The 8 wonders of the world is the traditional Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus and Lighthouse of Alexandria) and an eighth wonder that has also been identified as either the Great Pyramid itself (as it is still standing from antiquity), or on modern lists any other site in a modern world such as Great Wall Of China — Machu Picchu: The Best Attractions In Peru. Given that this list is not managed by a single official body, dozens of landmarks – and even technologies – have claimed the eighth wonder title over the centuries.
What follows is an explanation of that list, who the hell made it and where these 8 sites came from — supported by historical documentation so readers can see exactly how the 8 wonders of the world were imagined.
The Origins of the 8 Wonders list
The original list of great works, known as the “Seven Wonders,” has origins nearly 2,000 years old and stemmed from Hellenistic Greek writers who were searching for grandest human structures then known in the Mediterranean world. The earliest versions are typically attributed to Antipater of Sidon, and later Philo of Byzantium. The value seven was intentionally selected because for the Greeks is a sign of perfection and abundance.
As the centuries went by and new discoveries took place, combined with earthquakes, fire and destruction that claimed the monuments one after another; writers and historians began to compile a theoretical “eighth wonder,” to accompany the original seven. So this is how the expression 8 wonders of world became a common term — not a firm and official list, but an ever-changing degree of respect that might think about a new structure as almost ancient originals.
The Seven Wonders Of The Wisest Of The Ancient World
It is hard to talk about the eighth spot until we know the groundwork for it. These are the 7 structures each version of 8 wonders of the world list, builds on:
- Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt – Built circa 2560 BC; the only one of the ancient wonders still in existence
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iraq — fabled terraced gardens — may be fiction
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece 🔹 — a gigantic gold-and-ivory statue in a temple
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Turkey) — A large marble temple that was destroyed and rebuilt many times
- Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Turkey— the tomb that gave us our very word “mausoleum.
- Location: Rhodes Island, Greece Type: Statue Description: The Colossus of Rhodes was a giant bronze statue of the sun god Helios, one of the tallest statues in antiquity.
- Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt — one of the tallest buildings of ancient times
Out of these seven, only the Great Pyramid of Giza still exists in full form — also precisely why so many historians contend an “eighth wonder” is unnecessary for their list at all: It already has a monolith’s worth of legacy standing in its corner.
Leading Candidates for the Eight Wonder
Since there is no official definition of the 8 wonders of the world, several landmarks claimed this unofficial title in previous two centuries. Here are the frontrunners with most citations:
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall’s numerous branches amount to over 13,000 miles, and the work that went into its construction over centuries earns it a frequent designation as the eighth wonder. In 2007, it was also similarly voted one of the New7Wonders of Nature in a worldwide poll.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Often labelled one of the eighth wonders due to its dry-stone walled buildings threaded in perfect engineering precision and scale into a mountaintop overlooking Machu Pichu, this 15th Century Inaca citadel remained buried high in the Andes until its rediscovery by an American academic in 1911
The Colosseum, Italy
Rome amphitheater once with capacity to cram up to 50,000 or even 80,000 spectators at it (and today one of the most visited ancient structures on Earth and voluntarily repeated listume on modern 8 wonders of the world).
Petra, Jordan
This ancient Nabataean city is famous for its architecture and water conduit system, with buildings carved directly into rose-colored sandstone cliffs and was named one of the New7Wonders along with Great Wall.
The Taj Mahal, India
Constructed in the 17th century as the resting place for Mumtaz Mahal, this white marble ivory palace is renowned for its symmetry and artistry — it is among the most photographed buildings on Earth.
How The 8 Wonders of the World Debate Was Affected By Polls in The Modern Day
The New7Wonders Foundation ran a kind of worldwide popularity contest in 2007, selecting what it declared the new Seven Wonders of the World — including: the Great Wall of China, Petra, one out from Rome’s Colosseum complete with moody light (three pour depuis longtemps his t ) fendi), Chichen Itza malignant billion $, Machu Picchu dark Conspiracy terrific, Taj Mahal summer beautiful. The laskar encore to add reverance only by entente honorary status vxxxxf(jaYs řJrrsaš ). This poll was instrumental in re-lighting the flame for this topic and is why today millions find themselves google-ing a new list of 8 wonders of the world which mixes ancient with modern.
Bear in mind the New7Wonders Foundation is a private entity, not a UN or UNESCO organization — so its results are popular rather than official. Relatedly, UNESCO has its own World Heritage List — many of those sites are simply included there for historical and cultural significance rather than a competition over which is more wondrous.
No One Answer Officially on Why There Wasnt An
The truth is, the 8 wonders of the world will always be a little bit of a subjective matter. There is no government, museum or international body that owns the rights to declare an official eighth wonder. Rather, the title is informally bestowed by journalists, tour guides, engineers and in some cases whole nations for the structure that most evokes a feeling of scale or beauty or human achievement at a given moment in time.
Which, in fact, is part of the charm. Every generation pr… When asked to name the 8 wonders of the world, your best bet is to cite all seven from ancient times then finish talking about what contemporary wonder you believe deserves an eighth berth on the list — and why.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an Official List of 8 Wonders of World?
No. However, there has never been an internationally recognized eighth wonder as no one organization has come forward with an official list like the ancient Greek writers who compiled their seven wonders.
Only one of these Wonders is still in existence today?
The original seven wonders included the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, which is still standing today.
What is termed as the most famous eighth wonder of the world?
The Great Wall of China and Machu Picchu were the two most commonly mentioned candidates (although dozens of sites—and even inventions—have contested the title over the years).
Sources
This article cites historical references to Antipater of Sidon and Philo of Byzantium, UNESCO World Heritage registration documentation, and the public outcome released by the New7Wonders Foundation (2007).
