Top 50 Historical Objects RUINED by Morons

#50: The Colosseum

Youd think one of the most historically significant buildings ever would be treated with more respect. However, some people look at an architectural marvel like the Colosseum and see nothing but an opportunity to immortalize themselves. Several tourists have engraved their own names into the limestone and concrete walls. Each perpetrator thats been caught has been threatened with a hefty fine and plenty of public humiliation from the press, but that still hasnt deterred more from making attempts of their own. Seeing a pillar of the Roman Empire reduced to amateur graffiti practice is enough to make any historian cry and unfortunately, it doesnt seem to be ending anytime soon.

#49: 1870s Martin Guitar

One mans movie magic is anothers wrecked antique. While filming 2015s The Hateful Eight, Kurt Russell was tasked with ripping a replica of an 1870s Martin guitar from Jennifer Jason Leighs hands and destroying it. He did, and the take went perfectly save for the fact that the fake had never been switched in. Russell had unknowingly smashed the real instrument, to the dismay of the other actors and the museum it belonged to. Whether it was a last-second call from director Quentin Tarantino or simply a mistake by a prop hand, well never know. The guitar is back on display in all its broken glory, serving as a reminder of why the museum will likely never loan their pieces out to filmmakers again.

#48: Yuanmingyuan

Colonialism can lead to a never-ending spiral of violence, against both people and places. Yuanmingyuan otherwise known as Old Summer Palace was once a proud series of palaces and gardens belonging to some of Chinas most powerful leaders. During the Second Opium War, it was taken over and thoroughly looted by European soldiers. When they caught wind that the Qing government had captured 19 of their own and sentenced them to death, they dialed up their destruction even further. Over a period of four days in 1860, the British and French razed the palace to the ground, wiping out thousands of years worth of artifacts. To this day, the ruins still remain, and exist as a constant reminder of their occupation.

#47: Rembrandts Night Watch

Art can evoke many feelings, some more intense than others. Rembrandts The Night Watch is the perfect example. The large piece depicting a French civil guard has been the victim of several acts of vandalism since its completion in 1692. Varnish was able to protect the painting from a knife attack in 1911, but its removal in the 1940s meant that a 1975 attack by Wilhelmus de Rijk could succeed. It left several slashes and required four years of restoration work. That wouldnt be the last attack. In 1990, another man sprayed acid directly onto the canvas. Though it was able to be fixed, we wouldnt doubt that its now watched like a hawk to ensure another incident wont occur.

#46: Hadrosauridae Fossils

When all that connects us to those who walked Earth millions of years ago is fragile material, each site of their existence should be treated with care. Unfortunately, that wasnt the case for a 23-foot Hadrosauridae fossil found in Canada. Discovered in June of 2012, it was carefully covered by the archaeological team before it could be dug up the following month. When they returned, however, they were met with a horrific sight. The fossil had been ripped apart and scattered beyond repair. It was an act of purely senseless violence that has yet to be solved. What was a chance to learn more about the world before us was snuffed out for seemingly no reason at all.

#45: Abu Bakrs Home

While its tragic to see any historic building torn down to make way for a new business, it happening to religious sites feels even worse. As one of the first caliphs of Islam, Abu Bakr was highly revered during his reign. Sadly, that respect had an expiration date. In the 2010s, the site where his home once stood was razed so that a Hilton hotel could take its place. It wasnt the first holy site to be removed, but proved that even those directly connected to the Prophet Muhammad werent safe. Part of it still remains just in front of the new building, serving a reminder of what was lost and the ultimate cost of luxury.

#44: Arthurs O'on

The demolition of historical sites sadly isnt a new phenomenon. For centuries, artifacts have been at the whims of careless individuals. Arthurs Oon is one of the most tragic cases. Thought to have been an ancient Roman Temple, it stood in Scotland until the 18th century as one of the countrys most unique buildings. In 1743, Sir Michael Bruce of Stenhouse tore it down so that he could use the stones in a dam he was constructing. To make things worse, it was swept away by a flood five years later meaning his devastating act was for nothing. Some of the foundational stones were reportedly found in the 1980s, but nothing was done to begin the restoration of this unique archival structure.

#43: Candi No. 11

For well over a thousand years, the Bujang Valley was the relatively untouched home of countless ancient ruins and relics. That all changed in 2013, when a temple primarily known as Candi No. 11, dated back 1,200 years, was leveled by a land developer. Despite attempts to legally stop the destruction, the government claimed that since it had been on private property and hadnt been deemed a historical site, nothing could be done. The incident was so severe that it quickly led to the rest of the area becoming protected. It was proof that time alone isnt enough to make some people prioritize respecting ancient areas over their own interests.

#42: Drawings from the Cave of Mayrières Supérieure

Paintings that have been left on the walls of caves give us a glimpse into the innermost thoughts of our ancestors. Each one is a priceless reminder of where we came from. The drawings of bison found in Frances Cave of Mayrières supérieure were no exception until one fateful day in 1992. A religious youth group, Eclaireurs de France, took it upon themselves to clean the cave. In the process of doing so, they washed away the prehistoric sketches. Any answers about our past that couldve been gleaned from the work were wiped away for good. The group was met with pointed scorn, and was even awarded the satirical Ig Nobel Prize for their misguided attempt at helping.

#41: House of Wisdom

Theres no telling how much ancient information has been permanently wiped from the Earth thanks to warfare. Baghdads House of Wisdom is one of the most unfortunate victims. Built in the 8th century, it quickly established itself as the largest library of Islams Golden Age. It housed books written in several languages on a wide variety of topics. Everything came crashing down in 1258, when the Mongol army commenced the Siege of Baghdad. The House of Wisdom was devastated from top to bottom, with the building being demolished and the books discarded in the Tigris River. Though some of the works were able to be saved beforehand, the act was so ruinous that it was even considered the end of prosperous times.

#40: Portland Vase

The work of artistic restorers cant be discounted. Without their efforts, we would have lost truly priceless works of art like the Portland Vase. Believed to have been created as far back as AD 1, its one of Ancient Romes most valuable contributions. It was nearly ruined in 1845, when an intoxicated man smashed it with a sculpture. He went to jail, and the owner decided against pursuing further litigation. That same year, John Doubleday stepped in and essentially brought the piece back to life, though he missed some shards in the process. It has stayed intact for further renovations since then, with the last one occurring in 1988.

#39: Singapore Stone

Despite linguists best efforts, there are some prehistoric inscriptions that have yet to be cracked. In some cases, their work was made harder by the senseless acts carried out hundreds of years beforehand. This was the case with the Singapore Stone, a large piece of sandstone engraved with an ancient message. It was discovered by the British in 1819, but its inscription wasnt enough to protect it. It was blown up in 1843 by the English, so that they could have more space to create their own structure, Fort Fullerton. Since then, fragments have been collected and preserved so that they may someday be translated. But with only pieces to go off of, its a mystery that may never be solved.

#38: Michelangelos Pietà

Unfortunately, an artists work is never safe, not even those completed by a Renaissance icon. When Michelangelo completed Pietà a sculpture depicting Mary holding Jesus following his crucifixion he had no idea of the damage that would befall it centuries later. In 1972, it was brutally attacked by a man named Laszlo Toth, who believed he was the Son of God. Using a hammer, he bludgeoned the artwork over a dozen times. By the time the smoke cleared and hed been restrained, Mary had copious damage to her face and arm. Afterwards, Toth was deported back to Australia, and restorers spent five months painstakingly fixing what hed wrecked. Within ten months, it was back on display, behind bullet-proof glass.

#37: Namdaemun Gate

Anger can take someone to a truly horrible place. For centuries, the Namdaemun Gate was the oldest wooden structure in all of Seoul. It became a national icon shortly after being completed in 1398, welcoming countless foreign allies and serving as a representation of the areas history. In 2008, it was set ablaze by Chae Jong-gi, who felt slighted after not being fully compensated by developers unrelated to the site. The fire he started permeated the thick wood of the structure, which had been so well-built that water alone wasnt able to put it out. It was rebuilt over a period of five years and reopened to the public in 2013 but the memory of that fateful night lives on.

#36: Nemi Ships

World War II led to the wreckage of countless historically significant buildings and items, intentionally or not. Unearthed in an Italian lake in the 1930s, the Nemi ships were believed to have been constructed during Emperor Caligulas reign. Following their excavation, a museum was built around them so that they could be studied and kept safe. Towards the tail end of the war in 1944, German forces set up camp by the ships. When Allied troops fired at them, the artifacts became an unintended target. The constant stream of artillery eventually started a fire, and soon both vessels had burned to the ground. After years of remaining intact, all it took was one night for history to slip through their fingers literally.

#35: The Sycamore Gap Tree

There are some acts so abhorrent you cant help but wonder what drove the perpetrator to do it. Thats been the burning question on the minds of those affected by the iconic Sycamore Gap tree being cut down in 2023. After standing proudly near Hadrians Wall for well over a century and serving as the backdrop in countless peoples memories, it was suddenly felled one night with no explanation. In 2024, it was discovered to have been the work of Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers. They even filmed their crime, which was shown at their trial along with several messages of them gloating about it. They were both found guilty in May of 2025.

#34: Herculaneum

What is it about an ancient building that makes people in the modern age want to leave their mark? In 2024, a building in the ruins of Herculaneum fell victim to an act of careless vandalism. A Dutch tourist used a permanent marker to scrawl his signature on the wall, causing it to garishly stick out amongst the other markings on the structure. Though it wasnt the first time the city had been subject to unwanted graffiti, this was one of the most noticeable. The perpetrator was not only caught and charged; he was also required to pay for the restoration work himself. If that doesnt incentivize people to leave historical items alone, we dont know what will.

#33: Picassos La Rêve

It takes a split-second to plummet the value of a priceless item. Picassos La Rêve showcased his expertise in cubism, which appealed to several art collectors. It was purchased several times before falling into the hands of casino owner Steve Wynn in 2001. It soon became his prized jewel, which he planned to sell for a whopping $139 million after five years. Unfortunately, things would fall apart just one night before his big sale. Showing off for his friends, he accidentally misjudged his arm placement and punctured the canvas with his elbow. In just one moment, it depreciated in value by over fifty million dollars, making it one of the most expensive mistakes in modern art history.

#32: The Tree of Ténéré

Some demolished objects can be restored, but others are simply gone forever. The Tree of Ténéré stood in place for 300 years, acting as a beacon for those roving through the Sahara Desert. With the climate being so arid, it was the only plant life that was able to survive. Eventually, it wasnt nature that led to its end it was a singular moment of human error. In 1973, the tree was suddenly struck by a truck driver who was reportedly inebriated at the time. Now, the only reminder of its existence is an eerie metal pole, a cold reminder of what once was and will most likely never occur again.

#31: Ai Weiwei Vase

When it comes to the destruction of ancient objects, where should the line be drawn? In 2014, Maximo Caminero smashed an urn that had been painted by contemporary artist Ai Weiwei. His intention was to protest the lack of local artists that had never been put on display. However, what he didnt know was that the object he took his anger out on dated back thousands of years to the Han dynasty. The incident started a discussion on the difference between Weiwei arguably defacing these pieces for his own art, and them being recklessly destroyed in the name of attempted justice. While devastating, it showed that these events could still be nuanced.

#30: Shakespeares House

Changes made to historical sites arent ideal, especially those done out of spite. After Shakespeares death in 1616, his final home New Place was initially passed down to his family. It maintained its original look until 1702, when it was later bought and renovated into a contemporary style. Things went from bad to worse when it was bought by Reverend Francis Gastrella. He grew tired of fans coming to view the property, leading to him removing a tree supposedly planted by the playwright. Tensions between Gastrella and the town escalated, until he demolished the property in 1759. He was swiftly driven away, and while the remaining land has been preserved, nothing has been built on it since.

#29: Rock Art at Lake Mead National Park

What seems like innocent fun can still result in destruction. While shooting paintballs in 2010, a man set his sights on several glyphs created by the surrounding Native populations centuries beforehand. He littered both them and the surrounding rock faces with paint, creating an eyesore. He was quickly caught and given several citations for the crimes he committed. After being tried and found guilty,he received fifteen months in prison, community service and just under ten thousand dollars in fines. It served as a reminder to all paintball enthusiasts to be respectful of where they shoot or face the consequences.

#28: Aboriginal Artwork

Signs of civilizations earliest humans are precious to many but not everyone seems to agree. Until 2016, the art found in Tasmania's Nirmena Nala[b] caves remained untouched by modern humans. In May of that year, it was discovered that the ancient drawings had been mindlessly scratched. One of the destroyed pieces was a stencil of a hand vital work that gave insight into the minds of our predecessors. 8,000 years of respect being violated in a moment of pure selfishness is already a slap in the face, but what added insult to injury is that it was found just before a day remembering the colonialism faced by the Aboriginal people. To this day, the vandals have yet to be found.

#27: Qing Dynasty Vases

In a split-second, everything can change. Nick Flynn learned this the hard way after visiting the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England. After realizing hed taken the wrong staircase, he attempted to correct himself, and a combination of untied shoelaces and a lack of a railing resulted in him landing directly onto a set of Qing dynasty vases. All three were broken, but he didn't seem to care, given that he later left without saying a word. He was eventually arrested a few months afterwards but managed to evade any legal or financial repercussions. Even after the national outcry, he maintained that the incident wasnt his fault.

#26: Goblin Valley Hoodoo

Sometimes, a code of honor is nothing more than words on a piece of paper. While the Boy Scouts of America claims to teach its members about making good choices, some of their leaders seem to have missed the memo. In 2013, a troop leader was filmed by his friends intentionally toppling a natural rock formation called a hoodoo at Goblin Valley State Park. The delicate rock formation, which was thought to have been standing for 165 million years, fell victim to the mens ignorance, as they claimed it was a danger to other park goers. As a result, two of the men were removed from the Boy Scouts, and they were hit with fines and a year of probation both of which paled in comparison to their original offense.

#25: The Amber Room

War can lead to countless acts of senseless destruction, with nothing being seen as off limits. This was unfortunately the case for the Amber Room, a structure constructed of gold leaf and precious gemstones. It took years to build, and was eventually installed within a Russian palace during the 18th century. They weren't the only ones who saw immense value in it. When German soldiers invaded the Soviet Union during World War II, curators attempted to protect the aging room, but their efforts were unfortunately squandered. Within three days, it had been taken apart. Even after the war ended, the full contents of the room were never found, and the search is still ongoing to this day.

#24: Juukan Gorge Caves

A legal loophole is all it took for a piece of history to be destroyed. As per mining law in Australia, once a company has been given permission to work on a site, new information cannot prevent it from occurring. Even though the significance of the Juukan Gorge caves was well known for years, Rio Tinto was still given permission to mine in 2013. Many protested that the caves were of significant importance, being over 46,000 years old and containing items of archaeological and scientific relevance. The company still went through with their demolition in 2020. It resulted in immediate public backlash and a national inquiry, eventually forcing the corporation to apologize.

#23: Luxor Temple

Something of historical importance being destroyed in an accident stings but can potentially be forgiven. Something wrecked out of pure ignorance is not. The Luxor Temple in Egypt has been standing for over a millennium and was the crowning location of several pharaohs. In 2013, a fifteen year old from China scratched a message into one of the engravings there. The vandalism went viral in his home country, leading to him being doxxed. While his parents apologized, the next day his school's computers were hacked to showcase his misdeed. Luckily, his engraving was removed and the outcry from Internet users and various Chinese spokespeople served as the perfect punishment.

#22: The Virgin Marys Finger

There are some actions so poorly thought out you have to wonder why they were attempted in the first place. Believed to have been created by Giovanni dAmbrogio six centuries ago, the statue of the Virgin Mary had become a cornerstone of Florences Museo dellOpera del Duomo. In 2013, a tourist visiting from the United States attempted to measure his hand against the sculptures. In the process, he managed to snap off its pinky finger. Although he expressed remorse over the error, the damage was already done. It serves as a perfect reminder of why museums have strict rules on touching the exhibits.

#21: Elgin Marbles

Colonialism has resulted in several countries' artifacts being taken and represented in another countrys museums. The Elgin Marbles a series of sculptures removed from the Parthenon and other parts of the Acropolis in the 1800s is a prime example of this phenomenon. Unfortunately, along with being stolen, they (and the Parthenon itself) were also inadvertently damaged. In an attempt to restore the artwork so that it could be displayed, several chemicals and tools were utilized in order to clean it. However, the abrasive material of the latter resulted in many of the statues' distinctive details being erased. The level of damage has been debated for years but even if the damage due to cleaning was overblown, incidences of casual vandalism from visitors is not.

#20: Statue of the Two Hercules

Weve seen a spate of selfie mishaps in the early 21st century, from costly accidents to tragic deaths. It seems people will do anything to get the perfect snap. A 300 year old statue featuring two depictions of Hercules has long been a symbol of the city of Cremona, Italy. But the legendary heros statue was no match for the selfie obsession of two tourists who decided to climb it for a quick photo. The men toppled and shattered the marble crown on the emblem held by the pair of Hercules figures and unfortunately this wasnt the first time holidaymakers have damaged historical Italian monuments.

#19: Dunsters Cobblestone Paths

Dunster, Somerset is known for being an extremely well-preserved example of a medieval English village. It houses a 1,000-year-old castle and contained beautiful cobblestone paths that dated back to the Bronze Age. However, after numerous reports of people tripping on the ancient stones, the villages council decided to rip up the millennia-old cobblestones and replace them with smoother paving stones. The villagers, who initially supported the idea, then showed their intense hatred of the new paving stones by complaining to the media. The council then decided to rip up the slabs at significant cost and replace them with stones that fit more with the villages aesthetic.

#18: An Ancient Vase

Ever looked at Chinese porcelain hundreds of years old and thought, Man, this would sure make a nice table lamp? Well, thats what must have happened before someone drilled a hole in this Qing Dynasty vase to push an electrical cable through. Decades later, a woman who had inherited the vase took it to be valued, only to be told that the hole had dramatically decreased its value, down from a potential £50,000, to a few thousand. So before repurposing some old vase thats been lying around the house forever go get an appraisal.

#17: A 126-Year-Old Statue of Don Sebastian I

And here we have another tragic case of a selfie ruining a beloved piece of art. A child-sized statue of Portuguese king Dom Sebastian I stood outside the Rossio railway station in Lisbon, Portugal. This statue lasted for 126 years before it literally fell to a selfie. A 24-year-old man climbed the façade outside the Rossio station to take a picture with the statue. However, he accidentally knocked the statue over, and it shattered to pieces upon contact with the ground. The man tried to run away, but he was apprehended by police and faced prosecution for destroying a century-old artifact.

#16: The Star-Spangled Banner

At the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812, the British navy bombarded American forces at Fort McHenry through the night. Detained on a British troopship, American poet Francis Scott Key watched in dismay as the heavens seemed to rain down a sea of fire. But at dawn, an enormous American flag was raised defiantly over the fort, a moment that inspired him to pen the American national anthem. This iconic flag came into the possession of one Georgiana Armistead Appleton - who cut off snippets as gifts, before the remains were whisked away to safety by the Smithsonian Institution.

#15: A Monet Painting

Ever struggled to understand art? Maybe Irish vandal Andrew Shannon felt pretty frustrated about a Claude Monet painting hanging in the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin. Valued at 10 million, the Impressionist work, "Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat", depicts an idyllic scene on the Seine River. But it apparently enraged Shannon, who in 2012 punched a hole right through the canvas. He initially told cops he was trying to get back at the state, but would claim in court that it was an accident and that he stumbled, due to a health condition. Witnesses claimed otherwise, and he served 5 years in the slammer. Thankfully, the painting was later restored - after 18 painstaking months of work.

#14: Chilean Geoglyphs

The Dakar Rally: the annual off-road race where affluent drivers tear through untouched wilds. Before moving to South America in 2009, the rally took place in Africa, where it attracted criticism for its impact on locals and the environment. Archaeologists in Chile have also condemned the event. The route through the Atacama Desert damaged protected sites, including ancient geoglyphs, which are works of art that are carved into the ground. Some of these are well over a thousand years old. That doesnt seem to matter to these off-road enthusiasts, some of whom think nothing of driving across these priceless artifacts from another era.

#13: The Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are brilliant artistic designs made in the desert grounds of southern Peru. The designs were created between 500 BC and 500 AD and range from geometric patterns to depictions of human, animal, and natural life. These can stretch over 1,000 feet in length and can clearly be seen from the air and from nearby hilltops. However, many of the lines have been damaged in recent years by squatters, construction machinery, careless Greenpeace activists who walked over the site with sneakers, off-road vehicles, and a truck driver who accidentally drove over numerous lines.

#12: King Tuts Beard

Chalk this up to Tutankhamuns curse. Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled from 1332 to 1323 BC. His tomb was finally discovered in 1922, and the mummy of Tutankhamun was uncovered three years later. While the chin was initially found broken off his death mask, it was permanently reattached in 1944. Or so everyone thought. In 2014, it was accidentally broken off and hastily glued back on, a process that caused irreparable scratches to the beard. After people began to notice the botched glue job, the mask was professionally fixed, and eight people faced criminal charges for their negligence in repairing the priceless mask with superglue.

#11: The Senator

It was one of the oldest trees in the world, predating Jesus by 1,500 years. This bald cypress towered 125 feet high in Big Tree Park, Florida, and was a landmark for Native Americans and early settlers. But in 2012, 26 year old Sara Barnes, who proclaimed herself a nature enthusiast on her modeling page, lit a fire to better see the methamphetamine she was about to smoke. Things got a little out of hand, and today, a charred stump of wood is all that remains.

#10: A 5,000-Year-Old Rock Carving

Well, we suppose they had good intentions. The Norwegian island of Tro houses a 5,000-year-old rock carving depicting a man on skis. This carving is one of the worlds earliest indications of skiing, and it inspired the symbols of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. However, it was ruined in 2016 when two teenagers carved over it in an attempt to make it appear brighter and clearer. The teenagers, not realizing what a serious infraction they had committed, turned themselves in amidst the intense media frenzy. The two then faced criminal charges and prosecution under the countrys Cultural Heritage Act.

#9: Belize Pyramid

Construction crews strike again. In 2007, workers building an IKEA branch in Nanjing, China, destroyed 10 ancient tombs dating back almost 1,800 years. It was claimed that this was all a mistake and the crews didnt know about the tombs. Ooookayyy. But in 2013, contractors working on a metro line in Guangzhou demolished imperial tombs, which had been clearly cordoned off by the Guangzhou Archaeology Research Centre. Some of the tombs were 3,000 years old. The destruction of all these tombs is a huge loss for those seeking to better understand Chinas history.

#8: A 5,000-Year-Old Cave Painting

Thousands of years ago, one of our ancestors drew this mysterious long-armed figure in Los Escolares Cave in Southern Spain. Hidden away from modern eyes until its rediscovery in 1973, it withstood the ravages of time for millennia as civilizations rose and fell. But it couldnt survive the shoddy work of thieves, who in 2014 sheared away part of the artwork in an attempt to steal it. This is a huge blow, as the damage is irreparable, but it also points out another problem. Although the cave system housing the picture is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, theres no practical way to protect it against such acts.

#7: A Mayan Pyramid

Belize is rich with relics left by the Mayans, whose civilization flourished in Central America for centuries until beginning a serious decline after 950 AD. But in 2013, the country lost one of these riches when construction crews used the stones of an ancient pyramid for road fill. The pyramid, called Noh Mul and built in 250 BC, stood almost 60 feet tall, but was quickly broken down by the crew, who were later charged and fined. Such destruction isnt uncommon in Belize, where Mayan mounds are tempting targets for construction workers.

#6: El Paraíso Pyramid

This pyramid would sure be a great spot for a swimming pool! Maybe thats what property developers were thinking when they illegally bulldozed a 20 foot tall, four thousand year old pyramid at El Paraíso, Peru. They then lit the remains on fire, for good measure. The site is one of the oldest and largest archaeological sites in Peru. As a matter of fact, it predates the rise of the famous Incan Empire. Onlookers prevented them from destroying other pyramids, and the developers were hit with criminal charges.

#5: A Neolithic Tomb

In 2015, workers in the Spanish town of Cristovo de Cea accidentally filled in a 6,000-year-old tomb with concrete and topped it off with a picnic table. They thought the tombs slabs were a stone bench that had fallen into disrepair, so they wanted to erect a fancy picnic table in its place. The towns mayor said that he wasnt aware of the sites historical significance, and the site wasnt marked or protected in any way. People better have some damn good picnics on that bench, because it cost history a 6,000-year-old tomb to put it there.

#4: Troy

Troy is an ancient city depicted in Homers Iliad, said to be the site of the famous Trojan War. The historical city of Troy is located in modern-day Turkey and was partially excavated by Heinrich Schliemann in the 1870s. However, Schliemann wasnt a great archaeologist, and he proceeded to blast away the walls and layers of Troy and carved massive trenches in the ground that remain to this day. As one scholar stated, Schliemann destroyed a phenomenal amount of material. And this is why inexperienced archaeologists are not allowed to excavate millennia-old cities.

#3: The Second Temple of Artemis

While the original Temple of Artemis was destroyed in a flood, it was rebuilt in a more extravagant manner around 550 BC. It stood nearly 400 feet long and 150 feet wide, contained 40-foot tall columns, and was allegedly the first Greek temple to be made from marble. It was a notable attraction for almost two hundred years, but it was burned to the ground in 356 BC by some snot-nosed punk named Herostratus, who simply wanted to be famous. He was subsequently tortured on the rack and executed, and his name was banned from being spoken or written with the intention of erasing him from history. It didnt work.

#2: The Buddhas of Bamiyan

The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two enormous statues of Buddha that were carved out of a cliffside in Afghanistan. The statues were carved in the 6th century, and they were reportedly decorated with elaborate jewelry by the year 630. The statues persisted for over 1,000 years until they were destroyed by the Taliban in March of 2001. The statues were bombarded with anti-aircraft weaponry, dynamite, artillery, and mines before the Taliban rapelled down the cliff and placed explosives inside the monuments. The commander of the Taliban, Mohammed Omar, stated that, It has given praise to Allah that we have destroyed them.

#1: Mosques, Mausoleums, & More

Since 2014, ISIS has destroyed numerous historical monuments and artifacts in their war against other faiths and denominations. These include religious sites, such as the mosque of the Prophet Jonah in Mosul, Iraq, and the ancient temples of Bel and Baalshamin in Palmyra, Syria. In Palmyra, they also vandalized a Roman Theatre, and demolished a tetrapylon monument. Sadly, it doesnt stop there. Their efforts to destroy the regions cultural heritage have also included bulldozing the historic Assyrian cities Nimrud and Nineveh in Iraq, which was at one point the largest city in the ancient world.

Which of these historic losses do you think was the most tragic? Let us know in the comments.