Difference between revisions of "Seven Wonders of the World" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:SevenWondersOfTheWorld.png|thumb|270px|The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (from left to right, top to bottom): [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], [[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]], [[Temple of Artemis]], [[Statue of Zeus at Olympia]], [[Mausoleum of Maussollos]], [[Colossus of Rhodes]] and the [[Lighthouse of Alexandria]] as depicted by sixteenth-century Dutch artist [[Maarten van Heemskerck]]]]
 
[[Image:SevenWondersOfTheWorld.png|thumb|270px|The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (from left to right, top to bottom): [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], [[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]], [[Temple of Artemis]], [[Statue of Zeus at Olympia]], [[Mausoleum of Maussollos]], [[Colossus of Rhodes]] and the [[Lighthouse of Alexandria]] as depicted by sixteenth-century Dutch artist [[Maarten van Heemskerck]]]]
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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]]. It was based on guide-books popular among [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]] sight-seers and only includes works located around the [[Mediterranean]] rim. Later lists include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World.
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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]]. It was based on guide-books popular among [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]] sightseers and includes only works located around the [[Mediterranean]] rim. Later lists include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World.
  
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The Seven Wonders of the World consists of: the Great Pyramid of Giza (the only surviving structure), Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, Collosus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
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The Seven Wonders of the World consists of: the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] (the only surviving structure), the [[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]], the [[Temple of Artemis]] at Ephesus, the [[Statue of Zeus at Olympia]], the [[Mausoleum of Maussollos]] at Halicarnassus, the [[Colossus of Rhodes]], and the [[Lighthouse of Alexandria]].
  
 
==Seven Wonders of the Ancient World==
 
==Seven Wonders of the Ancient World==
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The historian [[Herodotus]] and the scholar [[Callimachus]] of [[Cyrene]] (ca [[305 B.C.E.|305]]–240 B.C.E.) at the Museum of [[Alexandria, Egypt|Alexandria]], made early lists of "seven wonders" but their writings have not survived, except as references. The earliest extant version of a list of seven wonders was compiled by [[Antipater of Sidon]], who described the structures in a poem around 140 B.C.E.:
+
===Early lists===
 +
The historian [[Herodotus]] and the scholar [[Callimachus]] of [[Cyrene]] (ca [[305 B.C.E.|305]]–240 B.C.E.) made early lists of "seven wonders," but these writings have not survived, except as references. The earliest extant version of a list of seven wonders was compiled by [[Antipater of Sidon]], who described the structures in a poem around 140 B.C.E.:
 +
 
 +
<blockquote>I have set eyes on the wall of lofty [[Babylon]] on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the [[Alpheus]], and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.' (''Greek Anthology'' IX.58)</blockquote>
  
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{{Quotation|I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.'|Antipater, ''Greek Anthology'' IX.58}}
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A later list, under various titles such as ''De septem orbis spactaculis'' and traditionally, though incorrectely, attributed to the engineer [[Philo of Byzantium]], may date as late as the fifth century CE, although the author writes as if the [[Colossus of Rhodes]], destroyed by an earthquake in 224 B.C.E.., were still standing.
  
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A later list, under various titles like ''De septem orbis spactaculis'' and traditionally misattributed to the engineer [[Philo of Byzantium]], may date as late as the fifth century AD, though the author writes as if the Colossus of Rhodes were still standing.
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===Table===
  
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These are given in the table below:
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The basic characteristics of each of the Seven Wonders are given in the table below:
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
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| 550 B.C.E.
 
| 550 B.C.E.
 
| [[Lydia]]ns, [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], [[ancient Greece|Greeks]]
 
| [[Lydia]]ns, [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], [[ancient Greece|Greeks]]
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| Dedicated to the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] [[goddess]] [[Artemis]], it took 120 years to build. [[Herostratus]] burned it down in an attempt to achieve lasting fame.
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| Dedicated to the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] [[goddess]] [[Artemis]], it took 120 years to build. Burned down by a man called [[Herostratus]], it was rebuilt, and ultimately demolished by Saint [[John Chrysostom]], who considered it idolatrous.
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| 356 B.C.E.
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| 356 B.C.E. and 401 C.E.  
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| [[Arson]]
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| [[Arson]] and later demolition
 
|- style="vertical-align: middle;"
 
|- style="vertical-align: middle;"
 
| [[Statue of Zeus at Olympia]]
 
| [[Statue of Zeus at Olympia]]
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|}
 
|}
  
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The Greek category was not "Wonders" but "''theamata''," which translates closer to "must-sees." The list that we know today was compiled in the [[Middle Ages]]—by which time many of the sites were no longer in existence. Since the list came mostly from ancient Greek writings, only sites that would have been known and visited by the ancient Greeks were included. Even as early as 1600 B.C.E., tourist [[graffiti]] was scrawled on monuments in the Egyptian [[Valley of the Kings]].
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The Greek category describe what we call "wonders" today was  "''theamata''," which translates more like "must-sees." Even as early as 1600 B.C.E., tourist [[graffiti]] was scrawled on monuments in the Egyptian [[Valley of the Kings]]. The mature list was compiled in the [[Middle Ages]]—by which time most of the sites were no longer in existence. Since the list came mostly from ancient Greek writings, only sites that would have been known and visited by the ancient Greeks were included. Sites from eastern Asia, the Americas, Africa, and northern Europe were thus omitted. Antipater's earlier list replaced the [[Lighthouse of Alexandria]] with the [[Babylon]]'s famous [[Ishtar Gate]].
  
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Antipater's original list replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the [[Ishtar Gate]]. It wasn't until the sixth 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. There are sculptures from the Mausoleum of Maussollos and the Temple of Artemis in the [[British Museum]] in [[London]].
+
It was not until the sixth century CE 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]]. One of wonders, the [[Temple of Artemis]], was destroyed intentionally, first by arson and later on the orders of famous Christian bishop. The [[Statue of Zeus]] was destroyed by fire. Four of the wonders were destroyed by earthquakes: the Hanging Gardens, the [[Lighthouse of Alexandria]], the [[Colossus of Rhodes]], and the [[Mausoleum of Maussollos]]. (The existence of the Hanging Gardens, however, has not been definitively proven.) There are sculptures from the Mausoleum of Maussollos and the Temple of Artemis in the [[British Museum]] in [[London]].
  
 
==Seven Wonders lists about the Middle Ages==
 
==Seven Wonders lists about the Middle Ages==
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Seven Wonders lists about the [[Middle Ages]] are existing historical lists for which there is no unanimity of opinion about origin, content or name. These historical lists go by names such as "Wonders of the Middle Ages" (implying no specific limitation to seven), "Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages," "Medieval Mind," and "Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages." The lists are more properly seen as a continuing type or [[genre]] in the Seven Wonders tradition than a specific list.
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[[Image:Stonehenge Total.jpg|thumb|200px|Stonehenge]]
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[[Image:Colosseum at night.jpg|thumb|200px|The Collosseum]]
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It is unlikely the lists originated in the Middle Ages. Brewer's calls them "later list[s]" suggesting the lists were created after the Middle Ages. This is supported because the word [[medieval]] was not even invented until the  [[Enlightenment]]-era, and the concept of a "Middle Age" did not become popular until the [[sixteenth century]]. Further, the [[Romanticism]] movement glorified all things related to the Middle Ages, or more specifically anything pre-Enlightenment era, suggesting such lists would have found a popular audience in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. Some items found on some of the lists are not technically from the Middle Ages (according to modern historical standards), but we know the lists were not created by modern, medieval historians, so such standards did not apply.
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Wonders lists from the [[Middle Ages]] a more varied than lists of the ancient wonders. These lists go by names such as "Wonders of the Middle Ages" (implying no specific limitation to seven), "Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages," "Medieval Mind," and "Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages." The lists are more properly seen as a continuing type or [[genre]] in the Seven Wonders tradition than a specific list. It is unlikely, however, that most of these lists originated in the Middle Ages.
  
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Typically representative of the seven:
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Typically representative of the such lists is the following:
  
 
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<!--DO NOT MODIFY LIST—>
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Other sites that have been mentioned include:
 
Other sites that have been mentioned include:
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<!--NOTE: Sources must be included—>
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*[[Cairo Citadel]]<ref>''The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Crusades'' (2001, page 153))</ref>
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*[[Cairo Citadel]]
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*[[Ely Cathedral]]<ref>''The Rough Guide To England'' (1994, page 596))</ref>
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*[[Ely Cathedral]]
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*[[Taj Mahal]]<ref>''Palpa, as You Like it'', [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC20565402&id=edcLAAAAIAAJ&q=%22seven+wonders+of+the+medieval+world%22&dq=%22seven+wonders+of+the+medieval+world%22&pgis=1 page 67])</ref>
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*[[Taj Mahal]]
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*[[Cluny Abbey]]<ref>''[[The Catholic Encyclopedia]]'', v.16 (1913), [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC06974688&id=2GcQAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=%22wonders+of+the+middle+ages%22&ie=ISO-8859-1 page 74]</ref>
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*[[Cluny Abbey]]
  
 
==Modern lists==
 
==Modern 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.  
+
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. Several such lists are included below.
  
 
=== Modern wonders ===
 
=== Modern wonders ===
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===Tourist travel wonders===
 
===Tourist travel wonders===
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[[Image:IMGP0059.JPG|thumb|200px|Great Wall of China]]
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[[Image:Taj1.jpg|thumb|200px|The Taj Mahal]]
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[[Image:Peru Machu Picchu Sunset.jpg|thumb|200px|Machu Pichu\\
 
The following list of the top seven tourist travel wonders (not including pilgrimages) was compiled by Hillman Wonders:<ref>[http://www.hillmanwonders.com/ Hillman Wonders]</ref>
 
The following list of the top seven tourist travel wonders (not including pilgrimages) was compiled by Hillman Wonders:<ref>[http://www.hillmanwonders.com/ Hillman Wonders]</ref>
  

Revision as of 18:58, 11 July 2007

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (from left to right, top to bottom): Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum of Maussollos, Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria as depicted by sixteenth-century Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck

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. It was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sightseers and includes only works located around the Mediterranean rim. Later lists include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World.

The Seven Wonders of the World consists of: the Great Pyramid of Giza (the only surviving structure), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Early lists

The historian Herodotus and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 B.C.E.) made early lists of "seven wonders," but these writings have not survived, except as references. The earliest extant version of a list of seven wonders was compiled by Antipater of Sidon, who described the structures in a poem around 140 B.C.E.:

I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.' (Greek Anthology IX.58)

A later list, under various titles such as De septem orbis spactaculis and traditionally, though incorrectely, attributed to the engineer Philo of Byzantium, may date as late as the fifth century CE, although the author writes as if the Colossus of Rhodes, destroyed by an earthquake in 224 B.C.E., were still standing.

Table

The basic characteristics of each of the Seven Wonders are given in the table below:

Wonder Date of construction Builder Notable features Date of destruction Cause of destruction
Great Pyramid of Giza 2650-2500 B.C.E. Egyptians Built as the tomb of Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. Still standing -
Hanging Gardens of Babylon 600 B.C.E. Babylonians Herodotus claimed the outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high (although some archaeological findings suggest otherwise). After 1st century B.C.E. Earthquake
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus 550 B.C.E. Lydians, Persians, Greeks Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, it took 120 years to build. Burned down by a man called Herostratus, it was rebuilt, and ultimately demolished by Saint John Chrysostom, who considered it idolatrous. 356 B.C.E. and 401 C.E. Arson and later demolition
Statue of Zeus at Olympia 435 B.C.E. Greeks Occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it, and was 40 feet tall. 5th-6th centuries AD Fire
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus 351 B.C.E. Persians, Greeks Stood approximately 135 feet tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum. by AD 1494 Earthquake
Colossus of Rhodes 292-280 B.C.E. Hellenistic Greece A giant statue of the Greek god Helios roughly the same size as today's Statue of Liberty in New York. 224 B.C.E. Earthquake
Lighthouse of Alexandria 3rd century B.C.E. Hellenistic Egypt Between 383 feet to 440 feet tall it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries. AD 1303-1480 Earthquake

The Greek category describe what we call "wonders" today was "theamata," which translates more like "must-sees." Even as early as 1600 B.C.E., tourist graffiti was scrawled on monuments in the Egyptian Valley of the Kings. The mature list was compiled in the Middle Ages—by which time most of the sites were no longer in existence. Since the list came mostly from ancient Greek writings, only sites that would have been known and visited by the ancient Greeks were included. Sites from eastern Asia, the Americas, Africa, and northern Europe were thus omitted. Antipater's earlier list replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Babylon's famous Ishtar Gate.

It was not until the sixth century CE 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. One of wonders, the Temple of Artemis, was destroyed intentionally, first by arson and later on the orders of famous Christian bishop. The Statue of Zeus was destroyed by fire. Four of the wonders were destroyed by earthquakes: the Hanging Gardens, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Mausoleum of Maussollos. (The existence of the Hanging Gardens, however, has not been definitively proven.) There are sculptures from the Mausoleum of Maussollos and the Temple of Artemis in the British Museum in London.

Seven Wonders lists about the Middle Ages

Stonehenge
The Collosseum

Wonders lists from the Middle Ages a more varied than lists of the ancient wonders. These lists go by names such as "Wonders of the Middle Ages" (implying no specific limitation to seven), "Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages," "Medieval Mind," and "Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages." The lists are more properly seen as a continuing type or genre in the Seven Wonders tradition than a specific list. It is unlikely, however, that most of these lists originated in the Middle Ages.

Typically representative of the such lists is the following:

Other sites that have been mentioned include:

  • Cairo Citadel
  • Ely Cathedral
  • Taj Mahal
  • Cluny Abbey

Modern 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. Several such lists are included below.

Modern wonders

The American Society of Civil Engineers compiled another list of wonders of the modern world:[1]

Wonder Date Started Date Finished Locations
Channel Tunnel December 1, 1987 May 6, 1994 Strait of Dover, between England and France
CN Tower February 6, 1973 June 26, 1976 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Empire State Building January 22, 1930 May 1, 1931 New York, New York, USA
Golden Gate Bridge January 5, 1933 May 27, 1937 Golden Gate Strait, north of San Francisco, California, USA
Itaipu Dam January 1970 May 5, 1984 Paraná River, South America
Delta Works 1953 May 10, 1997 Netherlands, Europe
Panama Canal January 1, 1880 January 7, 1914 Isthmus of Panama, Central America

Tourist travel wonders

File:IMGP0059.JPG
Great Wall of China
The Taj Mahal

[[Image:Peru Machu Picchu Sunset.jpg|thumb|200px|Machu Pichu\\ The following list of the top seven tourist travel wonders (not including pilgrimages) was compiled by Hillman Wonders:[2]

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:

Underwater wonders

This list of underwater wonders is of unknown origin, but has been repeated sufficiently often to acquire a degree of notability:

New Seven Wonders

Two "New Seven Wonders" lists have been promoted since 2000.

In 2001 an initiative was started by Swiss organization New Open World Corporation (NOWC) to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments (ongoing). Twenty-one finalists were announced January 1, 2006. The results on 100-million, on-line votes were announced on July 7, 2007. The vote attracted some criticism, including from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which said that the new wonders of the world should not be chosen in a popular vote.

The new Seven Wonders in full are:

Chichén Itzá, Mexico Christ the Redeemer, Brazil The Great Wall, China Machu Picchu, Peru Petra, Jordan The Roman Colloseum, Italy The Taj Mahal, India.

In November 2006 the American national newspaper USA Today in conjunction with the American television show Good Morning America revealed a list of "New Seven Wonders" as chosen by six judges. The wonders were announced one per day over a week on Good Morning America. An eighth wonder was chosen on November 24 from viewer feedback.

Number Wonder Location
1 Potala Palace Lhasa, Tibet, China
2 Old City of Jerusalem Israel
3 Polar ice caps Polar regions
4 Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument Hawaii, United States
5 Internet N/A
6 Mayan ruins Yucatán Peninsula, Mesoamerica
7 Great Migration of Serengeti and Masai Mara Tanzania and Kenya
8 Grand Canyon (viewer-chosen eighth wonder) Arizona, United States

Notes

  1. ↑ American Society of Civil Engineers Seven Wonders
  2. ↑ Hillman Wonders

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Cox, Reg, & Morris, Neil. The Seven Wonders of the Modern World, Chelsea House Publications, 2000. ISBN 0-7910-6048-9
  • Cox, Reg; Morris, Neil; & Field, James. The Seven Wonders of the Medieval World, Chelsea House Publications, 2000. ISBN 0-7910-6047-0
  • D'Epiro, Peter, & Pinkowish, Mary Desmond. What Are the Seven Wonders of the World? and 100 Other Great Cultural Lists, Anchor, 1998. ISBN 0-385-49062-3
  • Morris, Neil, The Seven Wonders of the Natural World, Chrysalis Books, 2002. ISBN 1-84138-495-X

External links

Seven Ancient Wonders

Other wonders

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