Seven Wonders of the World
Autor: Leonardo Belegante | Publicado: 2011-05-18T16:52:00-07:00


The seven wonders of the world (also known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a famous list of majestic architectural and artistic works erected during classical antiquity, whose origin is attributed to a short poem by the Greek poet Antipater of Sidon [1].&nbsp;Of the seven wonders, the one that stands today practically intact is the Pyramid of Cheops, built nearly five thousand years.&nbsp;It is interesting that in Greece was the only statue of Zeus at Olympia, built in gold and ivory with 12 meters in height.The idea is that if it comes from the coins were minted Elis where the figure of the statue of Zeus.
The seven wonders of the ancient worldPyramid of Cheops
Contrary to what many think is just the Pyramid of Cheops (not all three Great Pyramids of Giza) that is part of the original list of Seven Wonders of the World. [1] The Pyramid of Cheops was built over 4,500 years&nbsp;around the year 2550 BC, and is also called the Great Pyramid of Giza Great Pyramid or just.&nbsp;The majestic building of 147 meters was the largest building made by man for over four thousand years, only surpassed in the late nineteenth century (precisely in 1889), with the construction of the Eiffel Tower.&nbsp;The Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a royal tomb for Pharaoh Khufu (which gives name to the pyramid).The odd thing is that the pyramid of Cheops was already the oldest of all the wonders of the ancient world (after all, at the time was already over two thousand years that had been built) and it is precisely the one that continues today.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the lesser known wonders, since even today there are few reports and no site was found with no trace of the monument.&nbsp;The only one that can be considered "suspect" is a well outside the box that it is thought to have been used to pump water.&nbsp;Were built around 600 BC, the river Euphrates in Mesopotamia - in southern Iraq.&nbsp;The gardens were actually six artificial mountains of bricks made of baked clay, overlaid with terraces where they planted trees and flowers.&nbsp;It is estimated that were supported by columns whose height ranged from 25 to 100 meters.&nbsp;To get to the terraces going up by a marble staircase, between the branches there were tables and fonts.&nbsp;The gardens were close to the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar II, who had erected in honor of the woman, Amit, nostalgic Mountains birthplace.&nbsp;Capital of the Chaldean empire, Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, became the richest city in the ancient world.&nbsp;He lived in commerce and navigation, searching products in Saudi and India and exporting wool, barley and tissues.&nbsp;As they had no stones, the Babylonians used in their constructions of mud brick and baked enamel tiles.&nbsp;In the fifth century BC, Herodotus said that Babylon "surpassed in splendor any city in the known world."&nbsp;But in 539 BC, the Chaldean empire was conquered by the Persians and two centuries later was ruled by Alexander the Great, becoming part of the Hellenistic civilization.&nbsp;After Alexander's death (323 BC), Babylon was no longer the capital of the empire.&nbsp;So began their decline.&nbsp;It is unknown when the gardens were destroyed, the ruins of Babylon rose today, the city of Al-Hillah, about 160 miles from Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was built in the fifth century BC by Phidias, named after the king of Greek gods - Zeus.&nbsp;The statue, built in gold and ivory and decorated with precious stones, had 12 meters tall.&nbsp;After 800 years was taken to Constantinople (now Istanbul), where it is believed to have been destroyed in 462 AD by an earthquake.This is considered his masterpiece.&nbsp;Both the Greeks loved their work saying that he revealed to men the image of the gods.&nbsp;It is assumed that the statue's construction has taken about eight years.&nbsp;Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans) was the master of Olympus, the abode of deities.&nbsp;The statue measured 12 to 15 feet tall - the equivalent of a five-story building - and it was all of ivory and ebony.&nbsp;His eyes were gems.&nbsp;Phidias carved Zeus seated on a throne.&nbsp;In his right hand took the statuette of Nike, goddess of Victory, on the left, a sphere in which an eagle was leaning.&nbsp;It is assumed that, as in depictions of other artists, the Zeus of Phidias also show a frown.&nbsp;The legend says that when Zeus wrinkle her forehead all Olympus trembled.&nbsp;When the statue was built, the rivalry between Athens and Sparta for hegemony in the Mediterranean and the Greek mainland Greeks plunged into a succession of wars.&nbsp;The fighting, however, did not harm the cultural and artistic achievements of the time.&nbsp;In contrast, the fifth century BC was known as the Golden Age in Greek history because of the extraordinary flowering of architecture, sculpture and other arts.&nbsp;The statue of Zeus was destroyed in that same century BC.
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, built for the Greek goddess of hunting and protecting wildlife, was the largest temple of the ancient world.&nbsp;Located in Ephesus, Turkey today, the temple was built in 550 BC by the Cretan architect Quersifrão and his son, Metagenes.&nbsp;Upon completion turned tourist attraction with visitors from different places giving offerings, and was destroyed in 356 BC by Herostratus, who believed that destroying the temple of Artemis would have his name spread throughout the world.Knowing this, the townspeople did not reveal his name, only known thanks to the historian Strabo.&nbsp;Alexander offered to restore the temple, but he only began to be rebuilt in 323 BC, the year of death of the Macedonian.&nbsp;Still, in 262 AD, he was again destroyed, this time by an attack of the Goths.&nbsp;With the conversion of citizens of the region and the world to Christianity, the church was losing ground and came down in 401 AD, and today there is only one pillar of the original building on its ruins.
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a magnificent tomb that Queen Artemisia II of Caria had built on the remains of her brother and husband, King Mausolus in 353 BC.&nbsp;It was built by two Greek architects - Satyr and Pythius - and by four Greek sculptors - Briáxis, Scopas, Leochares and Timothy.Today, the fragments of this monument are found in the British Museum in London and Bodrum, Turkey.&nbsp;The word mausoleum is derived from Mausolus.
Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes was a giant statue of the Greek god Helios Maritime placed at the entrance of the Greek island of Rhodes.&nbsp;It was completed in 280 BC by the sculptor Chares of Lindos, with 30 meters high and seventy tons of bronze, so any boat that would go into the island between their legs, which had one foot on each bank of the canal leading to the port&nbsp;.&nbsp;In his right hand was a beacon that guided the ships at night.&nbsp;It was an imposing statue so that a man of normal height could not hold his thumb.&nbsp;It was built to commemorate the withdrawal of Macedonian troops who tried to conquer the island, and the material used for their manufacture weapons were abandoned by the Macedonians in place.&nbsp;Although imposing, stood at just 55 years, being rocked by an earthquake that threw the bottom of the bay.&nbsp;Ptolemy III offered to rebuild it, but the islanders refused to find that they had offended Helios.&nbsp;And even under the sea was so impressive that many traveled to see her down there, where it was forgotten until the arrival of the Arabs, who sold it as scrap.
Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the orders of Ptolemy I in the year 280 BC by the Greek architect and engineer Sostrates of Knidos.&nbsp;It was a marble tower on the island of Pharos (so "lighthouse"), near the port of Alexandria, Egypt, on top of a flame that was burning through mirrors, lighted up to 50 miles away, hence the great&nbsp;fame and magnificence of that lighthouse.&nbsp;With the exception of the Giza pyramids, was that it lasted longer among the other wonders of the world being destroyed by an earthquake in 1375.&nbsp;Its ruins were found by divers in 1994, which was later confirmed by satellite images.&nbsp;.



Seven Wonders of the World
When talking about the seven wonders of the modern world, it is common to relate to the famous list of seven wonders of the ancient world, which brings together the most remarkable buildings of antiquity.&nbsp;This list, however, is not the only country to list the greatest achievements of mankind and / or nature.&nbsp;Here are some of the attempts to create a 'new' list and what their results.
New seven world wonders
The New Seven Wonders of the World were chosen in informal and popular international contest sponsored by the New Open World Foundation, with the launch of the New 7 wonders, which had over a hundred million votes via cell phones and the Internet, sent from all&nbsp;parts of the world and announced on July 7, 2007 (07/07/07) at a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. [1] [2] The competition did not have the support of UNESCO, an agency of the United Nations.
Wall of China: Perseverance, persistence, located in China

Petra Engineering, Protection, located in Jordan

Christ Redeemer: Welcome, opening, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Machu Picchu: Community, dedication, located in Cuzco, Peru

Chichen Itza: Worship, knowledge, is located in Yucatan, Mexico

Colosseum: Joy, sorrow, located in Rome, Italy&nbsp;

Taj Mahal: Love, passion, located in Agra, India

Wonders of the Middle Ages:
Stonehenge&nbsp;Roman Colosseum&nbsp;Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa&nbsp;Porcelain Tower of Nanjing&nbsp;Wall of China&nbsp;Tower of Pisa&nbsp;Hagia Sophia
Modern Marvels:
Great Wall of China&nbsp;Taj Mahal, India&nbsp;Christ Redeemer, Brazil&nbsp;Migration of Serengeti, Tanzania&nbsp;Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador&nbsp;Grand Canyon, USA&nbsp;Machu Picchu, Peru
The American Society of Civil Engineers has come to compile a list of modern wonders of the world, and was the most accepted:&nbsp;Eurotunnel linking France and England&nbsp;CN Tower, Canada&nbsp;Empire State Building in New York, USA&nbsp;Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (CA), USA&nbsp;Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil and Paraguay&nbsp;Dykes of Tides, which connects North Holland and Friesland, the Netherlands&nbsp;Panama Canal in the isthmus of Panama.
Natural Wonders:
As with other lists, there is no consensus on seven natural wonders.&nbsp;One of the lists was compiled by CNN:&nbsp;Grand Canyon, USA;&nbsp;Great Barrier Reef, Australia;&nbsp;Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;&nbsp;Mount Everest on the border between Nepal and China;&nbsp;Aurora borealis, in the polar region of the planet;&nbsp;Paricutin volcano, Mexico;&nbsp;Victoria Falls (Victoria Falls), between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A group organized the competition of the Seven Wonders of the World (7 Wonders of the Modern World) since 2007 and held a contest to choose the "Seven wonders of nature."&nbsp;The vote was made by site "New 7 Wonders of Nature." It was closed in 2009.
Underwater Wonderland:
This list of underwater wonders is of unknown origin, but has been repeated so often that it has acquired a degree of notability: [6] [7]&nbsp;Palau&nbsp;Barrier Reef of Belize&nbsp;Great Barrier Reef&nbsp;Underwater Eruption&nbsp;Galapagos Islands&nbsp;Lake Baikal&nbsp;Red Sea Corals&nbsp;