10 Oldest Monuments In The World
6 JULY, 2023
Sweta Gupta
Photo: Getty Images
A man carved his and his fiancee's initials on to the 2000-year-old Colosseum in Rome, sparking outrage. He said that he did not know the Colosseum 'was that old'. Meanwhile, here are the world's oldest monuments.
MAN VANDALISES COLOSSEUM
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9,600 – 8,200 BCE Discovered during an archeological dig in the early 1960s, it is an ancient site in Turkey, potentially used by nomadic tribes for shelter and religious practices.
10. GÖBEKLI TEPE, TURKEY
Photo: UNESCO
7,500 – 6,400 BCE Three mound settlement, mud-brick houses, stacked up to eighteen stories high, stand out for their architectural value. The walls feature murals of animals, human figures, and religious symbols.
9. ÇATALHÖYÜK, TURKEY
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4,800 – 3,500 BCE Colossal chambered cairn with megalithic art. Tomb turned habitation site, extending 72 m in length, 25 m in width and 8 m high.
8. THE GREAT CAIRN OF BARNEZEN, FRANCE
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4,000 – 3,650 BCE An Ozieri site in Sardinia, this mysterious step pyramid with no chambers or entrances with animals remains hint at possible religious rituals.
7. MONTE D'ACCODDI, ITALY
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3,600 – 3,200 BCE Prehistoric limestone complex on the Maltese island of Gozo, predating Stonehenge. Abandoned by a lost religion around 2500 BCE.
6. ĠGANTIJA TEMPLES, MALTA
Photo: Iran Travels
3,200 – 2,350 BCE Iran's Bronze Age ruins. A Helmand civilisation, it suffered burnings before abandonment. Unearthed artefacts - oldest artificial eyeball, board game, and brain surgery evidence.
5. SHAHR-E SUKHTEH, IRAN
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3,000 – 2,500 BCE: Neolithic village with sunken stone houses, primitive plumbing, covered passageways. The local Groove Wear people engaged in hunting, farming, and fishing.
4. SKARA BRAE, SCOTLAND
3,000 – 2,000 BCE The iconic circle of standing stones on Salisbury Plain where uncertainty lingers on stone origin, transportation, and neolithic structures.
3. STONEHENGE, ENGLAND
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Photo: Getty Images
2,630 BCE Egypt's first pyramid served as the burial tomb for Pharaoh Djoser. This six-tiered step pyramid, standing at 205 ft, housed storage tunnels, and galleries.
2. PYRAMID OF DJOSER, EGYPT
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2,600 – 1,900 BCE Over 4,000 years old, home to Harappan civilisation. Mohenjo-Daro features advanced sewage system, public baths, and large grain storage facility.