Wonders of the world

Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled throughout hitory. The most well known list is the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. These lists have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural things in the world. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenty.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Main Article:Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The historian Herodotus (484 BC–ca. 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 have not survived, except as references. The seven wonders included:

• Great Pyramid of Giza
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
• Colosseum of Rhodes
• Lighthouse of Alexandria

The earliest lists had the Ishtar Gate as the seventh wonder of the world instead of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

The Greek category was not Wonders but "thaumata"(Greek: Θαύματα), which translates closer to "miracles". The list that we know today was compiled in the Middle Ages—by which time many of the sites were no longer in existence. Today, the only ancient world wonder that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Wonders of the Medieval World

Many lists of wonders of the world are said to have existed during the Middle Ages, although it is unlikely that these lists originated at that time 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 16th century.

These lists typically include:

• Stonehenge
• Colosseum of Rome
• Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
• [[Great Wall of China]
• Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
• Hagia Sophia
• Leaning Tower of Pisa