ruined settlements

Located on a scenic coast in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, Skara Brae is the best-preserved Neolithic village in northern Europe. Dating from around 3000 BCE (older than Stonehenge), the prehistoric homes even include original stone furniture.

The large Coba complex, much of which still remains to be excavated, consists of multiple temples and pyramids (including the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan) connected by an extensive system of ceremonial roads.

This well-preserved ancient ceremonial site high on a mountain ridge in Peru contains the ruins of a large Inca palace, temples and other buildings.

Palmyra was once a great and powerful Roman city, as its impressive ruins attest. Substantial ruins of temples to Bel and Baal can be seen here, as well as towers tombs and a castle.

Occupying an entire city block in the center of Rome, the "Sacred Area" contains the ruins of four temples from the Republican era, the site of Julius Caesar's assassination and happy cats snoozing in the grass.

This ancient stoa was fully reconstructed in the 1950s and now contains the Agora Museum.

These well-preserved dwellings provide an important window into the lifestyles of the Ephesian elite in Roman and Byzantine times.

Widely considered the most atmospheric and magical of the Mayan sites, Palenque was at its peak from 600 to 700 CE. It is famed for its unique and impressive architecture and royal history.

Angkor Thom means "the great city" in Khmer. The 12th-century Buddhist royal city is famed for its grand Bayon Temple, but has several other sights of interest as well.

This ancient city was the capital of a powerful pre-Inca civilization that dominated the Andean region between 500 and 900. Its monumental remains include several temples, a pyramid, symbolic gates and sculptures.