About ancient ruins- missing blocks and stone?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the reasons behind the missing blocks and stones in ancient ruins, particularly in Europe. Participants conclude that scavenging was a common practice, with materials from abandoned structures repurposed for new buildings or ground for lime and cement. The well-preserved site at Dougga is noted as an exception, likely due to its distance from settlements. Historical practices, such as the reuse of materials from monasteries and castles during the 16th century in England, further illustrate the trend of material reclamation in ancient and medieval times.

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  • Understanding of ancient architecture and construction materials
  • Familiarity with historical practices of material reclamation
  • Knowledge of the socio-political factors influencing building reuse
  • Awareness of archaeological preservation techniques
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  • Research the impact of scavenging on archaeological sites
  • Explore the history of material reuse in medieval Europe
  • Investigate preservation methods for ancient ruins
  • Learn about the socio-political influences on architecture in post-collapse societies
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This discussion is beneficial for archaeologists, historians, and anyone interested in the preservation of ancient ruins and the historical context of material reuse in construction.

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Do I have this right?

When looking at images of ancient ruins, such as at http://www.mccullagh.org/photo/1ds-4/roman-city-ruins-dougga, I was left wondering where the debris has gone to. What I gather from reading various articles is that these missing walls of marble and stone were largely scavenged. So, people carted away the fallen walls to make their own buildings, or ground them up for lime or cement? Is this the main reason why ancient ruins are so empty?
 
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Yes,
That site is amazingly well preserved, probably too far from the nearest settlement to be worth moving the stone, or the area was later inhabitted by nomads who didn't need it.

In europe any building that was abandoned got turned into barns, field walls and lime within a generation. Often the only thing that is left is a filled in ditch where the foundations were.
 
Within a generation? Wow. I take it that scavenging was a very typical way of life back then.

This had actually been a nagging thought for years. Finally got around to asking. Thank you.
 
Depends where you are.
Finished dressed building stone is a very expensive commodity, if you need a new house and there is a building in the next field with lots of of blocks just waiting...

Often in cities the ruins were lived in until the roof collapsed, then divided up into shacks with lean-to and temporary sheets, just like a modern refugee camp or shanty town. Roofs, especially stone vaulted roofs, are difficult to repair if civilisation has just collapsed.

There is also often a political factor, when the monasteries were dissolved in 16C england the land owners were 'encouraged' to reuse the building materials in order to prevent them being reoccupied in the future. A lot of castles suffered the same fate after the civil war.

In Rome the colliseum was used to build most of Romes early churches, then when the nobility started to use the same stone for their villas the church decided that it was a holy site because of christian matyrs and stopped the practice.
 

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