Have you ever wondered where the term ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ originated? Why are there seven? Who picked them? And why?
The original “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” was compiled by a Greek travel writer around 225BC. (Who knew there were travel writers that far back?) There were seven defined themato, Greek for “things to be seen”. You could call this the original “Bucket List”!
The designated seven ancient wonders were:
- Great Pyramid of Giza
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
- Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- Colossus of Rhodes
- Lighthouse of Alexandria
Naturally, people being people, there was disagreement at the time whether these were the top seven. Or the number seven – why not eight or ten? But, this list did endure through the ages. Of the original seven, only the Great Pyramid remains today.
During the Middle Ages, someone decided there needed to be an “updated” list: I’m not sure how this one was compiled, but I assume the why was due to the fact that 'One Wonder of the World' didn’t have the same ring to it.
- Stonehenge
- Colosseum
- Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
- Great Wall of China
- Porcelain Tower of Nanjing
- Hagia Sophia
- Leaning Tower of Pisa
Probably the most well-known, albeit debatable list, today, is the “New” Seven Wonders list that was determined by a global vote initiated by a Swiss marketing group in 2007. Controversially, the finalists didn’t include the Great Pyramid and the voting itself was unscientific with no limitation set on number of votes by individuals or entities.
- Chichen Itza
- Christ the Redeemer
- Roman Colosseum
- Great Wall of China
- Machu Picchu
- Petra
- Taj Mahal
The Great Pyramid was granted “honorary” status, so now there are eight New Seven Wonders. Say what?
It has become traditional to limit the list to seven (or eight!?) And, any list is going to be subjective. But, regardless of the number or your perspective, it’s a great conversation starter, not to mention a virtual dream of adventure.
Here are my Seven Wonders (plus 1 😊), in no particular order. Some I’ve “checked off”, some are yet to come:
- Great Pyramid (of course!)
- Serengeti Migration
- Roman Colosseum
- Great Wall of China
- Taj Mahal
- Angkor Wat
- Machu Picchu
- Galapagos Islands
What are YOUR Seven Wonders? I’d love to hear it! Email me at terri@sevenwondersgrouptravel.com