The *NEW* 7 Wonders of the World

[Eagle]

Yes, JH, they are indeed very impressive. Because you just can really recognise them when you are up in the air in a plane. That´s fascinating and kinda odd.

[JediHunter]

Well, you can see which wonders are in the top 7 places for the next 7 days... heres a link

http://www.new7wonders.com/ranking

I'm quite happy with the bottom 7.. but a little sad to see a few in the middle 7... but i just thought of it.. if china votes for their wall.... noone will be able to top those votes.. cuz.. 1 billion people strong.. thats tough to top.. although.. i doubt that many people are actually voting.. whatever.. there was a joke in there somewhere.. but i lost it..

[DarthTofu]

that hilarious.. my mom makes amazing pork chops... but anyways... i just thought... why the hell weren't the Nazca Lines a choice?... i think those deserve at least a nomination.. definately over the statue of liberty..

 

I remember those from old Social Studies classes... There are some theories about those people making primative balloon bladders so that they could see the images from the air. When I was little I always wondered where they managed to find an animal with a big enough bladder to use for their balloons... Then I discovered the existance of the oliphant from Lord of the Rings!

[DarthTex]

(*** wipes off dust ***)

 

Well the other day I saw the results on the news, and then I remember; "Hey, there's a thread about this at SWR! I wonder if anybody else has seen this?"

 

So with further adieu: the results

[Jahled]

Heh, six of those i'm happy about, because they are obvious wonders, all things considered. But Christ Redeemer? It's not a religious objection by any means, but it hardly ranks with the other six in terms of human achievement or wonder. Surely the Great Pyramids of Egypt have more merit, by about a mile as well..

[Darth_Rob]

Heh, six of those i'm happy about, because they are obvious wonders, all things considered. But Christ Redeemer? It's not a religious objection by any means, but it hardly ranks with the other six in terms of human achievement or wonder. Surely the Great Pyramids of Egypt have more merit, by about a mile as well..

 

You took the words right out of my mouth J. I can't believe that the Pyramids were not on there. The Christ Redeemer definitely does not belong on there as opposed to others that were left out...

[DarthTex]

I'm just happy Machu Picchu made it All of the "runner ups" are very interesting places and I wouldn't mind visiting anyone of them.

 

As for the Pyramids, the Great Pyramid is the only remaining original wonder of the ancient world. I don't think in needs to be reiterated again; a wonder is a wonder (ancient or new), don't ya think

[SOCL]

Jahled, you speak for both me and my father, and my father's a Christian minister! Christ Redeemer? As compared to Stonehenge or the Parthenon in Athens? Or how about Easter Island? Odd choice.

[kaja]

Why is it, that the Chichén Itzá, is on it, when the Great Pyramid didn't, it's nearly the same, only bigger.

 

Also, I don't see why every one is all up in arms about the stature of Christ the Redeemer, what isn't wonderous about a clossol 38 meter Statue, on a freakin' mountain. Besides, it is bigger than the Colossus of Rhodes, which hasn't been standing for over two thousand years.

 

Now I could see why the Great Wall, the Colosseum, and even thr Palace Tombs of Petra, could count. But Machu Picchu? It's a city, not a building, what's so wonderous about a city? THere are lots of ancient cities out there, heck even cities on mountains, but still...

 

As for the Taj Mahal.. No thanks. I dount think it's that spectacular. Sure it has white marbel and is large, But I personally don't like the looks of it, but I guess it could count as a wonder.

[JediHunter]

Heh, six of those i'm happy about, because they are obvious wonders, all things considered. But Christ Redeemer? It's not a religious objection by any means, but it hardly ranks with the other six in terms of human achievement or wonder. Surely the Great Pyramids of Egypt have more merit, by about a mile as well..

 

I agree with ya on this one J, I really dont think a statue that was engineered in the late 20's to be a wonder of the world.... a feat of engineering yes.. but not a wonder...

 

Also, I don't see why every one is all up in arms about the stature of Christ the Redeemer, what isn't wonderous about a clossol 38 meter Statue, on a freakin' mountain. Besides, it is bigger than the Colossus of Rhodes, which hasn't been standing for over two thousand years.

It's bigger by only 8 meters.. which you would think they could have made it bigger by a lot more than that, being that it was built over 2,100 years later! With "superior" technology and engineering none the less!

 

Now I could see why the Great Wall, the Colosseum, and even thr Palace Tombs of Petra, could count. But Machu Picchu? It's a city, not a building, what's so wonderous about a city? THere are lots of ancient cities out there, heck even cities on mountains, but still...

If the Great Wall should count why not an ENTIRE city made by a pre-columbian society?? I mean isn't it just a bit crazy that an ENTIRE city was built in the high reaches of a mountain by a civilization without the use of any industrial means?? I find that a wonder.. hell I can barely stomach mowing the lawn in the middle of summer for less than 2 hours.. i couldn't imagine even trying to build an entire city and road system in a high altitude environment..

[SOCL]

Why is it, that the Chichén Itzá, is on it, when the Great Pyramid didn't, it's nearly the same, only bigger.

Check your listing of Wonders of the Ancient World.

 

Also, I don't see why every one is all up in arms about the stature of Christ the Redeemer, what isn't wonderous about a clossol 38 meter Statue, on a freakin' mountain. Besides, it is bigger than the Colossus of Rhodes, which hasn't been standing for over two thousand years.

Yes, except the Colossus of Rhodes may or may not have been real. There is not extent evidence to prove its existence. And, as JH mentioned, it created by way of modern engineering compared to, say, the Parthenon, the Great Pyramids (your example!), or the Easter Island heads.

 

Now I could see why the Great Wall, the Colosseum, and even thr Palace Tombs of Petra, could count. But Machu Picchu? It's a city, not a building, what's so wonderous about a city? THere are lots of ancient cities out there, heck even cities on mountains, but still...

An entire city in the mountains, where the construction was based on hauling rocks from miles away into the mountains, built by hand, and hardly touched by the modern hand. Sure, it's not a wonder.

 

As for the Taj Mahal.. No thanks. I dount think it's that spectacular. Sure it has white marbel and is large, But I personally don't like the looks of it, but I guess it could count as a wonder.

Yeah, except this is a personal opinion. The other objections were based on comparative analysis.

[Eagle]

If the Great Wall should count why not an ENTIRE city made by a pre-columbian society?? I mean isn't it just a bit crazy that an ENTIRE city was built in the high reaches of a mountain by a civilization without the use of any industrial means??

Agreed! It´s much more easy to build such a large impressive statue, than a city like this in that location. Every engineer and every scientist still wonder how they´d achieved that.

[DarthTex]

Now I could see why the Great Wall, the Colosseum, and even thr Palace Tombs of Petra, could count. But Machu Picchu? It's a city, not a building, what's so wonderous about a city? THere are lots of ancient cities out there, heck even cities on mountains, but still....

Not to pile on Kaja, but some of the stone work to construct Machu Picchu is almost impossible to duplicate to this day with modern technology. Imagine "blocks" of stone weighing in the tons, not having any right angles or parallel edges, some with multiple edges, but when put next to their neighbor blocks they fit so tightly together that a piece of paper can NOT fit into the seam where the blocks meet! No computers, no milling machines, just primitive tools; plus moving them from the quarry to the construction site. Definitely amazing in my book

[Jahled]

Now I could see why the Great Wall, the Colosseum, and even thr Palace Tombs of Petra, could count. But Machu Picchu? It's a city, not a building, what's so wonderous about a city? THere are lots of ancient cities out there, heck even cities on mountains, but still....

Not to pile on Kaja, but some of the stone work to construct Machu Picchu is almost impossible to duplicate to this day with modern technology. Imagine "blocks" of stone weighing in the tons, not having any right angles or parallel edges, some with multiple edges, but when put next to their neighbor blocks they fit so tightly together that a piece of paper can NOT fit into the seam where the blocks meet! No computers, no milling machines, just primitive tools; plus moving them from the quarry to the construction site. Definitely amazing in my book

 

^Exactly this, the achievement was incredible. All that, and it remained hidden from the Spanish, and the government of Peru ,up until some local farmer revealed it's location to Bingham in 1911. Far more incredible than some statue built, as JH pointed out, in the twentieth century with the subsequent technology.

[kaja]

Why is it, that the Chichén Itzá, is on it, when the Great Pyramid didn't, it's nearly the same, only bigger.

Check your listing of Wonders of the Ancient World.

 

It isn't on the new list, d00d.

 

 

Also, I don't see why every one is all up in arms about the stature of Christ the Redeemer, what isn't wonderous about a clossol 38 meter Statue, on a freakin' mountain. Besides, it is bigger than the Colossus of Rhodes, which hasn't been standing for over two thousand years.

Yes, except the Colossus of Rhodes may or may not have been real. There is not extent evidence to prove its existence. And, as JH mentioned, it created by way of modern engineering compared to, say, the Parthenon, the Great Pyramids (your example!), or the Easter Island heads.

 

Then why is it even on the 'original list', if it may or may not be real? And 8 Meters is 26.25 feet or so, which is a lot for a statue.

Also, I never said that it was more deserving of being one the '7 world wonders' than any other 'wonder', I said that I didn't see why every one is "all up in arms' about it.

 

Just because it was built in the 20th century, doesn't make it 'modern' or mean that it was built with 'modern technology', It was still most likely a challenge.

 

Now I could see why the Great Wall, the Colosseum, and even thr Palace Tombs of Petra, could count. But Machu Picchu? It's a city, not a building, what's so wonderous about a city? THere are lots of ancient cities out there, heck even cities on mountains, but still...

An entire city in the mountains, where the construction was based on hauling rocks from miles away into the mountains, built by hand, and hardly touched by the modern hand. Sure, it's not a wonder.

 

It's impressive, indeed; But it's still a city, it's like comparing the city of London, to the Empire State building in New York, they're different classes, in my opinion. Also severel of the pyramids were built with precision, and with rocks from several miles away.

 

As for the Taj Mahal.. No thanks. I dount think it's that spectacular. Sure it has white marbel and is large, But I personally don't like the looks of it, but I guess it could count as a wonder.

Yeah, except this is a personal opinion. The other objections were based on comparative analysis.

That, is why I said personally.

 

Exactly this, the achievement was incredible. All that, and it remained hidden from the Spanish, and the government of Peru ,up until some local farmer revealed it's location to Bingham in 1911. Far more incredible than some statue built, as JH pointed out, in the twentieth century with the subsequent technology.

 

And, that, is beside the point. It could very well mean that the Government of Peru, and/or the Spanish were bad explorers. .

 

If the Great Wall should count why not an ENTIRE city made by a pre-columbian society?? I mean isn't it just a bit crazy that an ENTIRE city was built in the high reaches of a mountain by a civilization without the use of any industrial means?? I find that a wonder.. hell I can barely stomach mowing the lawn in the middle of summer for less than 2 hours.. i couldn't imagine even trying to build an entire city and road system in a high altitude environment.

 

The Egyptians were pre-columbian, and they built the pyramids in the dessert. The Chinese were pre-columbian, and the 'Great Wall' used a lot more stone, considering it's over 4,000 miles, or 6,400 kilometers long, not to mention built on a mountain, in a more northern enviroment, which means: snow. Also, elaborate on what you call "industrial means".

 

*tear* Poor me, all out numbered and such....

[JediHunter]

Then why is it even on the 'original list', if it may or may not be real?

Because...

The historian Herodotus (484 BC–ca. 425 BC), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, made early lists of "seven wonders" but their writings have not survived, except as references. The earliest extant version of a list of seven wonders was compiled by Antipater of Sidon, who described the structures in a poem around 140 BC.

Hence... they made the list when the Colossus supposedly existed.. but their writings having not survived and only being references brings in to question the existence of the colossus since when the known list was written by Antipater of Sidon the Colussus had since been destroyed.

 

And 8 Meters is 26.25 feet or so, which is a lot for a statue.

I know how big 8 meters is. Which I think is actually only a lot for a man, but a bit for a statue.

Also, I never said that it was more deserving of being one the '7 world wonders' than any other 'wonder', I said that I didn't see why every one is "all up in arms' about it.

Thats what we are all answering.

 

Just because it was built in the 20th century, doesn't make it 'modern' or mean that it was built with 'modern technology', It was still most likely a challenge.

Hence why i said it is a feat of engineering.. and they definately had more modern technology in the 1920's(!!!!) than they did in 280BC(!!!)

 

Also severel of the pyramids were built with precision, and with rocks from several miles away.

 

To answer that..

All of the construction in Machu Picchu uses the classic Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that not even a knife fits between the stones.

 

The Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner. How they moved and placed enormous blocks of stones is a mystery, although the general belief is that they used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes.

 

There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps – often completely carved in a single block of granite – and a great number of water fountains, interconnected by channels and water-drainages perforated in the rock, designed for the original irrigation system. Evidence has been found to suggest that the irrigation system was used to carry water from a holy spring, to each of the houses in turn, the order being dictated by the perceived holiness of the inhabitants.

 

I find that pretty damn amazing.

 

The Egyptians were pre-columbian, and they built the pyramids in the dessert. The Chinese were pre-columbian, and the 'Great Wall' used a lot more stone, considering it's over 4,000 miles, or 6,400 kilometers long, not to mention built on a mountain, in a more northern enviroment, which means: snow. Also, elaborate on what you call "industrial means".

 

First, its desert.. unless they built it in a banana split.. hehehe i like that joke.. anyway... being that the city of Machu Picchu is in the Andes Mountains, I would find it to be pretty cold up there for people who dont have ANY means of heat besides fire.. and probabaly only wore llama fur tunics.. if that.. i think those were only for officials.. oh and.. "industrial means"...

Far more incredible than some statue built, as JH pointed out, in the twentieth century with the subsequent technology.

I think Jahled answered that one for you.

[kaja]

And 8 Meters is 26.25 feet or so, which is a lot for a statue.

I know how big 8 meters is. Which I think is actually only a lot for a man, but a bit for a statue.

 

I never said you didn't, however I still disagree, there aren't that many colossel statues out there. Although I think there are a few larger than the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

 

Also, I never said that it was more deserving of being one the '7 world wonders' than any other 'wonder', I said that I didn't see why every one is "all up in arms' about it.

Thats what we are all answering.

 

I never disputed that.

 

Just because it was built in the 20th century, doesn't make it 'modern' or mean that it was built with 'modern technology', It was still most likely a challenge.

Hence why i said it is a feat of engineering.. and they definately had more modern technology in the 1920's(!!!!) than they did in 280BC(!!!)

 

That's not what I mean't, of course it's more 1920AD is more modern than 280BC, rather, 1920 still isn't 'modern'. If it was 'modern' they would have used Giant Cranes and such.

 

Also severel of the pyramids were built with precision, and with rocks from several miles away.

 

To answer that..

All of the construction in Machu Picchu uses the classic Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that not even a knife fits between the stones.

 

The Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner. How they moved and placed enormous blocks of stones is a mystery, although the general belief is that they used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes.

 

There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps – often completely carved in a single block of granite – and a great number of water fountains, interconnected by channels and water-drainages perforated in the rock, designed for the original irrigation system. Evidence has been found to suggest that the irrigation system was used to carry water from a holy spring, to each of the houses in turn, the order being dictated by the perceived holiness of the inhabitants.

 

I find that pretty damn amazing.

 

They must have had some sort of rope system, because, unless it's a really, reeeaallly wide stone, a few hundred people couldn't all be pushing it at the same time, unless they were pusing on the backs of their companions.

 

The Egyptians were pre-columbian, and they built the pyramids in the dessert. The Chinese were pre-columbian, and the 'Great Wall' used a lot more stone, considering it's over 4,000 miles, or 6,400 kilometers long, not to mention built on a mountain, in a more northern enviroment, which means: snow. Also, elaborate on what you call "industrial means".

 

First, its desert.. unless they built it in a banana split.. hehehe i like that joke.. anyway... being that the city of Machu Picchu is in the Andes Mountains, I would find it to be pretty cold up there for people who dont have ANY means of heat besides fire.. and probabaly only wore llama fur tunics.. if that.. i think those were only for officials.. oh and.. "industrial means"...

 

Bah, you caught me red handed! , I've been having a problem with that, I know it's desert, but I've had a slight problem with writing desert, as dessert.

 

Far more incredible than some statue built, as JH pointed out, in the twentieth century with the subsequent technology.

 

I think Jahled answered that one for you.

Ok fine. But it's still a city; And further more, why am I arguing about this? I don't even think there should be a list of seven wonders. There are far too many spectacular buildings and/or cities in the world to title only seven of them as 'World Wonders'. So I guess I don't even care if Machu Picchu is on said list or not, it is spectacular, and like many other great feats of engineering, for lack of a better term, awesom.

 

So, yeah, ...

 

But, my all time favorite has to be the Great Wall, I just wish I could see in person, it's so cool!

[JediHunter]

im not trying to pick on you dude... but i dont get how you dont get that we all think the redeemer statue shouldn't be on there. Then say by comparison Machu Picchu is undeserving... to answer your "there aren't that many colossel statues out there"

 

List of statues by height: (i think possibly incomplete)

 

Ushiku Daibutsu (depicts Amitabha Buddha); Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan 120 m. Completed 1995.

Guanyin statue (depicts Guanyin); Hainan, Sanya, China, 108 m. Completed 2005.[1]

Emperors Yan and Huang; Zhengzhou, China, 106 m. Completed 2007.[2]

Motherland; Kiev, Ukraine. 102 m; 62 m excluding pedestal.

Peter the Great (depicts Peter I of Russia); Moscow, Russia. 96 m.

Statue of Liberty; Liberty Island, New York, United States. 93 m (305 ft); 46 m (151 ft) excluding pedestal.[3]

Grand Buddha at Ling Shan; Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. 88m. Completed in 1996.

The Motherland calls, Volgograd, Russia. 85 m.

Leshan Giant Buddha (depicts Maitreya); Leshan, China (71 m). Constructed between 713 - 803.

Vulcan statue (depicts Vulcan); Birmingham, Alabama. 54.8 m (180 ft); 17 m (56 ft) excluding pedestal.

Lord Murugan statue; Batu Caves, Gombak, Malaysia. 42.7 m.

Thiruvalluvar Statue (depicts Tiruvalluvar); Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. 40.5 m (133 ft); 29 m (95 ft) excluding pedestal. Completed in 2000.

Christ the Redeemer (depicts Jesus); Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 39.6 m (130 ft). Completed in 1931.

Tian Tan Buddha; Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. 34 m. Completed in 1990.

Worker and Kolkhoz Woman; Moscow, Russia. 24 m (78 ft). Completed in 1937.

Christ of the Ozarks; Eureka Springs, Arkansas, United States. 20 m (67 ft).

Statue of Mao Zedong; Kashgar, China. 18 m.

Jolly Green Giant; Blue Earth, Minnesota, United States. 16.8 m. Completed in 1978.

 

Some of these were built before the redeemer.. so.. hypothetically they have more justification to be there...

 

and to answer

"That's not what I mean't, of course it's more 1920AD is more modern than 280BC, rather, 1920 still isn't 'modern'. If it was 'modern' they would have used Giant Cranes and such. "

 

what do you think they had in 1920's? rickshaws? dude they had freakin tractors by that time..

[kaja]

Of course they had tractors, but they didn't have giganto-cranes that are 200ft tall, or a lot of the other modern great things that make building big statues so easy.

 

And I never said that Machu Picchu was "undeserving", I inquired why it was on the list, seeing as it was a city, compared to the others, which are all single feat's on engineering. I guess it could be considered a single feat of engineering, but it's still a city.

 

And sure, there's your list of 18, the first three were built in the last twelve years, how's that for modern, with another six of them being built in the last 30 years, and an addional 4 being smaller. The statue of Liberty was on the list, but wasn't voted to be one of them, (Considering It's green(Bronze), ugly, and wasn't even built in America.).

 

The Motherland calls, while impressive, has a sword making up about a third of it's hieght. And is thirty years newer.

 

The Statue of Peter the Great, I think should be one of the votable wonders. As should the Statue, Motherland, in Kiev, Ukraine.

 

The Leshan Giant Budda statue, isn't all that impressive, and was carved out of hill, So it's kinda cheating.

[JediHunter]

on another note.. i was a little disappointed to see that Angkor Wat and Stonehenge didn't make it.... I wonder how many people cared enough to vote?... that would be interesting stats if they provided them.. how many voted and how many votes for each were received...