THE 7 WONDERS OF THE MODERN WORLD AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The 7 wonders of the modern world are a set of works made by man that are characterized not only by their beauty and architectural sumptuousness, but also by their social importance in the history of mankind. These works are distributed throughout the planet, so each one has cultural peculiarities.

The seven modern wonders were selected by citizens from all over the world through a vote programmed by a foundation called New Open World in 2005, which had the purpose of developing an international competition where the population less interested in culture could feel part of history. universal.

This voting was done through email and text messages, although it was also possible to participate through television and the landline, which involved the payment of a small fee. The results were revealed in 2007 at a ceremony held at Lisbon's Stadium of Light. The man behind this idea was the French writer Bernard Weber.

Just as there are the wonders of the modern world, there were also the seven wonders of the ancient world, which had been selected by the Greeks during the Hellenistic period. According to the historians of that time, these constructions were "Ta hepta theamata", whose translation means "seven things worth seeing."

It is said that the first list made up of these monuments was made by Herodotus of Halicarnassus, who is considered the first historian. However, this list did not include many of the works that made up the Seven Ancient Wonders.

As for the wonders of the modern world -all preserved today-, they are the following: the Great Wall of China, the city of Petra, Chichén Itzá, the Christ the Redeemer, the Coliseum in Rome, Machu Picchu, and the Taj Mahal.

The seven wonders of the modern world

The Great Wall of China

Great wall of china

This impressive construction was ordered by the Qin Emperor, so it began in the 5th century BC and was completed in 1368. Mainly, it was built in order to protect their territories from the invasion of the Mongols.

Currently this work covers up to seven provinces of the country and consists of a length of 6,700 kilometers; however, only 30% of it is preserved.

Brief history

According to some historians, the construction of the Great Wall of China can be divided into five main periods, these being the following: the one before the unification of the Qin dynasty, the period of the Qin dynasty, that of the Han dynasty, the period of inactivity and that of the Ming dynasty.

Period before the Qin dynasty

During the 8th century BC, China followed a feudal system, so that the territory was divided into several fiefdoms or states ruled by a series of princes.

Over time these fiefdoms were annexed to larger principalities, which caused strong fragmentation and the development of independent kingdoms.

For this reason, the states undertook to build a set of walls in order to protect themselves not only from foreign peoples, but also from neighbors. This is how the state of Qi, along with the state of Wei, began to build a large building around it.

The Qin dynasty

In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang managed to conquer all rival states and consolidated all of China, establishing the period of the Qin dynasty. With this unification, an attempt was made to eliminate the feudal system in order to impose a central power.

At that time Qin had the previously built walls destroyed to make a much larger building, placed beyond the Yellow River. Through this new wall, the emperor could connect all the existing fortifications on the northern border.

Han dynasty

When Emperor Qin Shi Huang passed away, Han Gaozu assumed power, ushering in the Han Dynasty period. This new ruler set aside the maintenance of the Great Wall, which had been heavily weakened during the war of succession against of General Xiang Yu.

Subsequently, Han Wudi chose to rebuild the wall and even extend it through the Silk Road. After this extension, the Great Wall of China had a long period of inactivity, since it did not experience noticeable changes between 220 and 1300; only a few rebuilds and brief extensions were made.

The Ming dynasty

During the heyday of the Ming dynasty, the concept of the Great Wall was revived. The Ming decided to build another series of walls along the northern border of China in order to keep out the nomadic tribes, who symbolized a great threat to the dynasty.

This construction was much stronger and more elaborate than the previous ones, since bricks were used instead of applying the previous method of rammed earth. Despite this, the Mongols managed to penetrate the Great Wall, which is why the territory of Mongolia was annexed to this empire, making this enormous and magnificent construction no longer necessary.

The capital of Petra

Bernard Gagnon

Petra was the capital of the Nabatean Empire and was located in present-day Jordan. The city is located about 250 kilometers south of Amman and was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1985.

Since the 3rd century BC its importance as a capital was known; However, its time of greatest splendor occurred with the arrival of King Aretas IV, who ruled approximately in the years 9 BC and 40 AD.

Some 30,000 people lived in this city, but in the 7th century AD it was abandoned. Therefore, Petra was considered lost until its rediscovery in the 19th century. Its most famous building, called Al Khazneh, was found by the explorer Johann Ludwig in 1812.

History and antiquity

The history of this city is very extensive. Some historians assure that the valley of this civilization was highly coveted due to the ease of its defense. It is said that its first inhabitants were nomads, so the first dwellings date from the Nabataean era.

This city is so old that its first sedentary installations - which occurred between 30,000 and 10,000 BC - establish that Petra was erected during the Iron Age.

During the Middle Ages the Islamic conquest was not interested in this construction. The last mention of Petra can be found in a text written by a bishop of the city during the 5th and early 6th centuries, approximately. Before being completely forgotten, Petra was occupied by the Crusaders.

Chichen Itza

This Mayan city located in Mexico was built approximately between 435 and 455 AD According to historians, it was the most important economic and political center of this civilization, especially between 750 and 1200 AD

Its most acclaimed and popular building is known as "El Castillo", which consists of a pyramid built in honor of the god Kukulkan. It has a height of 25 meters and a width of 55.5 meters on each of its sides.

The city of Chichén Itzá is made up of several buildings of notable importance, such as the Temple of the Warriors, the Temple of the Thousand Columns and the observatory. This city was abandoned after being invaded by the Mayapán civilization in 1194.

Brief history

Taking into account the data found, the researchers assure that many of the main constructions of Chichen Itzá were destroyed during the 11th century AD This means that the decline of this city occurred under a violent context, which caused the loss of its hegemony.

In its beginnings, Chichen Itzá had been founded by a group of Mayans who had emigrated from the East in search of peace and the development of their people. However, a thousand years after its settlement and its economic and political progress, the region became a site of strife and struggle.

During its time of decline, militarism was an essential part of the Mayan culture. This can be seen in the monument known as the Plataforma de las Calaveras, where the heads of the enemies nailed to hundreds of stakes were exhibited.

Christ the Redeemer or Christ of Corcovado

american_rugbier

The Christ the Redeemer, also known as the Christ of Corcovado, is a 38-meter-tall statue located on top of a mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This makes this sculpture one of the main tourist attractions in the Latin American country.

This work began in 1922 as part of a project of the Catholic Church during the centenary of the independence of Brazil. The Christ the Redeemer was made by the engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, who completed the work on October 12, 1931.

This sculpture was built thanks to the use of 1000 tons of reinforced cement. Likewise, the fact that Christ had his arms open and his face slightly downward meant a huge challenge for the builders, since this sculpture did not have enough space in the base area to place the scaffolding.

Other details and anecdotes

The face of the statue was carried out by a famous Romanian sculptor named Gheorghe Leonida, who was highly acclaimed as a portraitist in France, which gave him a very good reputation in the rest of the world.

Christ the Redeemer has been visited by many famous people, such as Pope John Paul II, Michael Jackson, Albert Einstein and Diana of Wales. In addition, it has been used for different movies and video games, such as the animated movie Rio or the game Civilization V.

The Colosseum in Rome

The Colosseum in Rome is one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. Source: pixabay.com

This Flavian amphitheater located in Italy and also known as the Roman Colosseum was ordered to be built in 72 AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian; however, its inauguration took place in AD 80 under Titus.

It is a monumental construction, reaching 40 meters in height along with 188 meters in length. It also has several levels made up of 80 arches each.

On these levels there were different types of seats: for example, there was the podium, where the senators sat, and there was also the emperor's box, located one floor higher than the podium.

The third level was divided in two, since it included an area destined for the wealthy commoners and another for the poorest. This amphitheater was used mainly to carry out gladiatorial battles against wild beasts.

Architectural details

As for the playing field, it consisted of an oval measuring 75 meters by 44 meters, consisting of a wooden platform covered by sandy soil.

Below this oval were a large number of tunnels and dungeons, also known as the hypogeum. In this subsoil were the gladiators, as well as the damned and the animals.

Also, the floor had a series of traps that communicated with the basement and were used during the show. In addition, the arena plane also featured an extensive drainage system, connected through a series of sewers.

According to some historians, this drainage was used to evacuate the water used during the naval shows. The wooden platform was not preserved, so today the hypogeum and dungeons can be glimpsed from above.

Macchu Picchu

By Martin St-Amant (S23678), from Wikimedia Commons

This city, located in the high mountains of Peru, was built by the Incas. The remains of this civilization are 2350 meters above sea level and are made up of a series of ancient palaces and temples, some of which were covered in gold. The construction dates from the 15th century.

At the time of its construction, Machu Picchu was considered a sanctuary of superior rank, since in this city the remains of Pachacútec, who had been the founder of the Inca Empire, rested.

According to some sources, this city was vacated in 1540 with the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, and it was rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bringham.

Design and layout aspects

The Machu Picchu area is about 530 meters long and 200 meters wide, which includes about 172 enclosures. The complex was divided into two main zones: one agricultural and the other urban.

In the agricultural area, large cultivation terraces located towards the south were developed. In Machu Picchu, large platforms were built through a series of steps built on a slope; These are made up of stone structures, although their fill was made up of different materials such as clay, earth and gravel.

The use of these materials facilitated the existence of a drainage system, designed to prevent the water from pooling when large river rains occurred.

As for the urban area, it was divided from the agricultural area through a 400-meter wall. Next to the wall you can find a long moat, which was used as a drainage system for the city.

At the highest part of the wall is the city gate, which had an internal closing mechanism. In turn, the urban area was divided into two sectors: the hanan was the upper sector and the hurin corresponded to the lower sector. This division obeyed the traditional Andean hierarchy.

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal, located in India, consists of a huge mausoleum commissioned by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal and Muslim emperor. This ruler wanted to erect one of the most impressive monuments of humanity in order to honor his late wife, Princess Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to her fourteenth child.

It was built during 1631 and 1648 through the work of 20,000 people, who lived in a nearby complex known today as Taj Ganj.

The materials that were used for this building were brought from different regions not only from India, but also from Central Asia. These construction instruments were mostly composed of ancient red sandstone and precious stones such as turquoise, jasper, jade, sapphires, marble, carnelian and charcoal.

Formal elements of the building

As for the decorative and formal elements of the Taj Mahal, these were used repeatedly and consistently throughout the building, in order to give unity to the aesthetic concept.

Consequently, this building has the use of the "finial", which consists of an ornamental domes finish also used in the famous pagodas of Asia. In addition, the decoration through lotus flowers was very common, which are carved on the domes.

Another formal element is the onion dome, also called amrud, widely used in Islamic and Russian architecture. These domes are supported on a cylindrical base known as a drum, which allows an ornamental transition between the base and said dome.

References

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2. (SA) (nd.) Seven wonders of the ancient world. Retrieved on April 28, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
3. (SA) (nd) The seven wonders of the world. Retrieved on April 28, 2019 from Holiday guru: holidayguru.com
4. Echenagusia, C. (sf) The new seven wonders of the modern world. Retrieved on April 28, 2019 from Academia: academia.edu
5. Viyuela, A. (2015) Learning the 7 new wonders of the world through an understanding project in the Early Childhood Education stage. Retrieved on April 28, 2019 from the University of Valladolid: uva.es