The notion of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World can be traced back to
the fifth century B.C. These creations rivaled many created by nature in their
size, majesty, and beauty. Six of the seven wonders no longer stand, having
been destroyed by natural disaster or by humans.
Note: The idea of the list dates to the fifth century B.C. when Greek historian
Herodotus marvelled about some of the Wonders. Although it has been argued that
other ancient wonders of comparable regard—such as the Great Wall of China,
Machu Picchu in Peru, and the Aztec Temple in Tenochtitlan in Mexico—should
have been included, these may not have been known about by the Greeks who first
proposed Wonders for the list.