As amazing as it is to wander through the amazing ruins of the ancient world, it can be hard to visualize what they might have looked like in all of their painted, jewel-encrusted fineries. Luckily, one of the cool things we can do these days with digital devices is to re-imagine and digitally restore these old buildings, allowing people to get a glimpse of what they might have looked like brand-new.
These images are awe-inspiring, truly, and I, for one, wish once again that time travel were possible.
#5. Lower Terrace, Masada (Masada, Israel)
Josephus Flavius, a governor of Galilee and Roman historian, told of the fortress of Masada that was built by Herod the Great between 37 and 31 B.C.E. The ruins stand atop an isolated rock cliff overlooking the Dead Sea, which is beautiful on its own, and featured three terraces.
The image only imagines what the lower terrace, reserved for entertainment and relaxation, would have looked like in its heyday, covered by frescoes and gilded columns.
#4. Domus Aurea Octagonal Court (Rome, Italy)
Emperor Nero’s “Golden House” was constructed between 65 and 68 C.E. and played host to his lavish parties and banquets. Roman historian Suetonius describes the building as a “circular banquet hall which revolved incessantly, day and night, like the heavens” and also goes into detail regarding gem-encrusted walls, ivory and mother-of-pearl decorations, and ceilings that showered guests with flowers and perfumes.
The following image was created from his account.
#3. Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
This complex housed a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu and took around 30 years to construct. At the end of the 12th century it was converted to a Buddhist temple and is one of the world’s largest religious buildings. The massive building is home to elevated towers, porches, and different levels of courtyards linked by a series of stairways.
#2. The Parthenon (Athens, Greece)
The Parthenon was built in the mid-5th century and housed a golden statue of Athena. It was over 12 meters high and contained about 1,140 kilos of gold and ivory.
#1. Roman Baths (Bath, England)
The bathhouse was constructed around 70C.E., as the baths were an important part of life in Ancient Rome. Citizens congregated there to mingle, gossip, and relax in the geothermally heated water. The roof is long gone, but it was originally an impressively high and barrel-vaulted.
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