Ancient Wonders Replaced in Modern International Vote

WEB-EXCLUSIVE!

By Brandon T. Bisceglia

Op/Ed Editor

The Pyramids lose their place in history.
Photograph Courtesy of www.hartransom.org, adapted by Brandon T. Bisceglia

On July 7, 2007, a Declaration Ceremony held in Lisbon, Portgual announced the results of a worldwide campaign to create a new list of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The ceremony marked the culmination of a project launched by the New7Wonders Foundation, established in 2001 by Swiss-born Canadian adventurer Bernard Weber. The foundation is based at the Heidi-Weber Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, and was formed, according to its website, to “contribute to the protection of the world’s human-built and natural heritage and to foster respect for the cultural diversity on our planet.”

Weber, a filmmaker and lifelong aviator, has spent much of his career reliving history. Among other things, he produced a TV documentary titled “The Desert Prince” in 1995 that retraced Antoine St.-Exupéry’s mail route down the West African coastline – a journey that was to inspire the famous pilot’s 1943 book, The Little Prince.

Weber’s love of history and culture was what ultimately spawned the New7Wonders project. It was aimed at updating the famous list of the Seven Wonders of the World established by Philon of Byzantium in 200 B.C. The original wonders were all located around the Mediterranean Basin – a realm which only included southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. As such, they were a reflection of a smaller world-view.

The ancient list contained such creations as the Lighthouse at Alexandria, which for centuries was the world’s tallest man-made structure. There was the statue of Zeus, a gilded ivory form that once inhabited the Parthenon. And, of course, there were the Great Pyramids at Giza. Of all the renowned wonders, these pyramids are the only left standing. The Giza site was entered into the contest, and made it to the finalist category. By the time the votes were counted, though, they too had been stripped of their glory.

The newly dubbed wonders were chosen among numerous entries contributed through an open-ended submission process over the internet. At the end of 2005, a panel of expert judges – many of them architects – brought the list down to 21 finalists, which were then put to an internet vote. According to the site, more than 1,000,000 people participated in this vote.

When the dust settled, these were the victors:
• The Great Wall of China, China (220 B.C. to 1644 A.D.): The Great Wall is actually a series of many walls built, torn down, and reconstructed over thousands of years. The walls were meant to be fortifications against invading empires (specifically those of the Turks and Mongols). The original walls, which were built primarily of earth and wood, have mostly eroded. During the Ming Dynasty (1638-1644) new materials, such as limestone and brick, were employed to make the walls stronger. These fortifications represent the modern conception of the Great Wall. Parts of it, too, have suffered weathering, particularly in the more remote and harsh desert landscapes.

• Petra, Jordan (? B.C. to 40 A.D.): If you’ve ever seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you’ve seen part of Petra. The city, once populated by the Aramaic-speaking Nabataeans, was located at a crossroads between several ancient Middle Eastern nations. The buildings were carved and hewn out of the sandstone cliff sides that surround the city, so that many of the structures are part of the cliffs themselves. No records of Petra’s original construction remain, but it did develop over time, blending Hellenistic and other architectural traditions. Its decline came when the Romans took over the area and reestablished sea trade, thus rendering much of the site’s functionality invalid.

• The Roman Colosseum, Italy (70 A.D. to 82 A.D.): The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was built by the Romans to host gladiatorial games. Unlike most other amphitheatres built by Romans and Greeks, this huge structure was freestanding. After the fall of Rome, the building was put to numerous other uses, including as a graveyard. Today, the Colosseum is a tourist site, an internationally recognized symbol of ancient Roman society, and the blueprint for all modern sports stadiums.

• The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá, Mexico (C.800 A.D.): The city of Chichén Itzá was a major center of the Mayan peoples from the Late Classic through early Post-Classic periods, and is one of the most well-preserved Mayan sites. The pyramid, which is known as the Temple of Kukulcan, was built in step design with stairways on each of its four sides. The outer structure was actually built over an older temple, a practice not uncommon in Mayan society. The pyramid was constructed so that, on the fall and spring equinoxes, a slithering shadow would be cast on the north staircase during sunrise and sunset. This shadow – which can still be seen twice a year - is meant to represent the divine serpent-god, Kukulcan.

• Machu Picchu, Peru (1460 A.D. to 1470 A.D.): The settlement of Machu Picchu was built in the eastern Andes Mountains at the height of the ancient Incan empire. When the Spanish came to Peru, the city was abandoned and remained “lost” until 1911, when archeologist Hiram Bingham wrote a best-selling book about the city. The architecture of Machu Picchu utilized the shape of the mountain to create terraced steps and walls that appear almost organic. This perception is further aided by its location in the Amazon jungle, which has since enveloped the site.

• The Taj Mahal, India (1630 A.D.): The Taj Mahal is an immense mausoleum. Mughol emperor Shah Jahen had it constructed as a tribute to his third and favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died. The structure is built of white marble and incorporates many Persian architectural traditions. Surrounding the tomb is a garden that is divided into four parts that symbolize the four flowing rivers of Paradise in Muslim mythology.

• Cristo Redentor, Brazil (1931 A.D.): This 38-meter statue stands atop Corcovado Mountain over the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro. It was engineered by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa, and then constructed piece-by-piece in France, by sculptor Paul Landowski. The pieces were shipped to Rio, where they were brought up the mountain and put together over a period of five years. The statue is made of soapstone, which is so soft that a fingernail can scratch it, but can stand weathering better than concrete. It is meant to symbolize both Brazilian religiosity and the acceptance of all visitors with open arms.

The New7Wonders website is now hosting nominations for its next project, a list of the Seven Wonders of Nature. The nominations will continue through October 8, 2008. For more information, or to submit an entry, visit http://www.new7wonders.com/index.php.

(All information on the Wonders was acquired through the UNESCO World Heritage website, or through the official web pages for the Wonders.)