7 wonders of the ancient world description. Modern seven wonders of the world

The New Seven Wonders of the World is a project whose goal was to find the modern seven wonders of the world. It was organized by the non-profit organization New Open World Corporation (NOWC) on the initiative of the Swiss Bernard Weber. The selection of the new seven “wonders of the world” from the famous architectural structures of the world took place via SMS, telephone or Internet. The result was announced on July 7, 2007.

The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater is an amphitheater, an architectural monument of Ancient Rome, the most famous and one of the most grandiose buildings of the Ancient World that have survived to this day. Located in Rome, in the hollow between the Esquiline, Palatine and Caelian hills.

IN ancient Rome Many historical monuments have been preserved, but the most extraordinary of them is the Colosseum, in which people doomed to death desperately fought and died for the entertainment of free citizens of Rome. It became the largest and most famous of all Roman amphitheatres, and one of the greatest masterpieces of Roman engineering and architecture that has survived to this day. The grandiose Colosseum amazed everyone who came to the capital of the empire for the first time. This is the symbol of Rome and its centuries-old history, the largest and most beautiful stadium of the ancient world.

The amphitheater is a Roman invention. It consisted of an elliptical-shaped arena, surrounded by tiers of rows of seated stands, from which a large public, without putting themselves at risk, could watch exciting bloody spectacles. Gladiator fights were held here and wild exotic animals were paraded, then pitted against each other in mortal combat in front of a captivated crowd.

Even before the construction of the Colosseum, Rome had several amphitheaters, but after a great fire in 64 AD. e. a new building was needed. Roman Emperor Vespasian, who reigned from 69 AD. e., wanting to further spread the bloody sport of gladiators, he ordered to begin in 72 AD. e. construction of an amphitheater, which was to bear the name of the new imperial dynasty and surpass all previous ones in unprecedented size and beauty. The amphitheater was initially called Flavian (Amphiteatrum Flavium).

It was erected at the bottom of an artificial reservoir dug under Vespasian's predecessor, Emperor Nero, for his famous luxurious Golden House. Such a choice of location was very advantageous not only from a technical, but also from a political point of view, as if demonstrating a break with the previous decadent luxury. Vespasian developed construction plans on a scale no less than Nero, but this was construction for public needs, and not at all to satisfy the personal whims of the emperor.

The Colosseum's circumference reaches 527 meters; it has the shape of an ellipse with diagonals of 188 and 156 meters. The height of the undestroyed part is 57 meters. The four floors of the building could accommodate 80 thousand people. A giant canopy was attached to the columns of the upper tier, protecting spectators from the scorching sun. The inside of the building was paved with marble, and the façade was paved with travertine (a porous rock widely used in ancient times as a building material), the slabs of which were held together with iron brackets. Under the sand-covered wooden floor of the arena, numerous underground passages. During performances, decorations, animals, gladiators and their weapons were raised along these passages using special mechanisms. The audience was separated from the arena by a metal grill. You could get inside the building through one of the 80 arches on the first tier.

It was solemnly consecrated in 80 AD. e. already Vespasian's heir, Emperor Titus. On this occasion, a holiday was held that lasted exactly 100 days. During that period of time, 5 thousand predators brought from northern Africa and hundreds of gladiators were killed in the Colosseum arena. But even then, despite the official opening, construction was not yet completely finished. The last, upper platform for spectators was completed only under Titus' successor, Emperor Domitian.

A distinctive feature of this structure is the large number of tiers. Its architecture shows how ingeniously it is possible to simply organize and direct the movement of countless crowds of people. A complex system of staircases and passages provided unobstructed and easy access to the stands and seats. Four main entrances made it possible to quickly enter the arena, and through 80 arches in just 10 minutes you could be in numbered spectator seats. Spectators often spent several days in a row here, so they brought food with them from home. All this speaks of a high engineering and architectural level of the design. But it should also be noted that there were no toilets there, with all the attendant circumstances.

Seats in the Colosseum were distributed according to the social status of the spectators. The lower ones were intended for representatives of the upper strata of society - government officials, priests, vestals. Commoners sat on the upper tiers. The imperial box - a podium with a spacious terrace - was located right next to the arena. The rows closest to her were reserved for wealthy patricians and honored guests. The amphitheater was divided into sectors, each of which had a serial number.

The name of the architect who designed the amphitheater is unknown, but it is assumed that he was Rabirius, who later became the author of Domitian’s palace. The outside of the amphitheater is entirely covered with travertine and has four tiers. The three lower ones represent arched propets running along the entire profile, cut by pilasters and semi-columns in the canonical sequence: on the first tier - Doric, on the second - Ionic, and on the third - Corinthian. The fourth, upper tier, completed a little later, is a solid wall, dissected by Corinthian pilasters and cut through by small windows. The crowning cornice still has holes where supports were inserted to stretch the bright awning, protecting spectators from the heat. Each arched flight of the first tier corresponded to an entrance to the seats for spectators: 76 of these entrances were numbered (Roman numerals can still be seen on the arches); four main entrances were intended: one for the imperial retinue, another for the Vestals, the third for judges and the last for honored guests.

The Colosseum operated 36 elevators, manually operated by slaves. Each elevator could be lifted by up to 10 slaves. They also transported wild animals. In 523 AD e., after long popular protests, a decree was passed in Rome prohibiting the killing of predators. In this ancient stadium, the display of gladiator fights continued until the 5th century AD. e.

In the center of the Roman Colosseum there was an arena surrounded by archers who protected spectators from attacks by predators. A terrace was built around the arena, where the imperial box and the boxes of prominent senators, judges and popes were located. The remaining spectator seats were divided into three tiers. The lower tier is for noble nobles and wealthy businessmen, the second is for the free citizens of Rome of the middle class, the last is for the common people. In the very top rows sat slaves operating the elevators. And even higher than the slaves were the sailors of the imperial navy, Classis Miseniensis. What were they doing there? They controlled the huge linen canvas that covered the top of the Colosseum so that the arena remained always open. For this purpose, a complex structure was built here, consisting of 240 pillars, supporting a giant substance. And since the sailors were excellent masters in sail control, they were the ones responsible for this sector. Under the arena there were special passages that were used for performances, as well as cages with wild animals. The creators of the Colosseum designed a complex system of passages and lifts through which angry animals released from their cages in the dungeon fell directly into the arena. There were 2 special exits in the Colosseum: the exit of life and the exit of death. The winners or pardoned gladiators came out into one, and the dead were carried out through the other.

Entry to the Colosseum was free. Many emperors cared about the amusement of their people, in this way they could be more easily kept under control. For the same purpose, before entering the stadium, flour for baking bread was distributed free of charge. Among the spectators there were many women who were ardent fans of these bloody spectacles.

Gladiatorial fights began at dawn and ended at dusk, and some festive performances lasted for several days. The performance usually opened with the performance of festively dressed gladiators, under their feet there was a wooden floor sprinkled with sand to absorb the blood.

The first number on the program was cripples and clowns: these also fought, but not seriously and without blood. Sometimes women also appeared and competed in archery. And only then came the turn of the gladiators and animals. First, trained animals performed, and then wild ones were released into the arena, which were set against each other or against armed people. The Romans' love for such spectacles led to the mass extermination of animals. But much more brutal were the battles of the gladiators who fought for life and death. They were recruited from slaves, convicted criminals, or prisoners of war. The main weapon of gladiators was a short double-edged sword - a gladius. When mortally wounded soldiers fell, a man dressed as Charon (a character in Greek mythology - the carrier of the dead in afterworld). The body was taken out, the bloody stain was covered with sand, and the place of the dead gladiator was taken by the next one. Anyone who was seriously wounded could lie on the floor and beg the audience for mercy. If the crowd thought he had fought valiantly, they would chant “Mitte!” (“Free him!”). But if a fighter failed to win the sympathy of the public, the inexorable “Ingula!” followed. ("Kill him!"). In the Colosseum, the all-powerful Caesar did not contradict the wishes of his subjects: at the request of “Mitte!” he raised his thumb up, granting the gladiator life, and sometimes freedom, while after shouts of “ingula!” put his finger down, condemning the fighter to death.

The use of wild animals in the arena has become so diverse and complex that specially trained people - bestiaries - began to be brought in to perform performances with them. The Roman mob especially loved shows with animals. The highest nobility preferred gladiator fights. Bestiaries were trained in a special school. They had their own traditions, their own uniforms and their own professional jargon. During the magnificent celebrations on the occasion of the opening of the Colosseum in 80 AD. e. gladiators killed about 5 thousand lions, hippos, elephants, and zebras. A huge number of animals died in 248, during the festivities in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Rome.

Bloody gladiator fights were banned only in 404 AD. e. In 523 AD BC, after long popular protests, a decree was passed in Rome prohibiting the killing of predators.

The barbarian invasions left the Flavian Amphitheater desolate and marked the beginning of its destruction. From the 11th century until 1132, it served as a fortress for noble Roman families who competed with each other for influence and power over their fellow citizens, especially for the families of Frangipani and Annibaldi. The latter, however, were forced to cede the Colosseum to Emperor Henry VII, who donated it to the Roman Senate and people. Back in 1332, the local aristocracy organized bullfights here, but from that time on the systematic destruction of the Colosseum began. They began to look at him as a source of production building material, and not only the stones that had fallen off, but also the stones deliberately broken out of it began to be used for new structures. So, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Pope Paul II took material from it to build the so-called Venetian palace, Cardinal Riario - the palace of the chancellery, Paul III - the Palazzo Farnese. However, a significant part of the amphitheater survived, although the building as a whole remained disfigured. Sixtus V intended to use it to set up a cloth factory, and Clement IX actually turned the Colosseum into a plant for the extraction of saltpeter.

The removal of the stone, which threatened to completely destroy the ancient monument, was stopped only in the middle of the 18th century by Pope Benedict XIV, who installed a cross on the building, and around it a number of altars in memory of the torture, the procession to Calvary and the death of the Savior on the cross, and consecrated it as a place of martyrdom of many Christians. This cross and altars were removed from the Colosseum only in 1874. The popes who followed Benedict XIV, especially Pius VII and Leo XII, continued to take care of the safety of the surviving parts of the building and reinforced the parts of the walls that were in danger of falling with buttresses, and Pius IX corrected some of the internal stairs in it.

The current appearance of the amphitheater is almost a triumph of minimalism: a strict ellipse, three tiers made in three orders, a precisely calculated arch shape. Initially, each arch was accompanied by a statue, and the giant opening between the walls was covered with canvas using a special mechanism.

The classic list of the seven wonders of the world has been known to us since school days, when we studied Ancient history. Only the pyramids of Egypt have survived to our times, which can be seen by anyone who visits this country. The Pyramid of Cheops at Giza is the only surviving wonder of the world. Other miracles - Colossus of Rhodes, hanging gardens Semiramis, the Lighthouse of Alexandria - collapsed over the centuries, some due to fires and earthquakes, others due to floods.

The classic list of wonders of the world includes:

1. Pyramid of Cheops (burial site of the Pharaoh of Egypt) - created by the Egyptians in 2540 BC. e. ;
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Babylon - created by the Babylonians in 605 BC. e. ;
3. Statue of Zeus at Olympia - created by the Greeks in 435 BC. e.;
4. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (built in honor of the goddess Artemis in Turkey) - created by the Greeks and Persians in 550 BC. e.;
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - created by the Carians, Greeks and Persians in 351 BC. e.;
6. The Colossus of Rhodes was established by the Greeks between 292 and 280. BC e.;
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria - built in the 4th century BC. e. by the Greeks a lighthouse, and named in honor of Alexander the Great.

All the photographs presented below with the wonders of the world are either models of what the majestic structures used to look like, or what remains of them at the present time. It's a pity that they couldn't withstand natural disasters.

Some time later, cultural figures began to add additional attractions to this list, “miracles” that still surprise and inspire. So, at the end of the 1st century, the Roman poet Martial added only the rebuilt Colosseum to the list. After a while, in the 6th century, Christian theologian Gregory of Tours added Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple to the list.

Different sources mention different combinations of wonders of the world, for example, English and French writers and historians equated the Alexandria Catacombs, the Leaning Tower in Pisa, the Porcelain Tower in Nanjing, and the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul as wonders of the world.

New list of wonders of the world

In 2007, a UN organization organized a vote to approve a new list modern miracles Sveta. They voted by phone, Internet and SMS messages. And this is the final list:

Colosseum in Italy;
The great Wall of China;
Machu Picchu – ancient city Incas in Peru;
Taj Mahal in India is a magnificent mausoleum-mosque in India;
Petra is an ancient city, the capital of the Nabataean kingdom, located in modern Jordan;
Christ the Redeemer statue flying over Rio de Janeiro in Brazil;
pyramids of Giza in Egypt;
Chichen Itza in Mexico, an ancient city of the Mayan civilization.

All of them have been preserved from ancient times, except for the statue of Christ the Redeemer, which was finally built in 1931 of the last century and has since become a symbol of Brazil and one of its largest cities - Rio de Janeiro.

How to see them?

The new list of wonders has been officially approved by the UN, and now everyone who travels to the country can see them. No one excursion route will not avoid visiting these attractions. They try to carefully preserve them for future generations, but also use them for modern needs.

For example, the Colosseum is known for its excellent acoustics. Famous singers and musicians from all over the world often perform there, and operas are staged in the open air.

The Taj Mahal is also open to tourists, but this is the tomb of the padishah’s beloved wife, so people only inspect it and admire the beauty of its architectural forms and interior paintings.

Be in China and not visit Great Wall is considered simply indecent. There are many excursions to it, but you cannot climb it: it is a huge obstacle course and walking on it is dangerous. That's why everyone takes pictures near her plots in the most picturesque places.

The Pyramids of Giza can be viewed from the outside and inside, and nearby you can see the grandiose statues of ancient sphinxes.

Excursions to the ancient cities of Machu Picchu, Petra and Chichen Itza are extremely interesting, but physically difficult - you will have to walk for a long time through the ruins. However, tourist holidays in these countries are well organized, and you will not regret if you spend a day or two visiting these magnificent places.

Chichen Itza - ancient Mayan city

Why exactly 7 wonders of the world, and not 10 or 15?

As you have probably already noticed, people used to have a special attitude towards the magical number seven. Everyone knows that there are 7 holes on the human head - 2 eyes, 2 nostrils, 2 ears and a mouth. When a person sees seven objects at the same time, he can immediately count them with his eyes, without even thinking, however, if there are more of them, he will have to count them in his mind.

Thus, due to seemingly such primitive conclusions, people began to strive to reduce the number of something to seven. For example, highlight 7 days in a week, seven colors in a rainbow, 7 tones in a sound series, and so on.

It is not at all surprising that the ancient Greeks identified the Seven Wonders of the World, because the number 7 was the sacred number of Apollo, the god who patronized art.