Ruins (from Latin ruina 'a collapse') are the remains of a civilization's architecture: structures that were once intact have fallen, as time went by, into a state of partial or total disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction. Natural disaster, war and population decline are the most common root causes, with many structures becoming progressively derelict over time, due to long-term weathering and scavenging. There are famous ruins all over the world, from ancient sites in China, the Indus valley of ancient India and Judea to Zimbabwe in Africa, ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman sites in the Mediterranean basin, and Incan and Mayan sites in the Americas. Ruins are of great importance to historians, archaeologists and anthropologists, whether they were once…
