How do ancient buildings survive hundreds of years of natural disasters e.g. earthquakes?

Question

How do ancient buildings survive hundreds of years of natural disasters e.g. earthquakes?

In: 72

Answer 1

When you travel around the world off the beaten tourist track to hinterlands where there used to be great cities, [and you see they were abandoned after earthquakes](https://imgur.com/i3gHSbN), one city after another after another, you realize just how destructive earthquakes were.

It was only in cities which rebuilt, and which repaired the most important buildings after earthquakes that we see the remnants of buildings which “survived”. But like others here have said, those are the vast *minority* of cases.