Archaeological Area of Herculaneum | Italy

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Located in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum (Ercolano in Italian) was an ancient Roman town, destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in 79 AD. Its ruins are located in the commune of Ercolano, Campania, Italy.

Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Zvartnots Cathedral ruins | Armenia

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Zvartnots is a complex of structures built in the middle of the 7th century near Echmiatsin in Armenia.

Zvartnots remained standing until the end of the 10th century, but historical sources are silent as to the cause of its collapse. The ruins of Zvartnots remained buried until its remains were uncovered at the start of the 20th century. The site was excavated between 1901 and 1907.

The temple ruins are part of Unesco World heritage site inscribed under the name Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots.

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Archaeological Site of Monte Albán | Mexico

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Monte Albán is a large archaeological site in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Inhabited over a period of 1,500 years the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán were literally carved out of the mountain.

 

Together with nearby historic centre of Oaxaca it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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The El Universal newspaper is celebrating its centennial in 2016.  

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The ruins of Timgad | Algeria

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The ruins of Timgad in Algeria are an impressive set of ancient Roman remains and rank among the best such ruins in North Africa. Timgad was both a military colony and an incentive to the African people to serve in the Roman army, as anybody who did so for twenty-five years would have a home in the base. 

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Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro | Pakistan

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Mohenjo-daro is an archeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The site is an ancient Indus Valley Civilization city that flourished between 2600 and 1900 BCE. It was discovered in the 1920s. 

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Ancient City of Polonnaruwa | Sri Lanka

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Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993. The Polonnaruwa Vatadage is an ancient structure dating back to the Polonnaruwa Period of Sri Lanka.

The vatadage is an ancient type of Buddhist structure. Vatadages were built around small stupas for their protection, which often enshrined a relic or were built on hallowed ground. Only ten vatadages now remain in Sri Lanka. 

 

The Ancient City of Polonnaruwa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Ġgantija temples | Malta

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Gozo is the second largest island in the Maltese archipelago. The Ġgantija temples that can be found on this island are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Megalithic Temples of Malta. 

These Temples are prehistoric monumental buildings constructed during the 3th and 4th millennium BC. They rank amongst the earliest free-standing stone buildings in the world. 

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The medieval Armenian kingdom of Ani | Turkey

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Situated on the eastern border of Turkey, across the Akhurian River from Armenia, lies the empty, crumbling site of the once-great metropolis of Ani, known as "the city of a thousand and one churches". The postcard shows the ruins of the Church of Saint Gregory of Tigran Honents. 

Founded more than 1,600 years ago, Ani was situated on several trade routes, and grew to become a walled city of more than 100,000 residents by the 11th century. But in following centuries conquered hundreds of times. And by the 1300s, Ani was in steep decline. It was completely abandoned by the 1700s. Since the Armenian Genocide early 1900s the region is an empty, militarized no-man's land.

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The Temple of Hadrian | Turkey

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The Ancient City of Ephesus is an outstanding example of a Roman port city, with sea channel and harbour basin (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1018).

The Temple of Hadrian, built around 118 AD, is one of the main attractions at Ephesus. Hadrian was a Roman emperor from 117 to 138.

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(left) The city of Safranbolu, a UNESCO World Heritage site (issue 2015). 

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Olsztyn Castle | Poland

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I was looking for Hanse city Olsztyn but this is another place with same name. This version of Olsztyn is a small village with 2,300 inhabitants, in southern Poland.

The ruins of the castle, located on a hill, date back to the 14th century. It is part of the Trail of the Eagles' Nests, a system of fortifications to protect western Lesser Poland from the Czechs. 

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The Ruins at Sarmizegetusa | Romania

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About 2,000 years ago the Roman Empire spread its territories towards eastern Europe. Sarmizegetusa Regia was the capital of the Roman Province of Dacia, located in today’s Romania.

Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains is an UNESCO World Heritage site. 

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Both stamps are part of a series of six stamps issued in 2013: “Flowers Clock”. Each stamp shows a flower and its blooming time on the clock featured on the stamp.    

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Iglesia de Santa María del Naranco | Spain

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The church of St Mary at Mount Naranco is located near the city of Oviedo in Northern Spain. King Ramiro I ordered its construction in 848 and used it as a royal palace; it was later converted into a church.

 

The church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is inscribed under the name Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias.

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A stamp in remembrance of Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia (1947 – 2014).

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Arch of Caracalla (Djémila) | Algeria

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The Arch of Caracalla is a Roman triumphal arch from the beginning of the 3rd century, located at Djémila in Algeria. The arch, together with the rest of the archaeological site of Djémila is UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982.

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Al Atiq Mosque – Ghardaia

The stamp on the right is part of a series depicting Mosques in Algeria. 

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Fort Belgica | Indonesia

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Fort Belgica is one of the most impressive of the many forts built by the Dutch East India Company. The fort is located on Bandaneira Island, one of the Banda Islands. Construction of the fort started early 17th century.

The Banda Islands are a group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, part of the Moluccas, also known as the Spice islands.

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Heraion of Samos | Greece

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Samos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, close to the Turkish coast. The island's population is 33,000, which makes it the 9th most populous of the Greek islands.

The ruins of the temple of Hera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple was a large sanctuary to the goddess Hera, constructed in the 6th century B.C.

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Cesis Castle | Latvia

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Cesis is a medieval town in Latvia. The Cēsis Castle dates back 800 years. German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (Livonian Knights) started construction of the castle in 1206. During the Great Northern War in 1703 the castle was demolished by Russian army but has never been restored.

 

The city of Cesis was a member of the Hanseatic League.

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Europa stamp 2015, Old Toys.

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Chersonesus, a Greek colony in Russia

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Chersonesus is an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. The ancient ruins are on the list of Unesco World Heritage sites since 2013.   

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(right) Part of a set of four stamps about Russian Uniforms. 

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The Acropolis - Athens | Greece

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Acropolis means 'high city' in Greek. The Athenian Acropolis is home to one of the most famous buildings in the world: the Parthenon. This temple was built for the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and military victory. She was Hercules' half-sister.

In 480 BC, the temples on top of the Acropolis were destroyed by the Persians but rebuilt in the next century.

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A Roman Coliseum in the North African Desert: El Jem | Tunisa

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The impressive ruins of the largest amphitheatre in North Africa, which could hold up to 35,000 spectators, are found in the small village of El Jem. It is home to some of the most impressive Roman remains in Africa.

The ruins of the amphitheatre were declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.

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The stamp was issued in 2007 to highlight the Tabarka Jazz Festival.

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The Temple of Venus, Baalbek | Lebanon

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The temple of Venus is located in Baalbek, a town in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. During the period of Roman rule the city was known as Heliopolis. 

Thx Steve!

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