Seven Wonders of the World

The seven wonders of the ancient world are structures built by humans. The originator of the list is usually given as Antipater of Sidon, who listed the structures in a poem (around 140 BCE) as being exceptional achievements. Both Herodotus and Callimachus of Cyrene had made earlier lists but the writings did not survive except as references. The list as seen below, with the Lighthouse of Alexandria, is medieval in origin. Antipater's list had the walls of Babylon rather than the lighthouse.

In chronological order, they are:

• The Great Pyramid of Giza, serving as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, in present Egypt. Estimated date of completion: 2680 BC.
• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the walls of Babylon, both built by Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC in present Iraq.
• The Statue of Zeus at Olympia carved by the Greek sculptor Pheidias, 5th century BC in present Greece.
• The Temple of Artemis, 350 BC, at Ephesus, present Turkey.
• The Mausoleum of Maussollos, the Persian satrap of Caria, 350 BC, at Halicarnassus, present Bodrum, Turkey.
• The Colossus of Rhodes, a huge statue of Helios, 280 BC, in present Greece.
• The Lighthouse of Alexandria (or Pharos), built by Sostratus of Cnidus, 3rd century BC, in present Egypt.

Two each of the wonders were within the territories of today's Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, and one in Iraq. The only surviving wonder is the first built, the Great Pyramid of Giza. The wonder with the shortest life span was the Colossus of Rhodes, which kept its erect posture for only 56 years before being brought down by an earthquake.

Other ancient buildings often included in lists of wonders of the world include:

• Angkor Wat (Cambodia) (approx. 1000 years old)
• Stonehenge (England)
• The Acropolis (Greece)
• The Great Sphinx of Giza (near the Great Pyramid, in Egypt)
• The Great Wall of China
• The Taj Mahal

Many people have since devised lists of wonders of the modern world. For example, the American Society of Civil Engineers chose the following:

• The Channel Tunnel (United Kingdom and France);
• The CN Tower (Toronto, Canada);
• The Empire State Building (New York, USA);
• The Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, USA);
• The Itaipu Dam (Brazil and Paraguay);
• The Delta Works, North Sea protection works (The Netherlands);
• The Panama Canal (Panama).