which scientists have found out how ancient people lived. According to the researchers, the dwellings were well equipped - they had water supply, heating, covered passages.
Greater Zimbabwe- one of ancient structures on the ground
IN South Africa the oldest and at the same time the most big building considered Great Zimbabwe. This building appeared in the eleventh century, its population was at least eighteen thousand people. Scientists do not know why Great Zimbabwe was abandoned in the fifteenth century. The height of the ancient ruins reaches eleven meters. All structures were erected using the dry masonry method - granite slabs are laid in rows. This is surprising, since the standard material of Africa of that period was wood and clay.
The Pyramid of Djoser at Sakar is the oldest of the Egyptian pyramids.
In two thousand six hundred and fifty BC. e. In Egypt, the pyramid of Djoser was built by the architect Imhotep. As you know, this is the most old pyramid in Egypt and one of the oldest buildings in the world. Its height is sixty-two meters.
Mamertine Dungeon - one of the oldest prisons
The Mamertine dungeon was erected in Rome not far from capitol hill even before n. e. in the year five hundred and seventy-eight. Criminals were kept there, and many of them were innocent. It was in this prison that Saints Peter and Paul ended their lives.
Temple of Queen Hatshepsut famous building ancient world
work ancient architecture, in excellent condition that has survived to this day, is the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. He is in Egypt. The year of construction is not known for certain, presumably 1473 BC. e. Even now we can say that the architect who created the temple is a genius.
