The New Seven Wonders of the World

The original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

1. Great Pyramid of Giza
• Date of construction: 2650-2500 BC
• Builder: Egyptians - Built as the tomb of Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu.
• Date of destruction: Still standing
• Cause of destruction: N.A.
  
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Date of construction: 600 BC
• Builder: Babylonians - Herodotus claimed the outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high (although some archaeological findings suggest otherwise).
• Date of destruction: After 1st century BC
• Cause of destruction: Earthquake
  
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Date of construction: 550 BC
• Builder: Lydians, Persians, Greeks - Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, it took 120 years to build. Herostratus burned it down in an attempt to achieve lasting fame.
• Date of destruction: 356 BC
• Cause of destruction: Arson
  
4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Date of construction: 435 BC
• Builder: Greeks - Occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it, and was 40 feet (12 meters) tall.
• Date of destruction: 5th-6th centuries AD
• Cause of destruction: Dismantled by Christian rulers to discourage paganism
  
5. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
• Date of construction: 351 BC
• Builder: Persians, Greeks - Stood approximately 45 meters (135 feet) tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum.
• Date of destruction: by AD 1494
• Cause of destruction: Damaged by an earthquake and eventually disassembled by European Crusaders
  
6. Colossus of Rhodes
• Date of construction: 292-280 BC
• Builder: Hellenistic Greece - A giant statue of the Greek god Helios roughly 3/4ths as large as today's Statue of Liberty in New York.
• Date of destruction: 224 BC
• Cause of destruction: Earthquake
  
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria
• Date of construction: 3rd century BC
• Builder: Hellenistic Egypt - Between 115 and 135 meters (383 - 440 ft) tall it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries.
• Date of destruction: AD 1303-1480
• Cause of destruction: Earthquake

New 7 Wonders of the World

1. The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico [ Details ]
2. Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [ Details ]
3. The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China [ Details ]
4. Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru [ Details ]
5. Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan [ Details ]
6. The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy [ Details ]
7. The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India [ Details ]

Official Site for the New 7 Wonders of the World: http://www.new7wonders.com/