Imagine being one of the local farmers in Xi’an, China, drilling a new water well only to break into a pit containing one of the most unbelievable sights that a man can ever see. Over 6,000 life sized terracotta figures buried under the ground and never seen by anybody for centuries. The enigmatic soldiers hold many myths and mysteries about them, but they are certainly one of the most captivating finds of the 20th Century. There are three pits in the region, as well as other museum structures which can be seen from the air thanks to Google Earth. Another…
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On a recent trip to the British Museum, it occured to me:”Who owns all this?” It’s a pretty complex question to be asking though. As I wandered past the Elgin Marbles, I overheard a couple of tourists discussing how Greece wanted the ancient relics back. Apparently hacking the marbles off the Parthenon and shipping them over to show in the British Museum doesn’t sit too well with our Greek friends. Go figure. Should the museums of the world, packed full of “stolen” ancient treasures and permanently borrowed artefacts from around the globe start returning the wares back to the countries…
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Part of the Nubian Monuments, Abu Simbel is an ancient site home to two rock temples in the south of Egypt. A beautiful tribute build by Pharoah Ramesses II to his queen Nefertari, they had the alterior motive of commemorating the Battle of Kadesh, as well as the added bonus of intimidating the neighbours!Nothing like a massive temple or two to show the region who’s boss! The beauty of this monumental structure is depicted perfectly in gh0stdot’s photograph. Choosing to portray the two ancient statues at an angle which captures them from below, and results in a picture including the…
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Continuing the Google Earth Tours here at Heritage Key, which have so far covered Rome, Athens and London, this week’s tour looks at Ancient sites across the historically rich nation of Egypt. An ancient civilisation which boasts some of the most famous relics in the world, such as The Great Pyramid of Giza and the Temple at Thebes. By bringing together aerial photography with 3D virtual environments, we can use Google Earth to scan across the surface of Egypt and see the sites and relics that remain of this great civilisation. This tour is complete with those clickable Heritage Key…
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A young boy peers out of the doorway in the Chinese province of Kashgar, where days of rioting have left the area in a state of fear. The tensions between two ethnic groups have led to the recent violence, with the Uighars campaigning for independence from the Chinese government. The Chinese Government recently announced plans to demolish a vast majority of this ancient city, in favour of more modern and earthquake proof buildings. This defies the wishes of the Uighari people, who would lose the culture in the old city. Additionally, they believe the Chinese Government has alterior motives for…
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The Foro Romano is a stunning relic of Roman architecture that remains in Rome, and is beautifully captured on High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging film by jaqudo who uses the technique to capture the details and perfect the shading in the photograph. Combined with an angle which accentuates the lines and structure of this iconic piece of Roman history. The Roman Forum was the home of the Senate and venue to large public meetings, and was located in the centre of Rome and thus the heart of the Roman Empire. It was here where the economic, political and judicial systems…
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Last week I used Google Earth to show you a tour around the ancient relics of Rome, flyover over the city and looking at all the 3D models with clickables to get extra information from Heritage Key. This week, I’ve decided to spruce up Jon’s tour of the Acropolis of Ancient Greece so you can have a look at one of the most magnificent relics from the ancient age, as well as the New Acropolis Museum. Again, the tour utilises aerial photography with 3D models to give a realistic and innovative look at how the ancient world still exists in…
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jojofotografia‘s capture of the Pont du Gard in the South of France boasts a great HDR shot full of vibrancy and colour, reflecting the beauty of this ancient Roman aqueduct. The strong lines of the structure against the natural features of the water and green banks represent a strong contrast, and the lighting shows the richness of the stone. High dynamic range (HDR) imaging shots are ideal for bringing the colour out in an image, and jojofotografia has really done a stunning job in this photograph. The Pont du Gard was originally thought to have been built by Augustus’s son-in-law,…
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The Colonnade Terrace forms part of the Temple of Ba’al in the ancient Palmyra, an ancient oasis city which boasted great prominence back in ancient times. Julian Kaesler’s photograph of the Terrace caught my eye for the subtle lighting of the stone on a dusk scene. The rich colour reflected in the masonry emphasises the beauty in the relics, and the slight tilt of the camera looking upwards gives this scene the perfect touch. The city has an interesting past, being influenced under Roman control, but a temple in the city was there a good 2000 years before the Romans…
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In this magical shot, today’s Flickr Find photographer – JC Richardson – snapped the Moai on Easter Island with a backdrop of stars, creating an alluring image mixing the exotic ancient world with a romantic scenery. The end result is an image of immense beauty – the capture is simply astounding. The Moai are located at Rapa Nui, and are monolithic carvings of human figures, dating back as early as 400AD or as late as 1700AD – many several generations have been making their own Moai!And it’s a popular misconception that they’re just giant heads – these hardy guys have…