Ancient ruins, like The Parthenon in Athens and Mexico’s Pyramid of the Sun, can teach us about the past, architectural building techniques and how civilization flourished. However, views of these ancient architectural wonders are firmly based in their current state of ruin, leaving it to visitors to imagine their once glorious designs.

And because ancient ruins can’t compare to the real deal, historical reconstructions of these architectural wonders are key to a fuller understanding of the cultures that created them. Now, thanks to a collaboration with Expedia, NeoMam and This is Render, they reconstruct these ruins using animated GIFs. Both stunning and educational, these GIFS act as animated flip books, showing the vibrant colours that once adorned the facade of famous ancient ruins from around the world.

Whether you’ve visited these sites previously or they’re on your bucket list, these animated GIFs are a fantastic way to pay homage to the skills and ingenuity of historical societies. Take a look:

The Parthenon

Visited by millions of people each year, this ancient Greek temple is nowhere near its true beauty; not since incurring serious damage in the 17th century Great Turkish War.

Nohoch Mul Pyramid (Coba)

Having been left to the jungle for nearly five centuries, the 2,000-year-old Nohoch Mul has lost much of its original splendour. The adventurous can still climb the 120 steps to the top of the world’s second biggest Mayan pyramid; though the path is somewhat eroded and require a lightness of foot.

Temple of Jupiter

Before the Roman town was consumed by a volcano, it was the hub of religious life in Pompeii. Today, there’s not much left of this temple to the god of the sky and thunder. Pompeii is worth a good long visit for a glimpse back through time at how the Romans lived. You can now witness the might of the original temple at its best in this fascinating animated reconstruction.

Milecastle 39 (Hadrian’s Wall)

Roman Emperor Hadrian built a wall stretching 80 miles coast-to-coast from the banks of the River Tyne to the Solway Firth on the Irish Sea. This was the northernmost limit of the Roman Empire.

Luxor Temple

The now ancient ruins of the Luxor Temple were built by Amenhotep III in 1380 BC. They were revitalized by Rameses II a century later. It remains a stunning place to visit today, although many of Rameses’ decorations are long gone. However, you can still see the granite shrine dedicated to Alexander the Great, obelisks and architraves, and get a sense of the incredible scale.

The Pyramid of the Sun

The biggest building in Teotihuacán remains a site of mystery today. Archaeologists know very little about who lived there, only that they built the first advanced civilization in the region between 1300-1900 years ago… and then disappeared.

Area Sacra di Largo Argentina – Temple B

In Rome 101 BC, Quintus Lutacius Catulus built the structure. It was demarcated Aedes Fortunae Huiusce Diei, or more accurately Temple B since its rediscovery in 1926. Today it’s overrun with feral cats.

Source: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/03/ancient-ruins-reconstructed-with-architectural-gifs/
Images: https://viewfinder.expedia.com/features/7-ancient-ruins-around-world-reconstructed/