The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) which were considered to be the most attractive and impressive things in the world made by ancient peoples. The classic list featured seven wonders located in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Greek conquest of much of the familiar western world in the 4th century BC gave Hellenistic travelers entrance to the civilities of the Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians. Impressed and charmed by the landmarks and wonder of the several lands, these travelers began to list what they saw to remember them. Instead of “wonders”, the ancient Greeks told of “theamata” which indicates “sights”, in other words, “things to be seen”. Later, the word for “wonder” was used. Hence, the list was meant to be the Ancient World’s counterpart of a travel guidebook by various Greek authors.
The Seven Wonders of the World is a list of remarkable constructions of classical antiquity to the present day. A complete catalog the world’s most spectacular natural wonders and man-made structures. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the first known list of the most extraordinary origin of classical antiquity. Since then, many have developed lists of the “modern” Seven Wonders of the World. Let’s Learn About the Ancient and Modern, Natural and New Wonders of the World.
The Original Seven Wonders Of The World Consists Of:
1. The Great Pyramid of Giza (the most ancient as well as the only surviving structure)
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. The Temple of Artemis at EphesusGreat Pyramid of Giza
4. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
5. The Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
6. The Colossus of Rhodes
7. And the Lighthouse of Alexandria
1. Great Pyramid Of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops. Built between 2584 BC and 2561 BC, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving ancient wonder. The pyramid is the oldest of the original seven wonders and was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years.
There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid. The lowest chamber (the “unfinished chamber”) is cut into the bedrock. The so-called Queen’s Chamber and King’s Chamber are higher up within the pyramid structure.
2. The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon
With little historical documentation, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the only one whose location has not been definitively introduced. They may be unreal, they may have been built in the ancient city of Babylon, near present-day Hillah, Babil province, in Iraq by king Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC.
The gardens were said to have looked like a large green mountain constructed of mud bricks. One legend says that Nebuchadnezzar II created the Hanging Gardens for his Median wife, Queen Amytis because she missed the green hills and valleys of her motherland.
3. The Temple Of Artemis At Ephesus
The Temple of Artemis also known less precisely as the Temple of Diana was a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis. It was located in Ephesus near the modern town Turkey, the Temple of Artemis’s age is unknown, but it was rebuilt several times.
The Temple of Artemis was considered by Antipater of Sidon, who compiled the list of the Seven Wonders, describes the finished temple and said, ‘Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand’.
It was constructed beginning in 323 BC. The structure was destroyed by the Goths in 268 AD. The site of the temple was rediscovered in 1869, and fragments of it can be found in the British Museum.
4. The Statue Of Zeus At Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated representation of the Greek god Zeus was built by the sculptor Phidias around 435BC. It was about 13 m (43 ft) tall and represented Zeus on a cedar throne.
The work was ornamented with ebony, ivory, gold and precious stones. The statue was lost or destroyed during the 5th century AD although the exact nature of the work’s loss remains unknown. And details of its form are known only from ancient Greek descriptions and representations on coins.
5. The Mausoleum Of Maussollos At Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or Tomb of Mausolus was located in today’s Bodrum, Turkey and it was built as the tomb of Mausolus between 353BC and 350BC. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythius of Priene.
The Mausoleum was approximately 45 m (148 ft) in height and covered in ornate reliefs by four different Greek sculptors, Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros and Timotheus. The structure was destroyed by a series of earthquakes between the 12th and 15th centuries.
6. The Colossus Of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios. It was created in the city of Rhodes in 280 BC to mark the victory over the ruler of Cyprus, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, on the Greek island of the same name, by Chares of Lindos.
The Colossus stood approximately 70 cubits, or 33 meters (108 feet) high but survived for just 54 years and made of bronze and iron with a marble pedestal. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC and never rebuilt.
7. The Lighthouse Of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, sometimes called the Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse made by the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 280 and 247 BC, the Lighthouse of Alexandria measured up to 137 meters (394 and 449 ft) in height, making it one of the tallest man-made structures in the world for centuries.
It was damaged by several earthquakes between 956 and 1323, and in 1480 its ruins were used to construct the Citadel of Qaitbay, a fortress that still stands on Pharos Island.
New 7 Wonders Of The World
In 2001 an initiative was introduced by the Swiss corporation New7Wonders Foundation to select the New7Wonders of the World from a choice of 200 existing monuments. The challenge of selecting only 7 of the best wonders from such a massive treasury is thus indeed difficult. In 2007, more than 100 million people voted to declare the New Seven Wonders of the World.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest and oldest of the three pyramids at the Giza Necropolis in Egypt, was granted honorary status. The results were announced on July 7 2007 in Benfica’s stadium in a big ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, and are:
1. The Great Wall of China
2. Petra, Jordan
3. Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
4. Machu Picchu, Peru
5. Chichen Itza, Mexico
6. The Roman Colosseum
7. The Taj Mahal, India
8. The Great Pyramid of Giza (Honorary Candidate)
1. The Great Wall Of China
The Great Wall of China is connected with thousands of years of Chinese history. A series of walls made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, were initially built by China to protect the Chinese empires and states against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe. Constructed between the fifth century B.C. and the 16th century.
And the Great Wall is the world’s longest human-made structure, stretching some 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers). UNESCO inscribed the site as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
2. Petra, Jordan
Petra, originally known to the Nabataeans as Raqmu, has endless archaeological, historical, and architectural value that makes it a jaw-dropping tourist attraction in southern Jordan. The city is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system.
Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved. Petra is situated on the slope of the Jebel al-Madhbah which is believed by some to be the biblical Mount Hor.
Petra has proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 1985, was the capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV, and likely existed in its prime from 9 B.C. to A.D. 40.
3. Christ The Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and made by the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa from upon Corcovado Mountain in an awe-inspiring state of an eternal blessing since 1931.
The statue is 30 meters (98 ft) tall, not including its 8-meter (26 ft) pedestal, and its arms stretch 28 meters (92 ft) wide and cost approximately $250,000 to build – much of the money was raised through donations. The statue has become an easily recognized icon for Rio and Brazil.
4. Machu Picchu, Peru
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and designated one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, Machu Picchu is Peru’s most visited attraction. It is a 15th-century Inca citadel located on a mountain ridge 2,430 meters (7,970 ft) above from the sea level.
The site stayed unknown except to locals until 1911, when it was rediscovered by archaeologist Hiram Bingham. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. Often mistakenly mentioned as the “Lost City of the Incas”.
5. Chichen Itza, Mexico
Chichen Itza is a world-famous complex of Mayan ruins on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. The genius and adaptability of Mayan culture can be seen in the wealthy ruins of Chichen Itza. This potential city, a trading center for cloth, slaves, honey, and salt, founded from approximately 800 to 1200, and acted as the political and economic hub of the Mayan civilization.
It was one of the largest Maya cities and it was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans mentioned to in later reign and cultural area. Now it has become one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.
6. The Roman Colosseum
The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an oval amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy. The only finalist from Europe to make it into the top seven, the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
The elliptical structure sat nearly 50,000 spectators, who came to watch gory games involving gladiators, including battle reenactments, animal hunts, and executions.
Earthquakes and stone-robbers have left the Colosseum in a state of ruin, but portions of the structure remain open to tourists.
7. The Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal meaning “Crown of the Palace” is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna River in the Indian city of Agra. A mausoleum commissioned for the wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the Taj Majal was built between 1632 and 1648.
The majestic, domed mausoleum, which stands in formal walled gardens, is generally regarded as the finest example of Mughal art and architecture and represents a number of architectural styles, including Persian, Islamic, Turkish and Indian.