Top 5 Places To See On An Ancient History Holiday

With Indiana Jones back in the cinemas oncethe World.
more, an interest in ancient civilisations is no longerYou can reach Machu Picchu by train from Cusco,
confined to professors and archaeologists. Indeed,but for a really adventurous cultural heritage
cultural heritage holidays are growing increasinglyholiday you can walk the Inca Trail, a multi day
popular, with many AITO tour operators offeringhike through a number of Inca ruins that reaches
trips that look at some of the most notableMachu Picchu at sunrise on the fourth day.
ancient ruins in the world. While most of the greatGreat Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
monuments of ancient civilisations have beenOut of the Seven Wonders of the World listed by
eroded or destroyed, some still survive, andthe ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the Great
visiting one of these sites is like going on a holidayPyramid of Giza is the only one that can still be
in ancient history. In addition to being spectacularseen today on an ancient history holiday to Egypt.
structures in their own right, they form anBuilt over 4500 years ago, the Pyramid was built
invaluable part of any cultural heritage holiday,as a tomb for the Egyptian pharaoh Cheops. It
giving a glimpse of a way of life that has longtook over twenty years to construct, and was
since disappeared.the tallest man-made structure in the world for
If you fancy yourself as the next academicseveral thousand years.
adventurer and are considering a cultural heritageChichen Itza, Mexico
holiday abroad, here are five of the mostCultural heritage holidays to Mexico inevitably tour
important places to visit around the world.the ruins of ancient Mayan civilisation, and Chichen
The Parthenon, GreeceItza is one of the most important Mayan sites in
Anyone on a specialised classical Greece holidayMexico. The temple complex was built over 2000
will see many amazing sights, including the Templeyears ago, and most of the buildings remain intact
at Delphi and the ruins of the Temple of Zeus attoday, including the Temple of Kukulkan, the
Mount Olympus. But dwarfing them all is theGreat Ball Court and the Temple of the Warriors.
Parthenon in Athens, often regarded as the mostIt was the capital of Mayan civilisation for almost
important classical monument that is still standinga thousand years - why Chichen Itza was
today. It is an ancient temple to the goddessabandoned is not known, but archaeological
Athena, and is one of the finest examples ofresearch suggests its downfall was violent. The
ancient Greek architecture and artwork. Thesite is truly a must-see for those with an interest
inside is a treasure trove of sculptures (thoughin ancient Mayan culture, with some of the best
much of its content now resides in the Britishpreserved Mayan architecture left standing today.
museum), and the temple is placed in anColiseum, Italy
unforgettable location on the Acropolis, lookingSituated at the centre of Rome, this colossal
down over Athens.amphitheatre (the largest ever built in the ancient
Machu Picchu, PeruRoman empire) is almost 2000 years old. Originally
This "Lost City of the Incas" was onlyknown as the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Coliseum
rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century,could hold over 50,000 spectators, and hosted
and is an essential place to visit for thosegladiatorial contests, performances and historical
interested in past civilisations. Situated on top of aenactments. Despite damage from earthquakes
mountain above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, thisand robbery, it has stood the test of time and
excellently preserved site is the one of the finestremains one of the landmark sights for a cultural
remaining examples of Inca architecture and hasheritage holiday to Italy.
been voted one of the New Seven Wonders of