The 50 greatest relics of the Roman Empire, ranked and rated

Once a hub at the heart of the Roman Empire, Palmyra, located in the Syrian desert, contains many monumental ruins - fernando arias/Moment RF

What – to dip briefly into the world of Monty Python’s Life Of Brian – did the Romans ever do for us? Apart, of course, from the palaces and temples, the amphitheatres and arenas, the aqueducts and public baths, the churches and villas – and the myriad other important landmarks and buildings that took root during the half-millennium when the Roman Empire moved beyond the Eternal City and left sophisticated and lingering fingerprints across three separate continents?

And if you were to rank these structures into some sort of order, what would that list look like? Can you weigh and measure the Roman ruins in Libya or Algeria in relation to those in Croatia or France? Can you really compare the Colosseum to the Pont du Gard?

This article is an attempt to do just that – casting its gaze across 50 Roman sites, in 24 countries. Appalled by the final rankings? Aghast at a glaring omission? Then let us know your own thoughts and suggestions in the comments section at the bottom.

The contenders

50. Tower of Hercules, Spain

Set on a bluff just outside La Coruña, this 187ft granite bastion – also known as the Farum Brigantium – is the oldest surviving Roman lighthouse (built in the 1st century AD).

The Tower of Hercules has served as a landmark at the entrance of La Coruña harbour in north-western Spain since the first century AD - Santiago Urquijo/Moment RF

49. Felix Romuliana, Serbia

Rome’s control over the Balkan peninsula is still apparent in the remains of this imperial palace – built by the Emperor Galerius in what is now eastern Serbia in 298AD.

48. Capidava, Romania

Ever alert and opportunistic, 1st-century Rome expanded this existing settlement – 30 miles inland from the Black Sea – into a snarling military watchdog on the north bank of the River Danube.

The ruins of Capidava Fortress are located on the banks of the River Danube - porojnicu/iStockphoto

47. Garni Temple, Armenia

Way out in the Caucasus, the Garni Temple – built in around 77AD, and dedicated to the god Mithras – is generally accepted as the easternmost reminder of the Greco-Roman era.

46. The Walls of Lugo, Spain

Back in the third century, the Walls of Lugo were built to protect a small city in Galicia, the Roman colony Lucus Augusti. Its one-mile circle of walls built to protect the city are barely changed by the passage of time.

45. Temple of Évora, Portugal

The capital of Alentejo was once the Roman colony of Ebora Liberalitas Julia. Its 1st-century temple – probably built in deification of Augustus – is its clearest link to the era.

The Roman Temple of Évora is the city’s most iconic monument - Rudolf Ernst/iStockphoto

44. The Basilica Cistern, Turkey

Istanbul is a jumble of epochs and empires, but peer below street level and you find this cathedral-esque water feature – founded by Emperor Constantine, and later expanded by Justinian.

43. Theatre of Philippopolis, Bulgaria

The word on the road signs is “Plovdiv”, but, in its basic DNA, Bulgaria’s second city is forever the Greco-Roman Philippopolis – an era this 1st-century arena remembers well.

The well-preserved Plovdiv amphitheatre in Bulgaria dates back to the 2nd century AD - Esin Deniz/iStockphoto

42. Butrint, Albania

Or “Buthrotum”, as its Roman citizens would have known it – a cluster of tumbled villas and temples that, set just north of the Greek border, is Albania’s main archaeological site.

41. Paphos Archaeological Park, Cyprus

While the Mediterranean’s biggest island-nation owes much of its heritage to ancient Greece, the House of Dionysus and its mosaics are unquestionably Roman treasures.

Achilles as a child from the 4th-century Roman mosaic of the first bath of Archilles at the Villa of Theseus, Paphos Archaeological Park - iStockphoto

40. The Antonine Wall, UK

Half the length (39 miles) of Hadrian’s Wall, this fortification – running between the Firth of Forth and Clyde – served the same defensive purpose, albeit in timber and turf.

39. The Temple of Jupiter, Damascus, Syria

An Aramaean then Greek shrine before Roman conquest in 64BC (and later a church and mosque), the still-visible Temple of Jupiter is ancient Damascus distilled into one edifice.

38. The Theatre of Vienne, France

So sturdy is this 1st-century theatre on the banks of the Rhone that this less-heralded Isère town uses it as the venue for its annual jazz festival, which takes place every July.

The view from the top of the Roman amphitheatre in Vienne offers beautiful panoramic views of the city - EMBorque/iStockphoto

37. Kom el-Dikka, Egypt

Egypt has a hallowed ancient story of its own, but the temples and theatre of the Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria are a reminder of what happened when one empire vanquished another.

36. Palmyra, Syria

War and terror have desecrated this Silk Road satellite in the last 15 years, but Palmyra is still a pearl in the Syrian Desert, and its 2nd-century theatre was one of Rome’s finest.

Many of the ruins in Palmyra were built during the 2nd century AD, a time when Roman influence was at its height across the region - Libyan Soup/Moment RF

35. Ostia Antica, Italy

Landlocked Rome could not have hit such heights without its port at the mouth of the Tiber; a case-study in 1st-century urban planning, at the hands of Tiberius and Claudius.

34. Arena of Nîmes, France

Built in approximately 100AD, the Arena of Nîmes can perhaps claim to be the amphitheatre with the closest link to the gladiator fights of yore. It still stages bull fights.

33. Arles Amphitheatre, France

Just 20 miles and a single decade (it was built about 10 years earlier, in 90AD) separate Arles Amphitheatre from its close friend in Nîmes; a case of good things coming in pairs.

Two-tiered Arles Amphitheatre was built in the 1st century AD during the reign of Augustus - iStockphoto

32. Roman Carthage, Tunisia

So vicious was the Roman destruction of its African enemy in 146BC that what remains of the ancient city-state – baths, temples, theatres – was largely built by the conquerors.

31. Antium, Italy

A coastal resort 40 miles south of Rome, Antium was an oasis for the rich. Not least Emperor Nero – the ruins of the Domus Neroniana recall the 1st-century villain in question.

30. Sabratha, Libya

A seaside sibling of the more venerated Leptis Magna, Sabratha was another jewel of Roman North Africa. Its theatre, carefully restored in the 1920s, is especially photogenic.

The impressive ruins of Sabratha lie approximately 50 miles to the west of Tripoli in Libya - Rachele Rossi/Moment RF

29. Djémila, Algeria

Tucked into the hills of northern Algeria, Djémila owes much to the “Libyan emperor” Septimius Severus – whose temple still dominates its romantic ruins.

28. Verona Arena, Italy

A wholly perfect circle that has brightened the city of Romeo and Juliet since the 1st century, and is still a cultural heartbeat via its annual summer opera festival.

27. Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunisia

While only half the size of its obvious inspiration, the Colosseum, this wonder from the third century was – and is – a giant. In its prime, it could hold a crowd of 35,000.

26. Aqueduct of Segovia, Spain

Two figures illustrate the glory of this icon from the 1st century in Castile and León. The first is 167: its number of surviving arches. The second is 1973; the year until which it was used as an aqueduct.

With 167 arches, the Aqueduct of Segovia is testament to Roman engineering - Vadim_Nefedov/iStockphoto

25. Pula Amphitheatre, Croatia

A near-contemporary of the Colosseum (it was completed in 68AD), Pula Amphitheatre is also better preserved than Rome’s greatest landmark. Its three tiers are still a full circle.

Completed by 68AD, the Pula Amphitheatre is one of the world’s largest surviving Roman arenas - Moment RF

24. Villa Adriana, Italy

Hadrian’s legacy went far beyond a wall. His private villa – built in Tivoli, 20 miles east of Rome, in 120AD – still salutes its creator in its elaborate gardens and water features.

23. Tarraco, Spain

Modern-day Tarragona was the first Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula, founded in 217BC. Its soul lives on in its dazzling array of arches, baths, theatres and monuments.

22. Herculaneum, Italy

Pompeii’s partner in destruction is less eulogised than its neighbour – but just as well preserved. Herculaneum was richer, a seaside resort – as its ruins still demonstrate.

Alongside Pompeii, Herculaneum is one of the best preserved ancient Roman sites - iStockphoto

21. Jerash, Jordan

Somewhat overshadowed by its ancient compatriot, the Nabatean citadel Petra, Jerash is Jordan’s main contribution to the Roman story; a site whose Oval Forum is breathtaking.

The top 20

20. Aula Palatina, Germany

Constructed: 310AD

Popular opinion often views the ancient German lands as a swamp-zone of the hairily unwashed, out beyond the boundaries of the civilised Roman world. But Rome’s reach extended far enough to the north that the Rhineland city of Trier came within its grip. The foremost evidence is the Aula Palatina, a first flourish of Christianised Roman life, built during Constantine’s reign. Still used as a church today, the building’s vast interior – a 220ft hall of largely unadorned brickwork – is scarcely changed from the 4th century.

How to do it: Byway Travel (020 4525 6215) dispenses a seven-day “Short Break to Trier” from £1,339 per person, including return train travel from London.

The Aula Palatina has a vast interior measuring 220ft - iStockphoto

19. Volubilis, Morocco

Founded: 3rd century BC

An outpost at the very edge of empire – the ghost of Volubilis sits roughly 150 miles inland from Tangier. Founded as a Berber settlement, it took on Roman trappings from the 1st century AD onwards, with public baths, temples and houses whose ornate mosaics – depicting the likes of Orpheus, Hercules and Venus – retain their nobility in the present. Although heavily restored, the city’s triumphal arch – dedicated to Emperor Caracalla – is still its statement structure.

How to do it: Volubilis is part of the 19-day “Ultimate Morocco” itinerary offered by Original Travel (020 3820 5573). From £6,275 per head (flights extra).

Many of the Roman mosaics on display at Volubilis were laid between the 1st and 3rd centuries - Moment RF

18. Theatre of Aspendos, Turkey

Constructed: c161-180AD

Rome’s eastwards expansion into what is now Turkey left more significant remains than the lingering echoes in Istanbul. Aspendos – by the south coast, 30 miles outside Antalya – was a city of significant stature. Its theatre, crafted while Marcus Aurelius was on the throne, was a classic of the genre, able to seat an audience of up to 13,000. It was sturdy enough that it was converted into a palace by the Seljuk sultans more than a millennium later; sturdier still in that it is now used for opera and ballet performances.

How to do it: Martin Randall Travel (020 3991 2569) offers a guided “Classical Turkey” tour that visits Aspendos and Ephesus. From £4,430pp, with flights.

The Theatre of Aspendos once had capacity for up to 13,000 spectators, and is still used for opera and ballet performances - iStockphoto

17. Theatre of Bosra, Syria

Constructed: 2nd century AD

Of all the ancient treasures that have fallen from the travel list amid the bloodshed of Syria’s recent history, the auditorium that sits amid the dusty ruins of southerly Bosra may be the most graceful. True, this relic of the time of Emperor Trajan underwent considerable reconstruction in the 1950s. Yes, there were snipers active among its colonnades during the Syrian Civil War. And sadly, it holds a position on Unesco’s “List of World Heritage in Danger”. But its majesty – it is big enough to hold 17,000 spectators – is undimmed.

The Theatre of Bosra is found in the south of Syria - Drew Prineas/Moment Open

16. Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek, Lebanon

Constructed: 2nd century AD

The tensions in the Middle East have also enveloped the ruins of Baalbek – which, positioned all but on the border between Lebanon and Syria, has been difficult to reach for the best part of two decades. This is a small tragedy, as the Temple of Bacchus is among the most stunning traces of the Roman epoch; a colossus whose columns soar to almost 66ft. Many of the sculptures and reliefs inside are intact; a tribute to the god of wine which has survived religious revolution and earthquakes alike.

The Temple of Bacchus boasts columns that soar to almost 66ft - Olesya Vernova/iStockphoto

15. Hadrian’s Library and The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Greece

Constructed: 132AD/161AD

Athens was a symbol of civilisation long before the Romans arrived in 146BC; its most feted structure, the Parthenon, pre-dated the invaders by three centuries. Nonetheless, the Romans left their mark in splendid fashion. Hadrian’s Library remembers the eponymous Emperor on the north side of the Acropolis (even if the papyrus scrolls it once held have long been lost). The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, built by the titular Roman senator three decades later, is a glorious example of an ancient theatre, and still used for concerts today.

How to do it: Via the 11-day “Athens to Rome Odyssey of Heritage” served up by On The Go Tours (020 4586 8092). From £2,147 per person, flights extra.

The Odeon of Herodes is a stone theatre located on the southern slopes of the Acropolis - George Pachantouris/Moment RF

14. Caesarea Maritima, Israel

Founded: 4th century BC

A Phoenician acorn in its earliest incarnation, Caesarea grew to be the capital of Roman Judaea following the annexation of the region in 63BC. Two millennia later, it is not hard to understand why. The remains of the port are still pinned to the Mediterranean’s edge, some 30 miles north of Tel Aviv. Its enormous theatre still holds pride of place, although tellingly, it sits adjacent to the Palace of Herod The Great, the client-king (and one of the bible’s most notorious baddies) who did so much to expand the city (and his own power).

How to do it: Corinthian Travel (020 3583 6089) offers a 10-day “Israel: The Promised Land” tour which features Caesarea. From £1,351pp (flights extra).

Ruins of Caesarea Maritima, found to the north of Tel Aviv, Israel - master2/iStockphoto

13. Leptis Magna, Libya

Founded: c500BC

Like Caesarea, Leptis Magna evolved out of an existing settlement (Punic, then Carthaginian) to be a Roman trophy on the Mediterranean shore. Its ascent owed much to Septimius Severus, who was born in the city in 145AD, and had risen to be Emperor (the first of African origin) by 193AD. Abandoned in the seventh century, it was swallowed by coastal sands, and preserved in the process. Its inaccessibility – amid the political and humanitarian crisis that has held Libya in its clutches since 2011 – is a source of sorrow.

Leptis Magna was founded as a port in the 7th century BC, and later expanded under the Roman Empire - Corbis Documentary RF

12. Timgad, Algeria

Founded: c100AD

Algeria’s general absence from the modern travel map – very few tourists visit what is Africa’s largest country – has cast a veil of anonymity over its Roman sites. Of which Timgad is the most remarkable example. The city’s reputation as the “Pompeii of North Africa” is not a reference to volcanic disaster, but to its being abandoned and forgotten for more than a millennium. Now extensively excavated, it has all the infrastructure and wow-factor of its Italian cousin – but crucially, only a tiny fraction of its visitor numbers.

How to do it: Timgad is a key stop on the 12-day “Crossroads of the Maghreb” tour sold by Wild Frontiers (020 3925 6069). From £2,966pp, flights extra.

Timgad is often called the ‘Pompeii of North Africa’ - Prisma by Dukas Presseagentur GmbH/Alamy

11. The Roman Baths, UK

Constructed: 60-70AD

You can probably say that a building project has been a success when, 2,000 years on, it lends its name to an entire town. The engineers who crafted the baths in the little enclave of Aquae Sulis, in Roman Britannia, could never have imagined that their work would become so specifically inked onto the map of Somerset. But even with the Georgian and Victorian changes to the complex that have made Bath such a rosy image of English gentility, the ingenuity of that ancient channelling of its hot springs still shines through.

The Roman Baths, found in Somerset, can be easily reached from London by train - olliemtdog/iStockphoto

10. Pont du Gard, France

Constructed: 40-60AD

There are, of course, other surviving examples of the Roman aqueduct (including Segovia, above) – but none quite as adored as the marvel that still spans the River Gardon in southern France. Built to supply the baths and fountains of Nemausus (Nîmes), the Pont was so much more than a literal water-carrier. It was a honeyed vision in three tiers of sandstone arches, each layer smaller and more delicate than the one below. After the fall of Rome, it was repurposed as a bridge – before Unesco status was bestowed in 1985.

How to do it: Andante Travels (01722 466 243) offers a seven-day “Roman Provence” tour that visits Nîmes and Orange. From £3,255pp (including travel).

The remarkable Pont du Gard aqueduct was added to Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1985 - Getty

9. The Baths of Caracalla/The Circus Maximus, Italy

Constructed: 212-217AD/6th century BC

The image of Rome at play is enshrined in two keynote locations, less than half a mile apart, in the short valley between the Palatine and Aventine Hills. The huge ruins of the Baths of Caracalla are the most visible reminder of the city’s elevated hygiene levels (the bigger Baths of Diocletian are now the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli) amid the stink of ancient times. A stroll away, the Circus Maximus is now largely reduced to a grassy space, but still clearly resembles the arena where chariot-racers thrilled the crowd.

How to do it: A three-night stay at the four-star Inn At The Roman Forum costs from £1,036 a head, flights included, via Kirker Holidays (020 75932288).

The Baths of Caracalla were built c212-217AD for the use and enjoyment of the Romans - Kathrin Ziegler/Photographer's Choice RF

8. Augusta Emerita, Spain

Founded: 25BC

Emperor Augustus had only been crowned as the first Roman emperor for two years when he ordered the construction of a purpose-built home for military veterans in the west of the freshly conquered Iberian peninsula. Augusta Emerita – now the Spanish city of Mérida – was suitably grand, and remains so in the present day. That it had both a 6,000-capacity theatre (for stage shows; now restored) and an amphitheatre (for gladiatorial fights; now ruined) indicates that the old soldiers who settled here were expected to cool their boots.

How to do it: Via the eight-day “Lost Cities of Lusitania” tour sold by The Cultural Experience (0345 475 1815). From £3,445pp (with flights).

The ruins of Augusta Emerita can be found throughout Mérida, Spain - Sergio Formoso/Moment RF

7. The Library of Celsus, Turkey

Constructed: c110AD

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city at birth, its first stones laid in the 10th century BC. However, its most feted structure was Roman (named after the Tiberius Julius Celcus Polemaenus) – and, in its pomp, it was one of the most important libraries on the planet, stuffed with over 12,000 scrolls. It would later suffer at the hands of Germanic invaders and ruinous earthquakes – but while the facade which now shines in Instagram feeds is an example of 1970s reconstruction, you have to applaud the quality of the work.

How to do it: See “Theatre of Aspendos” (18).

The Library of Celsus was once one of the most important libraries on the planet, containing over 12,000 scrolls - Francesco Riccardo Iacomino/Moment RF

6. Theatre of Orange, France

Constructed: 10-25AD

The Roman strategy of using culture as well as force to quell its new subjects took physical form in numerous epic arenas – none of them quite as spectacular as the elegant edifice built on Provencal soil in the reign of Augustus. Poetry, pantomime and “attelana” (a sort of farce), as well as drama, all played out on the stage in the colony of Arausio. Time has done little to the plan. The theatre’s summer opera season, Choregies d’Orange, is just as well-attended now that the city has a more recognisable moniker.

How to do it: See “Pont du Gard” (10).

The Theatre of Orange is one of the best preserved of all the great Roman theatres - STOCKFOLIO®/Alamy

5. The Pantheon, Italy

Constructed: c29-19BC/126AD

There can be no doubting the glory of a building that has been in near-continuous use for 2,000 years, and is still as revered as it was when its doors first opened. This, in short, is the story of the Pantheon, the “temple of all the gods” that was constructed by the Roman general Marcus Agrippa in the time of Augustus, was rebuilt by Hadrian in 126AD after a series of fires. It has operated as the Basilica of St Mary and the Martyrs since 609. The rounded marble of the church interior is iconic – the open oculus of its roof even more so.

How to do it: See “The Baths of Caracalla” (9).

The Pantheon, found in the centre of Rome, has been in near-continuous use for 2,000 years - minemero/E+

4. The Palace of Diocletian, Croatia

Constructed: c295-305AD

You know you have had a fulfilling life if your retirement plan becomes a city. Diocletian was a big achiever – a poor boy who climbed the military ranks – even before he became emperor in 284AD. But his reign was so stable that he was able to abdicate in 305 – after commissioning a retirement palace, in his native Dalmatia. He would only live there for six years, but the complex has far out-lasted him. It is now the Old Town core of Croatia’s second city, Split – a nest of churches and courtyards that wears its past vividly.

How to do it: Audley Travel (01993 460 208) sells a four-night break – “Split: City & Scenery” – from £2,465 a head (including flights and an old-town hotel).

Taking up a prime harbourside position, Diocletian’s Palace is one of the world’s best-preserved Roman monuments - xbrchx/iStockphoto

3. Hadrian’s Wall, UK

Constructed: c122-128AD

For all Rome’s capacity to conquer and subjugate, it was a defensive fortification which left the greatest imprint on Britain. Whether or not Hadrian’s Wall was built purely – as any proud Scot will tell you – to repel the fierce Picts (it was also a hard statement of imperial power), it has proved to be an indelible relic of the ancient world. The full walk – from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend – is a matter of 84 miles and two seas. A pause at Vindolanda – the 1st-century fort midway along – will put you in a centurion’s sandals.

How to do it: Macs Adventure (0141 530 7086) sells a 10-day version of its “Hadrian’s Wall Path” walking break from £1,059pp, including all lodging.

Hadrians Wall runs for 84 miles from Wallsend on the east coast of England to Bowness-on-Solway - Duncan Andison/Corbis Documentary RF

2. The Roman Forum/The Colosseum, Italy

Constructed: Eighth century BC/72-80AD

In many senses, a search for the soul of ancient Rome goes back to the start, and to the centre. The city’s earliest structures sprouted around its main plaza almost three millennia ago; the Temple of Julius Caesar would take up a key slot within it after his assassination in 44BC. The arrival of “the Flavian Amphitheatre” – an arena that, for all its Christians, lions and gladiators, became the template for every sporting arena that came after – on the Forum’s east edge completed an image that is now familiar to billions.

How to do it: See “The Baths of Caracalla” (9).

The Colosseum is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and remains one of the most recognisable monuments - Alexander Spatari/Moment RF

1. Pompeii, Italy

Founded: 7th century BC

True, this small city in modern Campania would not have made this list were it not for August 24 79AD. But the eruption of Mount Vesuvius preserved Pompeii so utterly that there is no greater time capsule of Roman life. The shroud of ash that choked then buried everything in its path left an unmatched legacy; a perfect picture of the 1st century, with its temples and theatres, villas and mosaics. Even the dead are still there, their ghostly forms captured in pale plaster-cast, as if their personal cataclysms were almost incidental.

How to do it: The ruins are part of the eight-day “Neapolitan Treasures” holiday sold by Cox & Kings (020 3868 9254). From £2,095 per person, with flights.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius preserved Pompeii - iStockphoto

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