This thread is meant as a wellspring of inspiration to terrain builders and fiction writers and artists. Reality with its layers of nature and history provides plenty of ideas. Please share your own finds and recommendations.
The three following things are strictly not ancient Mesopotamian (although the Babylonians did burn down old Tyre), but could provide ideas for ruins and landscapes in general for fantasy worldbuilding and scenerymaking:
I. The Punic Cothon in Carthage. A protected naval harbour, this roundel is still visible outside of Tunis today.
II. Tyre. An island turned into a peninsula by the siege causeways built by Alexander III’s Macedonian army. Land has silted up around the siege ramp, creating the current coastline. Note also how the southern Island of Melqart has eroded away.
III. The Harbour of Alexandria. Parts of the city were shaken down into the sea by heavy earthquakes during late antiquity. Divers can encounter statues and much more from this time, clearly visible on the seabed. And of course modern trash.
