7 Wonders of the Ancient World
Explore the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World through an interactive map.
“Seven wonders” does not point to one official list. Two lists show up most in search results. The first list is the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Greek writers popularized the idea as a travel list of famous works around the Mediterranean region. The list includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
The list reflects travel routes and cultural focus from the ancient Mediterranean region. The list also shows how people judged human achievement at the time. Writers praised scale, artistry, and engineering.
Only one site still stands: The Great Pyramid of Giza. The other six wonders fell to earthquakes, fires, conflict, and decay. This fact matters for learning. Many modern images show reconstructions.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon adds a useful research angle. Historians debate location and evidence. Some accounts place the gardens in Babylon. Some research argues for a different site.
New 7 Wonders 2007 (not shown on this map)
After a global vote, a new list of the new 7 Wonders was announced in 2007. Many people mean this list when typing “7 wonders of the world.”
It is important to highlight that UNESCO does not run this vote. The organization uses a separate World Heritage process and published a statement in July 2007 clarifying that it was not connected with the elaction.
The New 7 Wonders list includes:
- Great Wall of China, frontier defense system
- Petra, rock-cut city in sandstone
- Colosseum, Roman arena engineering
- Chichén Itzá, Maya temple and astronomy
- Machu Picchu, Inca mountain settlement
- Taj Mahal, Mughal marble mausoleum
- Christ the Redeemer, Rio landmark statue
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