With national border restrictions now loosening up, many of us are reviving our years-dormant world travel plans. For some, the pandemic-induced suspension of easy access to other countries has even inspired journeys they might not otherwise have taken. Stuck at home, they realized that they’d never seen the wonders of the ancient world — or at any rate, what remains of the wonders of the ancient world. Ruin tourism has a long and prestigious history, of course, but it also has the undesirable side effect of subconsciously convincing us that our ancient forebears lived amid a more shambolic built environment than they really did. To see these ruins as they were before their ruination demands a strong imagination.

Alternatively, you can watch the video below, which presents artistic reconstructions of such still-frequented sites as Pompeii, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, the Parthenon, and the Great Pyramid of Giza. You can still see some these structures for yourself, of course, albeit only now that the ravages of time — as well as those of various plunderers, scavengers, and institutions — have taken their terrible toll.