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The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a widely-known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. The earliest known version of the list was compiled in the 2nd century BC by Antipater of Sidon; it appears to be based on the guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim.
The Seven Wonders
Listed in order of their construction, the seven wonders are:
| Wonder | Date | Builder | Destroyed | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Pyramid of Giza | 2550 BC | Egyptians | n/a | n/a |
| Hanging Gardens of Babylon | 600 BC | Babylonians | ? | earthquake |
| Temple of Artemis at Ephesus | 550 BC | Anatolians | 356 BC | fire |
| Statue of Zeus at Olympia | 435 BC | Greeks | ? | fire |
| Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus | 351 BC | Hellenized Carians | ? | earthquake |
| Colossus of Rhodes | 292-280 BC | Hellenistic civilization | 224 BC | earthquake |
| Lighthouse of Alexandria | 3rd century BC | Hellenistic civilization | ? | earthquake |
Antipater's original list replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Walls of Babylon. It wasn't until the 6th century AD that the list above was used. Of these wonders, the only one that has survived to the present day is the Great Pyramid of Giza. The existence of the Hanging Gardens has not been definitively proven. Records show that the other five wonders were destroyed by natural disasters. The Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus were destroyed by fire, while the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Colossus, and Mausoleum of Maussollos, were destroyed by earthquakes.
A curious piece of trivia about the Seven Wonders is that all the sites of the seven wonders were located in the Ottoman Empire at one time or another.
More recent lists
In the tradition of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, many other lists of wonders have been proposed, including both human feats of engineering and wonders of nature. However, these lists are rather informal, and there is no consensus on any particular list.
Modern wonders
The American Society of Civil Engineers compiled another list of wonders of the modern world:- Channel Tunnel
- CN Tower
- Empire State Building
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Itaipu Dam
- Delta Works
- Panama Canal
Tourist travel wonders
The following list of the top seven existing tourist travel wonders was compiled by Hillman Wonders:Hillman Wonders- Great Pyramid of Giza
- Great Wall of China
- Taj Mahal
- Serengeti Migration
- Galapagos
- Grand Canyon
- Machu Picchu
Natural wonders
Similar to the other lists of wonders, there is no consensus on a list of seven natural wonders of the world, as there has been debate over how large the list should be. One of the many lists was compiled by CNN CNN Natural Wonders:- Grand Canyon
- Great Barrier Reef
- Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
- Mount Everest
- Northern Lights
- Paricutín volcano
- Victoria Falls
Underwater wonders
This list of underwater wonders is of unknown origin but has been repeated sufficiently often to acquire a degree of notability:Underwater Wonders of the World 2nd list of Underwater Wonder- Palau
- Belize Barrier Reef
- Great Barrier Reef
- Deep-Sea Vents
- Galapagos Islands
- Lake Baikal
- Northern Red Sea
Alternative list
The New 7 Wonders foundation has launched a poll to decide another new list of 7 Wonders, with 21 sites on its shortlist, as followsNew 7 Wonders:
- Acropolis (Athens, Greece)
- Alhambra (Granada, Spain)
- Angkor (Cambodia)
- Chichen Itza (Yucatán, Mexico)
- Christ Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- Colosseum (Rome, Italy)
- Moai (Easter Island)
- Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)
- Great Wall (China)
- Hagia Sophia (Istanbul, Turkey)
- Kremlin (Moscow, Russia)
- Kiyomizu Temple (Kyoto, Japan)
- Machu Picchu (Peru)
- Neuschwanstein Castle (Füssen, Germany)
- Petra (Jordan)
- Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
- Statue of Liberty (New York, United States)
- Stonehenge (Amesbury, United Kingdom)
- Sydney Opera House (Australia)
- Taj Mahal (Agra, India)
- Timbuktu (Mali)
Notes
See also
External links and references
- Seven Ancient Wonders
- The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — an in-depth look from a professor of civil engineering at the University of South Florida
- Interactive Map of the Seven Wonders
- Image of the Seven Wonder locations
- Parkin, Tim, Researching Ancient Wonders: A Research Guide, from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. - a collection of books and Internet resources with in-depth information on seven ancient wonders.
- Other Wonders
- Official web site for voting new wonders of the World
- The World's Top 100 Wonders - a list of architectural, engineering and natural wonders by Howard Hillman, a renowned travel writer.
- WonderClub.com - a "list of lists", with information about most wonders.
- Seven Wonders of the Modern World - a list of modern wonders compiled by the American Society of Civil Engineers
- Seven Wonders of Chicago - A list compiled by the Chicago Tribune and voted on by residents of the Chicagoland area.
Further reading
- Cox, Reg, and Neil Morris, "The Seven Wonders of the Modern World". Chelsea House Publications: Library. October, 2000. ISBN 079106048
- Cox, Reg, Neil Morris, and James Field, "The Seven Wonders of the Medieval World". Chelsea House Publications: Library. October, 2000. ISBN 0791060470
- D'Epiro, Peter, and Mary Desmond Pinkowish, "What Are the Seven Wonders of the World? and 100 Other Great Cultural Lists". Anchor. December 1, 1998. ISBN 0385490623
- Morris, Neil, "The Seven Wonders of the Natural World". Chrysalis Books. December 30, 2002. ISBN 184138495X
Ancient history | Buildings and structures
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"Seven Wonders of the World"