Free Ancient Ruins Pictures: 71 Photos of Roman, Greek and Egyptian Ruins
71 free ancient ruins pictures from the BigFoto library, all real photos from our travels: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine in Rome; Roman sites from Pula and Verona to Caesarea, Jerash and Volubilis; Athens, Pergamon and Minoan Knossos; the pyramids of Giza and the temples of Egypt; Petra and Masada; and Persepolis and Ellora. Good for history lessons, school projects, slides and book covers.
How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.
Rome: the Colosseum, the Forum and the Palatine
The Colosseum, opened in AD 80, from outside, from inside and by night, with the triumphal arches of Constantine, Titus and Septimius Severus. There are also views over the Roman Forum and the Palatine, the Baths of Caracalla with one of their mosaics, carved stones in the Forum and a Roman aqueduct.
Roman ruins across the empire
In Croatia, the Roman arena and the Arch of the Sergii in Pula, the forum of Zadar, Roman ruins near Split and the Byzantine castrum on Brijuni, with the arena of Verona in Italy. Further afield, the aqueduct on the beach and the hippodrome at Caesarea in Israel, the theatre and ruins of Jerash in Jordan and the basilica of Volubilis in Morocco.
Greek ruins and Minoan Knossos
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus below the Acropolis in Athens, marble walls on the Acropolis itself and the steep theatre of Pergamon in Turkey. On Crete, the Minoan palace of Knossos with its foundations, stairs, paved court, Throne Room and giant storage jars. The Parthenon and the Erechtheion are on our Greek column and temple page.
Egypt: pyramids, sphinxes and temples
The pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza, the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara and an alabaster sphinx at Memphis. The temples include Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Karnak with its avenue of ram-headed sphinxes and Luxor, plus a close look at hieroglyphs on a temple wall.
Petra, Masada and the Negev desert
Petra in Jordan, with the Treasury and the Monastery carved from the rock, tombs in the cliffs, a temple ruin with a camel and the ruins of the city centre. In Israel, the ruins on top of Masada, ancient stone ruins in the Negev desert and rock-cut tombs in Jerusalem.
Persepolis and ruins across Asia
A relief of a lion attacking a bull at Persepolis in Iran and the carved shrines and pillars of Ellora in India, among them the Kailasa Temple. Ayutthaya in Thailand, a royal capital from the 14th to the 18th century, adds later brick ruins and Buddha statues, one of them reclining.
More free photos
- Free Greek column and temple pictures
- Free medieval town pictures
- Free castle pictures
- Free desert pictures
- Rome pictures
- Jordan and Petra pictures
- Egypt pictures
- Crete and Knossos pictures
- Greece pictures
Questions about these ancient ruins pictures
Can I use these ancient ruins pictures for free?
Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.
Which ancient sites are in these pictures?
Rome’s Colosseum, Forum and Palatine; Roman sites in Pula, Verona, Split, Zadar, Caesarea, Jerash and Volubilis; Athens, Pergamon and Knossos; the pyramids of Giza and Saqqara and temples such as Abu Simbel and Karnak; Petra and Masada; and Persepolis and Ellora in Asia, with the later ruins of Ayutthaya in Thailand.
Can I use them for school projects, slides or book covers?
Yes. Most are landscape photos about 1200 pixels wide, right for school projects, presentations and websites. A few are upright, such as the camel in front of Petra’s Treasury, and fit a book cover layout; for a printed cover, check that the size is enough for your print.
