Ancient ruins

Pompeii Bath House (by photosparks1)

Balnuaran of Clava - A group of 3 Bronze Age cairns which lie close together in a line running from north east to south west. The central cairn is the sub-type ring cairn which encloses an apparently unroofed area with no formal means of access from the outside. The cairns incorporate cup and ring mark stones, carved before they were built into the structures. They are east of Iverness in Scotland

Morocco | Pair of gold, emerald and enamel earrings | 18th century

Another amazing thing about Inca stonework: the incredible precision with which they fit these stones together. They were so tightly fit that you could not get the point of a paper-thin knife between two stones... which were fit together without mortar... Astounding! The "small stone" at the centre of this image is actually long and thin, going right back through the thickness of the wall, and fitting perfectly all the way. More in the Cusco & Machu Picchu set.

The Villa of the Mysteries or Villa dei Misteri is a well preserved ruin of a Roman Villa which lies some 400 metres northwest of Pompeii, southern Italy. Although covered with metres of ash and other volcanic material, the villa sustained only minor damage in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, and the majority of its walls, ceilings, and most particularly its frescoes survived largely undamaged.

Château Gaillard, Les Andelys overlooking the River Seine, in the Eure département of historical Normandy, now Upper Normandy, France.... www.castlesandmanorhouses.com ... Construction began in 1196 under the auspices of Richard the Lionheart, King of England and Duke of Normandy. The castle was built in just two years, at the same time the town of Petit Andely. It has a complex and advanced design - possibly the work of Richard himself.

Intricate frescoes on the vaulted plaster ceiling of the Stabian Baths in Pompeii, the oldest baths in the ancient Roman city.

timeline for arcg 252