Meet modern day Druids and take part in a Solstice festival at this digital recreation of Stonehenge as it looks today. From there, start your virtual travels through time, and discover the history of Stonehenge in our 3D, online experience.
Discover the history of Stonehenge in our 3D, online experience. Meet the famous Amesbury Archer, help move and raise the Sarsen Stone and attend an ancient burial ritual. Test your druid skills, decipher the secret of the stones and celebrate at the Solstice festival.
The discovery of the London Mithraeum was made during rebuilding works carried out in the City of London in 1954. There was great public interest in the ruins on their discovery, with 80,000 visitors flocking to see the site. Public demand meant the ruins were preserved in a site opposite the street, where they were tilted at 90 degrees to fit in the space so building work could continue.
The site today hangs in the balance with a development of Walbrook Square first being delayed, then cancelled due to the economic recession. The remains of the London Mithraeum were due to be moved back to their original position and showcased inside a new building designed by Sir Norman Foster.
A Mithraeum is a place of worship for the followers of the mystery religion of Mithraism. The Mithraeum was either an adapted natural cave or cavern or an artificial building imitating a cavern. Mithraea were dark and windowless, even if they were not actually located in a cave.
The Carrawburgh Mithraeum lies south-west of the Roman fort at Carrawburgh, Brocolitia. The site of the temple was first discovered in 1949 and was excavated in 1950 by Sir Ian Richmond and Mr J.P.Gillam.
Discovered in southeastern Turkey, north of the town Sanliurfa, is a hilltop santuary known as Göbekli Tepe. The santuary was erected on the hilltop by hunter-gatherers in the 10th millenium BC, and is thought to be the oldest human-made place of worship yet discovered. The discovery of the temple uncovered massive carved stones about 11,000 years old, crafted and arranged by prehistoric people who had not yet developed metal tools or even pottery. The oldest layer dates back to the Mesolithic period and the massive sequence of rock layers suggests that several millennia of activity has taken place.
The Temple of Claudius otherwise known as the Temple of the Deified Claudius, was built in the ancient city of Camulodunum, which was Roman Colchester around the time 44 AD. Claudius was the fourth Roman Emperor, ruling from 41 AD until 54 AD. The temple was set on fire during Queen Boudicca's uprising of 60 AD. During this siege, most of the Roman city of Camulodunum was destroyed in the fire. Today layers of ash are still being discovered under the surface where the ancient city once stood. Colchester, ancient Camulodunum was the first capital of Roman Britain and holds the remains of some of the most famous Roman buildings.
Known by Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, and venerated by Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque, this site is a network of subterranean caves in the city of Hebron in the West Bank, located beneath a large mosque/synagogue compound. Fiercely disputed by these two faiths, the shrine has seen much controversy and violence over the centuries.
The tension remains today. Hebron is a major flashpoint because it’s the only location in the West Bank where Jews, some of them extremists, live among Palestinians. Muslims control about 81% of the compound, and Jews the other 21%. They're kept apart in specially designated areas. The waqf - a traditional "trust" holding land for Islamic religious purposes - controls the site. Tourists are allowed to enter, but security - controlled by the Israeli Defence Force - is very tight.
In 2010, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provoked controvery by adding the Cave of the Patriarchs to Israel's list of national heritage sites.
Seti I ruled Egypt ca. 1314-1304 BC and is well known for his building projects and military campaigns.
His mortuary temple at Abydos contains numerous architectural features - two vast courts, two hypostyle halls, a so called “butchery hall” and two Osiris halls, just to name a few. These contain numerous works of art.
It’s believed that Seti I’s son, Ramesses II, may have finished portions of the temple after his father died.
The temple is built mainly of limestone, although sandstone was used in some areas. The outer courts and there pylons are severely damaged, with little remaining of them.
Its first hypostyle hall was initially decorated with raised reliefs by Seti I. A raised relief is when the figure sticks out a bit from the walls. After Seti I’s death Ramesses II converted them to sunken reliefs and had them repainted.
The second hypostyle hall contains several bas reliefs - the figures are slightly above the surface while the background is completely flat. By Seti I’s death all the reliefs had been carved, although some had yet to be coloured.
Medinet Habu is a major archaeological site situated at the foot of the Theban Hills across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor (ancient Thebes). It's become synonymous with the massive Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, although it does also feature a number of other important ruins.
The 150 metre-long Mortaury Temple of Ramesses III - which is well preserved, and surrounded by a large mudbrick enclosure - features some 7,000 square metres of decorated wall space. Best known and most important among the inscribed reliefs are those depicting the advent and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III.
Another, much smaller, major structure at Medinet Habu is the Temple of Amun, built by the successive pharaohs Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. It's situated just to the left of the entrance of the mortuary temple, and has been modified multiple times over the centuries right up until the Greco-Roman period.
To the north of the mortuary temple are the badly-preserved remains of the Temple of Ay and Horemheb - the final two pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty. Evidence suggests that King Tut - to whom Ay served as royal vizier - began to have a mortuary temple for himself built at Medinet Habu - two large statues of the boy king have been found there.
The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in Bath. The Sacred Spring lies at the very heart of the ancient monument. Water rises here at the rate of over a million litres a day and at a temperature of 460C. The Spring rises within the courtyard of the Temple of Sulis Minerva and water from it feeds the Roman baths. There is some slight evidence, an earthen bank projecting into the Spring, that suggests it was already a focal point for worship before the Roman Temple and baths were built.
