Ever notice how ancient ruins and depictions of future ancient ruins are intriguing, but actual modern ruins are not?

It’s because we are more aware of what happened to them in the present. With the ancient ruins, there is more of a mystery because no one is alive now to give us an actual description that that themselves witnessed I guess. For example, Stonehenge, we had to figure out what may have happened, which intrigued us more. When we see where the towers were, we all know what happened.

I’m not sure I entirely agree. I’ve seen pictures of ruins in Chechnya that I found very intriguing. But I think the biggest reason is that ancient ruins are exotic, they don’t look like the buildings that surround us every day. Meanwhile, depictions of future ancient ruins are highly stylized, they’re designed by the creators of the images to be intriguing. They’re not entirely accurate, but rather ruined and highlighted in specific ways to increase visual interest. There’s also the emptiness factor. Modern ruins are used, rebuilt, re-purposed, squatted in, and vandalized. Ancient ruins are usually protected, and if not they are over-run with jungle. Future ancient ruins are usually largely abandoned, or are populated by life-forms quite different from us, or at least humans who live in ways we do not.

I don’t know. I’ve seen some pictures of Detroit that move me much more than the pyramids.

Without the mystery, there’s little to hold a general interest or capture the imagination. I agree with @gemiwing though, urban decay can be quite interesting in it’s own right. But for me at least, some ancient hidden temple or some far future crumbling landscape triggers the imagination in a way that’s just irresistible .

@wonderingwhy, you took the words right out of my mouth. Though I doubt my words could have been as good as yours!!!

Modern ruins? Not quite sure what you mean there.

I was under the impression the word ‘ruins’ implied some kind of time passage.

A few years ago I visited Hiroshima. Most of the city looks new and modern, like an atomic bomb never exploded there. However, there is one building that was left in the condition it was in after August 6, 1945. I found it to be a fascinating “modern ruin.”