Seven Wonders of the world

7 Wonders Of The World

You may have read about the 7 wonders of the world. Do you know more about it? The Seven Wonders of the World refers to the stunning monuments that are considered as the representatives of the skill and achievement of the respective eras.

The concept of the listing the achievement of art as well as architecture dates back to the 5th century B.C. Herodotus, the famous Greek historian contemplated compiling the list. But, Antipater of Sidon (2nd B.C) gets
the credit for listing the wonders first. It is believed that the list guided the ancient tourists to the revered sites to make let them understand about the beauty and craftsmanship behind the stunning pieces.

Before going into the Seven Wonders of the World, you need to understand that two lists are available. One has the ancient 7 wonders of the world, while the new list has the list of existing monuments. The older list compiled in the middle ages has details about seven most impressive monuments erected by humans in the ancient world. Unfortunately, only one wonder is still standing. You need to understand that the old list came from Greek writings. So, the Greeks only included the sites that they knew of.

The Great Pyramid Of Giza (built 2584-2561 BCE)   

It is the only surviving monument in the old list. Considered as the resting place of Pharaoh Khufu, it is the most popular attractions in Egypt.

Hanging Gardens Of Babylon (6th BCE)

Built as a gift to his wife by King Nebuchadnezzar II, the garden boasted of having self- watering plants. Unfortunately, an earthquake in the 1st CE destroyed it.

Statue Of Zeus (5th BCE)

The statue created by Phidias in Olympia showed Zeus sitting on his throne. It waned in popularity with the rise of Christianity. An earthquake destroyed it in 5th or 6th CE.

Mausoleum Of Halicarnassus

Artemisia built the 135 feet tomb for her husband Persian King Mauslos in 351 BCE. Earthquakes destroyed the tomb partially. Then, the Knights of St. John used the stones
from the tomb to build a castle.

The Lighthouse Of Alexandria (3rd BCE)

Ptolemy I built the 440feet high lighthouse in the Pharos Island. Like the other structures, an earthquake destroyed the architecturally stunning creation.

The Temple Of Artemis

The temple built in Ephesus by King Croesus took a century for completion. It was destroyed by Herostratus by setting it on fire in 356 BCE.

The Colossus Of Rhodes (292-280 BCE)                                                                                                            The

statue of liberty draws inspiration from the 110 feet sculpture of god Helios. The statue denotes the celebration of the victory of Island of Rhodes against the invasion of Demetrius.

The old seven Wonders is now replaced by new monuments. The list specifies the recent achievement of mankind. So, the list has some stunning sites that you can still visit. The new list compiled after a campaign New7Wonders of the world was chosen by people. The campaign allowed people to vote on the most famous monuments from around the world. Out of the 200 monuments from around the world, the New7Wonders Founders selected seven on 7th July 2007.

The new list has the following:

 Great Wall Of China (700 BCE) in Beijing

 Petra (312 BCE) in Jordan

 The Colosseum (80 CE) in Rome

 Chichen Itza (600 CE) in Mexico

 Machu Picchu (1450 CE) in Peru

 Taj Mahal (1643 CE) in India

 Christ The Redeemer (1931 CE) in Brazil

According to the list, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt holds an honorary status. You can other mesmerizing monuments around the world other than the seven wonders. But, the seven Wonders represents the popularity of the structure among common people.