Ruins
This is not about aging nor about supper gone wrong nor even the laundry when someone has left crayons in a pocket. This is about the remains of civilizations. There are examples all over the world, and Italy is just about ruins central. I love ruins. There are countries that are on my list of places I really want to go just because they have ruins I wish to see. Carthage? Troy? Yes!
This photo is from Turismo Roma website, designed to help you enjoy our fabulous capital city.
I read in BBC News today about a new Roman era city that appears to be the forerunner of Venice. You know, I have often marveled that the early Venetians just discovered the means of building a city in a swamp and then just did it. How? Where did they come from? Here is an answer.
Did we need another “lost” Roman city? Sure we did! Can you know too much about what came before and failed to survive? Can we have too many evocative and romantic places to think and to dream? Is it possible to have too much encouragement to study history, architecture and art?
A topic deeply in my thoughts right now, because I’m writing about modern places that are emptying of people. The appeal of ex-places is strong: see WebUrbanist‘s take on the topic.
I too love ruins – and the stories behind them. Even if they’re hidden and mysterious. However, ruins as “precious things” in themselves – nah. That’s where I get turned off by archaeology – when it becomes about “stuff”. A fair few archaeologists seem to get seduced by materialism. And bad museums *suck*.
But modern cities that have their historical bones poking through (Athens, Rome etc.) are absolutely fascinating – including the impact that the ruins have on the modern city, as a topic in itself. The impact on us, and the way we respond.
.-= Mikeachim´s last blog ..Orkney: The Mystery of Lighthouse Corner =-.
Judith,
I love ruins too! Rome is my absolute favorite city in the world(that I visited anyway). Thanks for sharing the article, very interesting indeed!
Wow, somehow this comment flopped into the spam filter and I never saw it. Go, you two, ruins are incredibly enchanting if you let them be. As to what are they worth? More than the value of any metal or stone I believe. OTH, stuff is part of it. I also love to see the things that ancient hands made, how they made them, the marks of chisels and hammers and the scuffing away of decorations by years of use and washing. My fantasy is to be alone with ruins so I can think about them. There is a Roman bìvilla just a few miles up the road that is like that. No one has worked on it since well before I got here in 2000. Hardly anyone goes there. I do. It’s seductive.
I understand about the emptying cities created by industry that is gone forever. In the USA we had what is called the Rust Belt when steel could no longer be made profitably. I wonder if that will change as shipping becomes more costly in terms of fuel and piracy?