The Colossus of Rhodes. The Great Pyramid of Giza. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. OK, these are starting to sound vaguely familiar. But what are they? The next movie epics to hit the summer screens? Not quite.
The New Seven Wonders of the World
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These, along with some other spectacular sights -- the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Pharos of Alexandria and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia -- make up the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Think of it as a sort of ideal travel itinerary from a long, long, long time ago. Exactly who compiled this list of wonders is still up for debate. Some scholars believe that it was Callimachus of Cyrene who drafted the list in the third century B.C., while others point to Herodotus, who lived from around 484 to 425 B.C. or Philo of Byzantium in 130 B.C. No matter how or when the list originated, there's no argument that these were the sights to see back then, literally. What we know as wonders were actually called something else by the Greeks – theamata, which translates as "things to be seen."
Just in time for the new millennium, Swiss filmmaker Bernard Weber decided that the list of wonders was long overdue -- at least several hundred years -- for an update. He organized an international competition to select seven modern-day successors to the original ancient wonders. To handle the selection, Weber founded the New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland. According to New7Wonders spokesperson Tia B. Viering, Weber believed the campaign would be a unifying movement that would promote "pride in the global cultural heritage."
An Internet vote resulted in more than 175 candidates. The big list was whittled down to 21 finalists: The Acropolis (Greece), Alhambra (Spain), Angkor (Cambodia), Christ Redeemer (Brazil), Statues of Easter Island (Chile), Eiffel Tower (France), The Great Wall of China (China), Hagia Sophia (Turkey), Kiyomizu Temple (Japan), Kremlin/St.Basil (Russia), Machu Picchu (Peru), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), Petra (Jordan), The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (Mexico), Pyramids of Giza (Egypt), The Roman Colosseum (Italy), Statue of Liberty (United States), Stonehenge (United Kingdom), Sydney Opera House (Australia), The Taj Mahal (India) and Timbuktu (Mali). From these finalists, the final seven were chosen. Reportedly, more than 100 million people from around the globe voted via Internet or phone. The winners were announced on July 7, 2007. Yes, that's the New Seven Wonders announced on 7/07/07.
Chichén Itza, Mexico
The ancient city of Chichén Itza (pronounced chee-chehn eet-sah) is located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. This well-known Mayan city served as a religious, political and economic center spanning several hundred years. The Pyramid of Kulkulkán -- also known as El Castillo -- is probably the most recognized ruin of Chichén Itza. This step pyramid stands approximately 80 feet high. It has nine terraces and four sets of stairs. Each staircase has 91 steps. If you include the top platform as a step, then the pyramid has a total of 365 steps – one for each day of the year!
Christ the Redeemer Statue, Brazil
This statue of Jesus is one of Rio de Janiero's most widely recognized monuments. It stands 98.5 feet tall atop the summit of Mount Corcovado, which itself rises more than 2,300 feet high. With a hug-like wingspan of 92 feet, the statue seems to both beckon and welcome local residents and visitors alike. It weighs approximately 700 tons and is made of concrete and soapstone. To see the statue up close, you can ride a cogwheel steam engine train up the steep 2.3-mile slope. Rest up on the ride because at rail's end you have more than 200 steps to climb to get to the foot of the statue.
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