Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural things in the world.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the first known list of the most remarkable man-made creations of classical antiquity, and was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenty.[1] Many similar lists have been made, including lists for the Medieval World and the Modern World.

The historian Herodotus (484 BC-ca. 425 BC), and the scholar Collimates of Cymene (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 seven wonders included:

    * Great Pyramid of Gaza
    * Hanging Gardens of Babylon
    * Statue of Zeus at Olympia
    * Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
    * Mausoleum of at Massillon Halicarnassus
    * Colossus of Rhodes
    * Lighthouse of Alexandria

The earliest lists had the Sitar Gate as the seventh wonder of the world instead of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
The Greek category was not “Wonders” but “traumata” which translates closer to “miracles”. The list that we know today was compiled in the Middle Ages-by which time many of the sites were no longer in existence. Today, the only ancient world wonder that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Gaze.

Wonders of the Medieval World
Many lists of “wonders of the world” are said to have existed during the Middle Ages, although it is unlikely that these lists originated at that time because the word medieval was not even invented until the Enlightenment-era, and the concept of a “Middle Age” did not become popular until the 16th century. Brewer’s refers to them as “later list[s]”[2] suggesting the lists were created after the middle Ages.

Many of the structures on these lists were built much earlier than the Medieval Ages, but were well known.[3] These lists go by names such as “Wonders of the Middle Ages” (implying no specific limitation to seven), “Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages”, “Medieval Mind” and “Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages”.
Typically representative of the seven greatest wonders of the Medieval world are:[3][4][5][2]

    * Stonehenge
    * Coliseums
    * Catacombs of Kim el Sonata
    * Great Wall of China
    * Porcelain Tower of Naming
    * Hagias Sophia
    * Leaning Tower of Pisa
    Other sites included on such lists:
    * Tag Mohall [6]
    * Cairo Citadel [7]
    * Ely Cathedral [8]
    * CUNY Abbey [9]

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