ancient monument
Old stone memorial
An ancient monument is a historically significant structure or site, typically prehistoric or medieval, that is officially protected from damage or alteration.
The term is primarily British and legal, covering everything from standing stones to ruined abbeys: Stonehenge is perhaps Britain's most famous ancient monument.
Despite the name, some designated ancient monuments are only a few centuries old.
Act of unearthing
- digUnearth by shoveling
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- carbon datingIsotope-based age measurement
fieldwork · ceramics · lithics · potsherd · trowel · context · epigraphy · numismatics
Prehistoric megalithic circle
- pyramidPointed polyhedral solid
- ColosseumFlavian arena in Rome
- AcropolisFortified hilltop in Athens
- SphinxMythic creature posing puzzles
Parthenon · Angkor Wat · Machu Picchu · Petra · Taj Mahal · Great Wall · Chichen Itza · Hagia Sophia
Persisting through time
- eternalLasting without end
- agelessWithout apparent deterioration
- millenniaThousand-year periods
- centuriesHundred-year periods
time-worn · immortal · prehistoric · primordial · antediluvian · venerable · storied · legendary
Breaking down gradually
- overgrownExcessively covered in vegetation
- collapsedFell inward suddenly
- weatheredEroded by exposure
- erodedGradually degraded by elements
dilapidated · abandoned · forgotten · rubble · foundations · remnants · fragments · derelict
Cultural arm of UN
- World HeritageUNESCO-protected significant sites
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- landmarkNotable point of reference
national treasure · cultural · safeguarding · protection · custodian · restoration · designation · patrimony
excavation
Act of unearthing
- digUnearth by shoveling
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
carbon dating · fieldwork · ceramics · lithics · potsherd · trowel · context · epigraphy · numismatics · prehistoric
Stonehenge
Prehistoric megalithic circle
Sphinx · Parthenon · Angkor Wat · Machu Picchu · Petra · Taj Mahal · Great Wall · Chichen Itza · Hagia Sophia · Pompeii
enduring
Persisting through time
centuries · time-worn · immortal · prehistoric · primordial · antediluvian · venerable · storied · legendary · mythic
crumbling
Breaking down gradually
eroded · dilapidated · abandoned · forgotten · rubble · foundations · remnants · fragments · derelict · skeletal
UNESCO
Cultural arm of UN
- World HeritageUNESCO-protected significant sites
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
landmark · national treasure · cultural · safeguarding · protection · custodian · restoration · designation · patrimony · stewardship
ancient monumentnew construction
new build · modern architecture · skyscraper · shopping mall · modern skyscraper
ancient monumentdemolition site
Area of active destruction
temporary structure · condemned building · tent · makeshift shelter
ancient, antique, monument, ancestor, ancestry, ancestors, ancestral, antiquity, monuments