A cargo cult is the complete or partial copying of objects and actions without a full or partial understanding of the functioning.

In other words, when two races of different technological levels encounter one another, the more primitive people will not be able to cognitively comprehend the technologies of the higher race.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

In many instances, primitive tribes and people inherit, or are given supplies or some sort technological means of life by the advanced race, which they cannot understand the function of. The technological race will be viewed as God-like, and their objects will be described by means of metaphor. Advanced flying machines could be described as heavenly birds, or flying chariots in the realm of Indo-European cultures.

Consequentially over time ritual practices will form as a result of these confusing ancient interactions. Every religion has some form of this, can you think of some other such cargo cult practices?

On that note; strange is it not that all paintings from the turn of the 18th to 19th century *always* depict cities in ruins? Covered in plant life and soil, rubble everywhere, and of course people wearing drapery and torn clothing wandering around aimlessly - refugees stumbling upon the lands of those who came before.

If these photos are truly depictions of ancient times, 2000 years ago, why such poor maintenance back then? Weren't these buildings recently built? Why so much foliage? Why is it all destroyed?

One could only conclude that these paintings are depictions of the present time when these paintings were created, in the early 1800s (and late 1700s). Those people wandering around are only 200 hundred years old.

-Overgrown foliage (uncut vines, shrubs, etc)
-All structures damaged (cracks, missing bricks, pillars knocked over, generally unmaintained)
-No pavement/roads visible, covered under layer of soil
-Improvised technologies, crude wagons, wooden rafts. Far from the same grade of craftsmanship it would take to erect 1000 ton pillars and archways
-Poor standard of living amongst people, drapes and rags as clothing, no general sense of order. Lost wandering people

More evidence demonstrating Moscow was already covered with electrical fixtures in the later 19th century when electrical lighting was only being invented for the "first time", electrical light was not common in homes until 1925.
Not amount of candle light will produce a glare like in these photos.