Oct 21, 20193 min read

What's the most impressive ancient structure in the world?

Updated: Jul 28, 2020

Modern structures are impressive, tall, long super light but some of the most impressive structures were constructed thousands of years ago.

Learn more about Structures and Why things don't fall done here

5. The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China (萬里長城; pinyin: Wànlǐ Chángchéng) is the collective name of a series of fortification systems generally built across the historical northern borders of China to protect and consolidate territories of Chinese states and empires against various nomadic groups of the steppe and their polities.

The most well-known sections of the wall were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the walls built by the Ming dynasty measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi).

This is made up of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) sections of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.

4. The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, the first-ever property to be included in the cultural landscape category of the World Heritage List.

Maintenance of the living rice terraces reflects a primarily cooperative approach of the whole community which is based on detailed knowledge of the rich diversity of biological resources existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem, a finely tuned annual system respecting lunar cycles, zoning and planning, extensive soil conservation, and mastery of a complex pest control regime based on the processing of a variety of herbs, accompanied by religious rituals.

3.Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur

The Brihadeshvara temple plan and development utilizes the axial and symmetrical geometry rules. It is classified as Perunkoil (also called Madakkoil), a big temple built on a higher platform of a natural or man-made mound.

The temple complex is a rectangle that is almost two stacked squares, covering 240.79 metres (790.0 ft) east to west, and 121.92 metres (400.0 ft) north to south.

In this space are five main sections:

the sanctum with the towering superstructure (sri vimana),
the Nandi hall in front (Nandi-mandapam)
community hall (mukhamandapam),
the great gathering hall (mahamandapam) pavilion that connects the great hall with the,
sanctum (ardhamandapam)

The temple complex integrates a large pillared and covered veranda (prakara) in its spacious courtyard, with a perimeter of about 450 metres (1,480 ft) for circumambulation.

2. Hagia Sophia

FACTS 🏗

Material: Ashlar, brick
Length:82 m (269 ft)
Width: 73 m (240 ft)
Height: 55 m(180 ft)
Beginning date: 532
Completion date: 537; 1482 years ago

The Hagia Sophia construction consists of mostly masonry. The structure is composed of brick and mortar joints that are 1.5 times the width of the bricks. The mortar joints are composed of a combination of sand and minute ceramic pieces displaced very evenly throughout the mortar joints. This combination of sand and ceramic pieces could be considered to be the equivalent of modern concrete at the time.

1. Parthenon

FACTS📚

Construction Dates: 447 BC - 432 BC
Destroyed: Partially on 26 September 1687
Height: 3.72 m (45.0 ft)
Dimensions: Cella: 29.8 by 19.2 m (98 by 63 ft)
Size: 69.5 x 30.9 m (228 x 101 ft)
Architect: Iktinos, Callicrates
Other designers: Phidias (sculptor)

The origin of the Parthenon's name is from the Greek word παρθενών (Parthenon), which referred to the "unmarried women's apartments" in a house and in the Parthenon's case seems to have been used at first only for a particular room of the temple, it is debated which room this is and how the room acquired its name.

The Parthenon is a peripteral octastyle Doric temple with Ionic architectural features. It stands on a platform or stylobate of three steps. In common with other Greek temples, it is of post and lintel construction and is surrounded by columns ('peripteral') carrying an entablature.

source: Wikipedia