Explore the diverse breathtaking moments From urban streets to remote landscapes across the globe

Qajar-era photographs of the Tomb of Cyrus the Great reveals that the structure was once part of a larger complex. A gate and several columns can be seen, confirming that when it was built in 540 BC, there was an enclosed ceremonial area with a formal entrance path leading up to the tomb.

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Qajar-era photographs of the Tomb of Cyrus the Great reveals that the structure was once part of a larger complex. A gate and several columns can be seen, confirming that when it was built in 540 BC, there was an enclosed ceremonial area with a formal entrance path leading up to the tomb.

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Temple of Artemis Propylaeum from the Cardo. Gerasa, 150 AD, Jordan. Built during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius, it was part of a large complex that included east and west Propylaea, grand staircases, a temenos, and the temple itself, which was never finished...

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Temple of Artemis Propylaeum from the Cardo. Gerasa, 150 AD, Jordan. Built during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius, it was part of a large complex that included east and west Propylaea, grand staircases, a temenos, and the temple itself, which was never finished...

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Chateau de Sully-sur-Loire is a castle, constructed along several centuries, converted to a palatial seigneurial residence, in Loiret, France. It is a chateau-fort, a true castle surrounded with a defensive moat, built to control one of the few sites where the Loire can be forded.

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Chateau de Sully-sur-Loire is a castle, constructed along several centuries, converted to a palatial seigneurial residence, in Loiret, France. It is a chateau-fort, a true castle surrounded with a defensive moat, built to control one of the few sites where the Loire can be forded.

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Tarawasi, built in 1438–1471 CE, served as an important Incan ceremonial-religious center in Limatambo, Peru. The site is famous for its building techniques, especially evident on the largest platform where walls are constructed in a cellular style with intricately carved andesite stones

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Tarawasi, built in 1438–1471 CE, served as an important Incan ceremonial-religious center in Limatambo, Peru. The site is famous for its building techniques, especially evident on the largest platform where walls are constructed in a cellular style with intricately carved andesite stones

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A picture of the Minoan Palace of Minos in Crete, and a reconstruction of the palace as it may have appeared in its heyday. Built between 1900-1350 BCE, the palace was a complex of buildings which served as a combination religious and administrative centre rather than a royal residence

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A picture of the Minoan Palace of Minos in Crete, and a reconstruction of the palace as it may have appeared in its heyday. Built between 1900-1350 BCE, the palace was a complex of buildings which served as a combination religious and administrative centre rather than a royal residence

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Ancient Greek Kithara reconstruction. The Kithara was similar to a Lyre but larger and more complex. It was Associated with the god Apollo who was patron of Musicians. Museum of Ancient Greek Musical Instruments, Katakolon, Greece.

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Ancient Greek Kithara reconstruction. The Kithara was similar to a Lyre but larger and more complex. It was Associated with the god Apollo who was patron of Musicians. Museum of Ancient Greek Musical Instruments, Katakolon, Greece.

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The 18th century buildings of Arles share the urban landscape with a Roman amphitheater built in 90 aD. With the fall of the Western Empire, the amphitheatre was transformed into a fortress with four towers. The structure encircled more than 200 houses, becoming a real town...

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The 18th century buildings of Arles share the urban landscape with a Roman amphitheater built in 90 aD. With the fall of the Western Empire, the amphitheatre was transformed into a fortress with four towers. The structure encircled more than 200 houses, becoming a real town...

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An antique bronze plateau was laid in an Etruscan tomb from the 7th century BCE. Interestingly, the bowl has a strange figure scratched at the bottom. The object was admired by the author of the photo in Great Palaestra in Pompeii .

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An antique bronze plateau was laid in an Etruscan tomb from the 7th century BCE. Interestingly, the bowl has a strange figure scratched at the bottom. The object was admired by the author of the photo in Great Palaestra in Pompeii .

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The 5000-year-old archaeological site of Montegrande, in Peru, is a spiral enclosure that is believed to have been a ceremonial temple, with a tomb beneath it of someone important, possibly a healer or a priest, if it follows the pattern of the sites in Palanda and San Isidro

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The 5000-year-old archaeological site of Montegrande, in Peru, is a spiral enclosure that is believed to have been a ceremonial temple, with a tomb beneath it of someone important, possibly a healer or a priest, if it follows the pattern of the sites in Palanda and San Isidro

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The west portals of the massive Strasbourg Cathedral in France . Built between 1015 and 1439 CE, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture

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The west portals of the massive Strasbourg Cathedral in France . Built between 1015 and 1439 CE, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture

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A drone photo of Fort 9, with the canal-lined Great Gorgan Wall visible on the right. Built in the 5th or 6th century CE by the Sasanian Empire in Iran, the wall is 195 km long and 6–10 m wide, and features over 30 fortresses spaced at intervals of between 10 and 50 km

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A drone photo of Fort 9, with the canal-lined Great Gorgan Wall visible on the right. Built in the 5th or 6th century CE by the Sasanian Empire in Iran, the wall is 195 km long and 6–10 m wide, and features over 30 fortresses spaced at intervals of between 10 and 50 km

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The South Gate of Angkor Thom, built in the 12th century leads to the Bayon temple, part of the larger Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia. It is lined with stone figures depicting mythical beings

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The South Gate of Angkor Thom, built in the 12th century leads to the Bayon temple, part of the larger Angkor Archaeological Park in Cambodia. It is lined with stone figures depicting mythical beings

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Athena Parthenos Chiaramonti, colossal head of Athena, Rome, late 1st century CE. Found together with an arm and a foot, it was part of an acrolith statue believed to be a copy of an original from the circle of Phidias

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Athena Parthenos Chiaramonti, colossal head of Athena, Rome, late 1st century CE. Found together with an arm and a foot, it was part of an acrolith statue believed to be a copy of an original from the circle of Phidias

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While preparing for construction of a housing development in Stuttgart, Germany, an ancient horse cemetery with more than 100 burials was discovered that was used by the Roman cavalry unit stationed nearby in the second century C.E.

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While preparing for construction of a housing development in Stuttgart, Germany, an ancient horse cemetery with more than 100 burials was discovered that was used by the Roman cavalry unit stationed nearby in the second century C.E.

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A photograph from 1911 showing the excavation of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis in Turkey. Construction of the temple, which is the fourth largest Ionic temple in the world, began around 334 BCE, soon after Alexander the Great liberated Sardis from the Persians

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A photograph from 1911 showing the excavation of the Temple of Artemis at Sardis in Turkey. Construction of the temple, which is the fourth largest Ionic temple in the world, began around 334 BCE, soon after Alexander the Great liberated Sardis from the Persians

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The ruins of the Jerwan aqueduct in Iraq, constructed of more than 2 million dressed stones and using stone arches and waterproof cement. The aqueduct is part of the larger Atrush Canal built by the Assyrian king Sennacherib between 703-690 BCE to water Ninevah's extensive gardens

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The ruins of the Jerwan aqueduct in Iraq, constructed of more than 2 million dressed stones and using stone arches and waterproof cement. The aqueduct is part of the larger Atrush Canal built by the Assyrian king Sennacherib between 703-690 BCE to water Ninevah's extensive gardens

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The Nag Hammadi library are 12 leather-bound papyrus codices, dated to the 4th century CE, that were found buried in a sealed jar in Egypt. They contain 52 Gnostic treatises, 3 works belonging to the Corpus Hermeticum, and a partial translation/alteration of Plato's Republic

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The Nag Hammadi library are 12 leather-bound papyrus codices, dated to the 4th century CE, that were found buried in a sealed jar in Egypt. They contain 52 Gnostic treatises, 3 works belonging to the Corpus Hermeticum, and a partial translation/alteration of Plato's Republic

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The Ranganathaswamy Hindu Temple in Srirangam, India, is the world’s largest active religious complex, spanning 156 acres on an island in the Kaveri River. Built and renovated between the 10th and 20th centuries, it has 7 concentric enclosures, 21 towers, and a 953-pillared hall

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The Ranganathaswamy Hindu Temple in Srirangam, India, is the world’s largest active religious complex, spanning 156 acres on an island in the Kaveri River. Built and renovated between the 10th and 20th centuries, it has 7 concentric enclosures, 21 towers, and a 953-pillared hall

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The grave of Warawara, a young-adult female ceremoniously interred with a hunting toolkit 9,000 years ago at the site of Wilamaya Patjxa in Peru. The bottom picture is a reconstruction based on archaeological findings, rock art, and other archaeological evidence from the region

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The grave of Warawara, a young-adult female ceremoniously interred with a hunting toolkit 9,000 years ago at the site of Wilamaya Patjxa in Peru. The bottom picture is a reconstruction based on archaeological findings, rock art, and other archaeological evidence from the region

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Alternate colonnade, Mont-Saint-Michell abbey cloister, 12th century, France. Contrary to tradition, the cloister was neither built at the center of the building nor enclosed, but on the side, and with wide windows to the landscape far below. The view surely helped relax and meditate

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Alternate colonnade, Mont-Saint-Michell abbey cloister, 12th century, France. Contrary to tradition, the cloister was neither built at the center of the building nor enclosed, but on the side, and with wide windows to the landscape far below. The view surely helped relax and meditate

ARTIFACT / Photography