Posted on 07/07/2007 6:38:22 PM PDT by bd476
The seven wonders of the ancient world
8 Jul 2007, 0513 hrs IST,
REUTERS
The results were announced on Sunday: the Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, Brazil's statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru's Machu Picchu, Mexico's Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, the Colosseum in Rome and the Taj Mahal in India.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the traditional Seven Wonders of the ancient world still standing.
Here are some details on the original seven: The historian Herodotus (ca 484-425 BC), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305-240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, made early lists of "seven wonders" but their writings did not survive, except as references.
The list that we know today was compiled in the Middle Ages, by which time many of the sites no longer existed. It came mostly from ancient Greek writings, so only sites that would have been known and visited by the ancient Greeks were included.
The list included: The Great Pyramid of Giza, built around 2650-2500 BC as the tomb of fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, built around 600 BC. Herodotus claimed that the outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high. Believed destroyed by earthquake.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, built 550 BC and dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis. Burned down in 356 BC.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, erected in 435 BC and 12 metres (40 feet) tall. It was dismantled by Christian rulers in the 5th or 6th centuries to discourage paganism.
The Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus in what is now southeast Turkey, built in 351 BC and approximately 45 metres (135 feet) tall. Each of its four sides was adorned with reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum. Damaged by an earthquake and destroyed by AD 1494 by European Crusaders.
The Colossus of Rhodes, built 292-280 BC. A giant bronze statue of the Greek god Helios, roughly the same size as today's Statue of Liberty in New York. Destroyed in 224 BC by earthquake.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, built in 3rd century BC Egypt. At 115-135 metres (380-440 feet) tall it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries. Destroyed in the Middle Ages by earthquake.
Hillary Rodham Clinton - discovered in 1730
Scientists still don’t know where it came from, or how it’s still alive.
I’ll have to disagree with Christ the Redeemer as a Wonder of the World. It’s nice but it’s just a big statue made in modern times.
Unfortunately, I can’t think of a substitute. Structures like the Eiffel Tower have been overshadowed by larger and more grander buildings and towers.
Maybe the Vatican for it’s basic structure and combined artwork.
Petra agreed.
My post with the article must have gotten lost in the mail before you posted. :-)
Here's the article I posted which discusses the online poll which led to the decisions:
New wonders of the world named after online poll.
What the hell was the cutoff date for ''ancient''?
Typical pompous jackasses on the selection committee, no doubt.
Forbes.com and Associated Press
The New 7 Wonders of the World
Associated Press
The New 7 Wonders of the World
By The Associated Press 07.07.07, 7:15 PM ET
The winners of the contest to name the new seven wonders of the world. The pyramids in Giza will retain their status as one of the original seven wonders of the world.
PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, EGYPT
The only surviving structures of the original seven wonders, the three pyramids were built as tombs for 4th dynasty pharaohs about 4,500 years ago. The largest of the three pyramids, the 452-foot-high Great Pyramid, was built for King Cheops. Nearby is the Great Sphinx, a limestone statue with the face of a man and the body of a lion.
COLOSSEUM, ITALY
The giant amphitheater in Rome was inaugurated in A.D. 80 by the Emperor Titus in a ceremony of games lasting 100 days. The 50,000-seat Colosseum, which has influenced the design of modern sports stadiums, was an arena where thousands of gladiators dueled to the death and Christians were fed to the lions.
GREAT WALL OF CHINA
The 4,160-mile barricade running from east to west in northern China is the longest man-made structure in the world. The fortification, which largely dates from the 7th through the 4th century B.C., was built to protect the dynasties from invasion by the Huns, Mongols, Turks and other nomadic tribes.
TAJ MAHAL, INDIA
The white marble-domed mausoleum in Agra was built by Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth. The complex - an example of Mughal architecture combining Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles - houses the graves of the emperor and his wife, as well as those of lesser royalty.
PETRA, JORDAN
The ancient city of Petra in southwestern Jordan, built on a terrace around the Wadi Musa or Valley of Moses, was the capital of the Arab kingdom of the Nabateans. It also flourished under Roman rule after the Nabateans were defeated in A.D. 106. The city is famous for its water tunnels and numerous stone structures carved in rock, the most impressive of which is probably Ad-Dayr, an uncompleted tomb facade that served as a church during Byzantine times.
CHRIST THE REDEEMER STATUE, BRAZIL
The 125-foot-tall statue of Christ the Redeemer with outstretched arms overlooks Rio de Janeiro from atop Mt. Corcovado. The statue, which weighs more than 1,000 tons, was built by Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski in pieces in France starting in 1926, then shipped to Brazil. The pieces were carried by cogwheel railway up the mountain for assembly. The statue was inaugurated in 1931.
MACHU PICCHU, PERU
Built by the Incan Empire in the 15th century, the giant walls, palaces, temples and dwellings of the Machu Picchu sanctuary are perched in the clouds at 8,000 feet above sea level in the Andes mountains. It remains a mystery how the huge stones were moved into place for the construction of the remote city.
PYRAMID AT CHICHEN ITZA, MEXICO
This step-pyramid surmounted by a temple survives from a sacred site that was part of one of the greatest Mayan centers of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Built according to the solar calendar, it is placed so that shadows cast at the fall and spring equinoxes are said to look like a snake crawling down the steps, similar to the carved serpent at the top.
The New 7 Wonders of the World
ROFLOL!
What is so funny about Petra? Not getting it.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
What about the Sphinx...It’s pretty old..
Apparently the author got his info from Wikiepdia.
It wasn’t Petra, it was taking
“Suzy’s Que” (Cue), Suzy Quzy : )
Yes, I missed it. Thanks!
I thought Saddam rebuilt them (post 1991) and had a celebration to commemorate with plenty of fanfare from other countries...but not much news of it in the US. I always wondered why there hasn’t been much news since the 2003 invasion.
You’re right - the technical achievement doesn’t seem to be much compared to something like, oh, the Hoover Dam or some other early engineering feat. My amazement is that a Christian religious icon would have been selected.
I went a week ago. Agreed, it is absolutely incredible. I took over 350 photos over one day. I'm already planning a return trip to see everything in detail. A one-day, all-inclusive tour from Tel Aviv is less than $300 (includes roundtrip airfare from Tel Aviv to Eilat). It only allows for about 4 hours in Petra but it is worth every penny. The next trip will be three to four days ...
We went from Jerusalem with a driver and a guide with another couple (Orthodox Jews) and had a fabulous time. Stayed at the Movenpick...BEAUTIFUL...at the opening of the SIK (sp?)....went to Amman and Jerash also. Saw wonderful sites driving. We can’t wait to go back.
|
|
|||
Gods |
Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution. |
||
|
· Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · |
|||
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.