Wonders - Ancient and Modern Trivia Quiz

Answer: Khufu

The Great Pyramid is the oldest and largest of the three main pyramids at the Giza necropolis on the outskirts of Cairo. The pyramid was built to serve as the tomb of Khufu, the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, who reigned between 2589 and 2566 BC, and is believed to have been built over a 10-20 year period, with completion around the year 2560 BC.

When finished, the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for nearly 4,000 years, until surpassed by the spire of Lincoln Cathedral in 1311 AD. As originally built, the pyramid was covered with white limestone to form a casing. An earthquake in 1303 AD caused many of these stones to come loose, which were then taken by Sultan An-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan to construct a number of mosques and fortresses in Cairo. A few of the original casing stones remain around the base of the pyramid, but what is seen today is the inner core of the structure.

Answer: Iraq

Of the list of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the only one for which there is neither documentary or archaeological proof in existence, as there are no contemporary Babylonian texts that mention them, and nothing has been found in the archaeological investigations of Babylon itself.

As a result, one of the theories that has been put forward is that the descriptions given in later Greek and Roman writings represent a romantic ideal of "eastern gardens", rather than an actual place.

The most famous legend of the existence of an actual construction is that the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar II, had a series of hanging gardens constructed at a palace in Babylon for his wife, Queen Amytis, who missed the green hills and valleys of her homeland of Medes.

Answer: Goths

The earliest version of the Temple of Artemis has been dated to the Bronze Age, around 3000 to 1100 BC. In the 7th Century BC, it was destroyed by a great flood, and was subsequently reconstructed starting in around 550 BC. This second version was destroyed in 356 BC in an act of arson, which coincided with the birth of Alexander the Great, leading to Plutarch remarking that Artemis was too preoccupied with the birth of the great future king to save her burning temple. Alexander offered to pay for its rebuilding, but the people of Ephesus refused, saying "it would be improper for one god to build a temple to another".

Instead they built the third temple after his death, which stood for 600 years, until it was destroyed (or at least badly damaged) during a raid by the Goths, an East Germanic people, in 268 AD.

Although the site may have been used for worship afterwards, it was eventually closed as a result of Christian persecution of pagan religions, with stones taken from the site used in the construction of other buildings.

Answer: Constantinople

The Statue of Zeus was a colossal seated figure, believed to be approximately 12.4m tall, which was created by the Greek sculptor Phidias and installed in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia around 435 BC. The statue had been commissioned by the Eleans, who organised the Olympic Games, as a way of outdoing their rivals from Athens, for who Phidias had produced a statue of Athena in the Parthenon. According to the geographer Strabo, writing in the 1st century BC, the size of the statue was such that, as constructed, it occupied half the width of the temple, while, if it were standing, its head would have gone through the roof.

The statue survived in place until around 391 AD, when the Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned pagan religions and closed temples, which led to the Temple at Olympia falling into disuse.

Although the circumstances of the statue's destruction are unknown, one legend has it that it was removed and taken to Constantinople and installed in the Palace of Lausus, where it was destroyed in a fire in 475 AD.

Answer: Turkey

The Tomb of Mausolus was constructed between 353 and 350 BC in the city of Halicarnassus as a final resting place for Mausolus, the local Satrap (governor) representing the Achaemenid Empire, and his sister-wife, Artemisia II. The design of the structure, which was around 45m high, with its four sides covered with relief sculptures, was derived from similar structures in the neighbouring region of Lycia, which Mausolus had annexed a decade previously.

The structure was built on a hill overlooking the city - beginning with a stone platform as its base, upon which were many statues of gods and goddesses, the tomb itself was at the top surrounded by thirty-six columns holding the roof.

The tomb was made of marble that was around 15m high, covered by a pyramidal roof at the top of which was a statue of Mausolus and Artemisia in a chariot.

The Tomb was still in existence as late as the 12th century AD, as it was described as a "wonder" by the Byzantine scholar Eustathius of Thessalonica. By 1402 it had been destroyed, possibly in an earthquake, when it was described as a "ruin" by the Knights of St John.

Answer: Helios

The Colossus of Rhodes was a colossal statue of Helios, the sun god, constructed by the Greek sculptor Chares of Lindos at the entrance of the Harbour of Rhodes. The bronze statue was installed to commemorate the successful defence of Rhodes from the forces of Demetrius Poliorcetes, King of Macedon, who had besieged the island for over a year. Contemporary reports put the height of the statue at 70 cubits tall, which equates to 33m, making it the tallest statue in the ancient world at the time of its installation, which was in around 280 BC.

The statue was in place for just 54 years until 224 BC, when an earthquake struck Rhodes, which led to the statue breaking apart at the knees, with the structure falling onto the land. Although the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy III offered to pay for its reconstruction, the people of Rhodes declined.

Instead, the statue remained fallen for 800 years until it was melted down by an Arab invasion force that captured Rhodes in 653 AD.

Answer: Ptolemy II

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was originally commissioned by Ptolemy I to be built on the island of Pharos to help guide ships into the port of Alexandria. Construction began around 284 BC, with the work continuing for twelve years under the reign of Ptolemy II.

The building is estimated to have been around 100m tall, and made up of three separate towers - the base was square, with an octagonal centre section and a round section at the top. The light at the top was provided in two ways, with a giant mirror designed to reflect sunlight during the day, and a furnace that was lit at night.

The lighthouse remained in place for more than 1000 years, during which time it was subjected to a number of earthquakes. It suffered damage in earthquakes recorded in 796 and 951 AD, before a major earthquake in 956 led to it partially collapsing.

Although it was repaired after each of these, a major earthquake in 1303 led to a major structural failure and collapse. In 1480, the last remains of the lighthouse were removed by Sultan Qaitbay, who used the platform to build a fort.

Answer: Ming

Although referred to in the singular, the Great Wall of China is in fact a series of fortifications built over the course of more than 2000 years. The purpose of the fortifications covered both defence, as the installations included watchtowers, barracks and signalling capabilities, and border control to regulate both trade and immigration.

The fortifications run along a number of different routes, which investigations have concluded total around 21,000km in length. The most famous series of fortifications were constructed during the period of the Ming Dynasty, which ran between 1368 and 1644.

These fortifications run for a total of 8,850km, of which around 6,200km is actual constructed walls, 350km is dug trenches, and the remainder is natural barriers such as hills and rivers.

The Ming Great Wall runs from the Jiayu Pass near the city of Jiayuguan, and runs to the sea at the Shanhai Pass near Qinhuangdao. The Great Wall of China was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Answer: Nabatea

Petra is an historic and ancient city located around the Jebel al-Madhbah mountain, along the eastern side of the Arabah valley in southern Jordan. Inhabited from around 7000 BC, the city was used as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom from the 4th century BC.

The Nabataeans were a client state of the Roman Empire, and Petra was a major trade centre until the emergence of sea trade routes around the 3rd century AD. An earthquake in 363 AD caused the destruction of many of the city's major structures, which saw a further decline, eventually being abandoned during the Byzantine period. Petra was eventually rediscovered in 1812.

Although the city covers a large area, perhaps its most famous part is perhaps the Al-Khazneh, or "Treasury", which is located at one end of the 1.2km gorge called the Siq, which provides access to the city. Petra was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Answer: Corcovado

The statue of Christ the Redeemer is a colossal statue made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. Art Deco in design, the statue was originally commissioned in 1920 following proposals to erect some kind of monument on Mount Corcovado, overlooking Rio de Janeiro, from a group called the Catholic Circle. Following many proposals, a design showing Christ with his arms outstretched, a symbol of peace, was eventually chosen.

The statue was designed by Heitor da Silva Costa, a Brazilian civil engineer, while French sculptor Paul Landowski created the statue itself. Construction began in 1922 and was completed, with the statue dedicated in 1931.

The statue itself stands 30m high, on top of an 8m pedestal, with its arms spanning 28m. Since its dedication in 1931, the statue has become a cultural icon of both the city and Brazil, as well as being a symbol of Christianity around the world.

Answer: Peru

Machu Picchu is located in the Machupicchu District of Southern Peru, in the Cordillera Oriental mountain range, 80km northwest of the city of Cuzco. Constructed in the 15th century, it is believed that the citadel was built as a retreat for the Inca emperor Pachacuti.

The citadel was occupied for around a century until the Spanish conquest of the Incas in the mid 1500s. The complex remained unknown to the Spanish during their colonial period, and was only introduced to the outside world in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Built in the traditional Inca style, the complex has three main structures called the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Machu Picchu was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Answer: Maya

Chichen Itza is a large ancient city located in the east of Mexico. One of the largest Maya cities, Chichen Itza is believed to have been a major focal point in the Mayan Lowlands for around 600 years, from the Late Classic period starting around 600 AD, lasting to the Postclassic period around 1200 AD.

The city exhibits a range of architectural styles, which were originally thought to be the result of direct migration, or possibly conquest by peoples from central Mexico, but are now believed to be due to the general diversity of the city's population. Chichen Itza began to decline as a regional centre around 1100, although evidence suggests it remained as a local population centre up to the time of the Spanish conquest in the 1500s. Although the native population were able to resist the Spanish incursions, The Spanish eventually conquered the Yucatán peninsula and, by 1588 Chichen Itza had been transformed into a cattle ranch.

The city entered the public consciousness in 1843 with the publication of the book "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan" by John Lloyd Stephens. From that period onwards, more people came to the site, which led to significant archaeological investigations. Chichen Itza was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Answer: Vespasian

The Colosseum, which is also called the Flavian Amphitheatre, is a large oval shaped amphitheatre in the centre of Rome. Located to the eat of the Forum, construction started in 72 AD, with completion of the structure in 80 AD. The Colosseum has been able to hold between 50,000 and 80,000 people at various points during its use, and was used for a variety of purposes, including gladiatorial events, executions, dramatic productions and other spectacles.

It ceased to be an entertainment venue by the early medieval period, instead being used for other purposes, including housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine. Today, the Colosseum is largely a ruin as a result of both earthquakes and stone-robbers, but it remains one of the significant symbols of Imperial Rome, as well as one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

As part of the Historic District of Rome, the Colosseum became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Answer: Uttar Pradesh

The Taj Mahal is a giant mausoleum located on the south bank of the Yamuna River in the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh. The building was commissioned by Shah Jahan following the death of Mumtaz Mahal, his favourite wife, in 1631. The building was constructed of white marble between 1632 and 1643, with more construction taking place over the following ten years.

The complex fell into disrepair by the 19th century, when the British Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, ordered a major restoration that was completed by 1908.

The mausoleum, which also contains the tomb of Shah Jahan himself, is the centrepiece of a 17-acre complex that also includes a mosque and guest house, as well as a series of formal gardens. The mausoleum sits on a white plinth, with the building itself largely containing design elements that are Persian in origin. Each corner of the plinth contains a free standing minaret.

The Taj Mahal was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983

Answer: True

In 2000, a group called the New7Wonders Foundation set up a competition to find the "new seven wonders of the world". A total of 77 candidates were initially reduced to 21 in 2006, which were then voted on by the public. This led to the selection of the new list of seven wonders, consisting of the Great Wall of China, Petra, Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, the Colosseum and the Taj Mahal.

The Great Pyramid of Giza was one of the 21 from which the list was chosen, but which was not selected.

However, owing to its status as the only surviving of the seven wonders on Antipater of Sidon's original list, it was decided to add the Great Pyramid to the list as an "honorary candidate".