Wonders of the ancient world and today

In short: The “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” were a list of especially impressive structures of the Greco-Roman world. Only the pyramids of Giza still exist.

In more detail: The list arose in Hellenistic times and varied slightly depending on the source.

In detail

• Pyramids of Giza: The only surviving ancient wonder, tombs of Egyptian pharaohs.
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Their exact existence is historically uncertain.
• Colossus of Rhodes: Huge bronze statue, destroyed by an earthquake.
• Lighthouse of Alexandria: One of the tallest structures of antiquity.
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia: Created by Phidias, destroyed by fire.
• New wonders: In 2007 a modern list was chosen, including Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China.
• UNESCO: Today heritage protection runs through the World Heritage programme (unesco-weltkulturerbe-grundlagen).