The lists that appear time and time again depict the wonders of the modern day. These structures are indeed amazing in their own right but, have they really withstood the test of time and the history that has paved the way for all of us?
Scientists and Archaeologists have been researching these amazing feats for years. They have established timelines for the beginning of life, the scriptures that foretold the future, and the artifacts left behind that have been carbon dated as far back as millions of years. If these remnants of history are still standing after the evolution of the world, then theseare the true wonders of the world.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The pyramid is the only original Wonder of the World still left standing from 2nd Century BC. "Callimachus of Cyrene (305BC-240BC), Chief Librarian of the Alexandria Mouseion, wrote "A Collection of Wonders around the World." According to the original list, the Pyramid of Giza was one of the first added to the list. The pyramid is located in the city of Giza and is today a part of the greater Cairo area of Egypt.
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall was initially built in sections for protection against different states. The sections were then fused in 221-206 BC during the Qin dynasty. The Wall served its purpose well up until the time when the dynasty was weak from within the walls. Both the Mongols and Manchurians were able to invade due to the weakness and poverty of the people, not the wall itself. It wasn't until 1368-1644 that the Wall started to appear as it looks today.
Mount Everest
Everest is located at the snowy peak of the Himalayas in Nepal, which stands on the border of Tibet. Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world reaching heights of 29,028 ft. The atmospheric pressure at the top of Everest is about a third of sea level pressure, implicating that there is about a third as much oxygen available to breathe as at sea level. Individuals that have reached the top have often said this was the closest to God they would ever be. I believe that this mountain may be the most challenging feat that anyone could possibly experience. It's a challenge in the spiritual sense, a natural phenomenon made by the Gods or whoever your God may be, and a chance to prove to yourself how powerful self preservation can be.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum is the most famous monument of Ancient Rome. Its original name is Flavian Amphitheatre. Construction of the site was originally started between 70 and 76 AD, and completed in 80 AD. Its name was derived from a huge statue depicting Nero, essentially a colossus of him. The first celebration of the opening consisted of 100 days worth of games including 50,000 spectators that crammed into the structure.
The Throne of Persepolis
Founded in the Sixth Century BC by the Kings of the First Persian Empire Persepolis is located 60 km northeast of Shiraz in Iran. The site was built to serve as a ceremonial and spiritual Capital of the Persian Empire. The two staircases connect to a Gate of All Nations carved with various symbols from Armenians, Egyptians, Medians, and many others. Persepolis continued to flourish until 330 BC when Alexander the Great was said to set it on fire. "The city of Persepolis was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1979."
Borobudur Temple
This temple is located at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, and Central Java. Based on the inscription dating back to 842 AD, Casparis suggested that Borobudur was at one time a place for spiritual worship. The closed structure of the temple describes of a certain type of closed off world.
Lake Baikal
It is said that this lake is 25 million years old-the oldest lake on the planet. It is also the deepest lake, holding more water than all of North America's Great Lakes combined. Its marine life is composed of more than 1,500 animal species and 1,000 plant species. Baikal is not like any other lake on the planet in that it has oxygen- rich water that circulates from the surface to the deepest parts, implying geothermal vents. "To help the effort, UNESCO has recommended that the lake and its watershed be designated a World Heritage Site."
Palau
"Palau's coral reefs began to grow millions of years ago when coral polyps colonized submerged volcanic mountains." There is said to be over 700 assorted species of corals and 1500 classes of fish making it the most diverse reef on the planet.
The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
The catacombs are located in one of my most favorite cities on earth Alexandria, Egypt derived from 1st century AD. It was a meeting place for people with common goals and tradition rather than war and destruction. Due to earthquakes and construction, the catacombs have been destroyed or obstructed. It wasn't until 1900 that by accident, a donkey fell through a hole in the ground and into the very heart of the structure.
The Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is the largest gorge in the world-a 290-mile-long gash across the face of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. Several distinct layers of sandstone, limestone, and shale speak of the advance and retreat of ancient seas, the building up and wearing down of mountains, the tortuous of rivers over 600 million years. It's been a revered spiritual site for Native Indians and a subject of mass speculation due to the supposive age of the great structure.
Machu Picchu
It was built around the year 1460, but deserted as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later, at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian Inca location located 2,400 meters above sea level and it's situated on a mountain crest above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. It's often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas"; Machu Picchu is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Inca Empire.
The Temple of Inscriptions
The Temple is located at the eastern edge of the Rio Usumacinta Basin in the foothills of the Sierra Oriental de Chiapas at an elevation of slightly less that 3000 m. Even though the earliest occupation of the site dates to about 100 BC, it only became a population around 600 AD and all construction at the site had halted by about 800 AD.
Petra
Petra, the capital city of Nabataeans was dominated by a tribe of pre-Roman Arabs around the time of Sixth century BC. Despite several attempts to conquer their capital, the Nabataeans remained virtually self-regulating until the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and the reunification of the Roman Empire by Octavian in 31 BC. In 106, the Romans finally captured Petra to mark the beginning of the decline of the city,
译文:
真正不可否认的世界十三大奇迹
真正不可否认的世界十三大奇迹
有很多经常出现的名单描绘了当代的奇迹。这些建筑物有资格而且确实是令人惊奇的，但他们真正地经受住为我们铺平道路的历史与时间的考验了吗？
多年以来科学家和考古学家都在研究这些惊人的壮举。对生命的起源、预言未来的手稿以及经过碳定的数百万年前遗留下来的史前器物，他们都已经建立了时间年代表，如果这些历史的遗迹经过世界的演变仍然屹立不倒，那么才是这个世界上真正的奇迹。
吉萨大金字塔
金字塔是自公元前2世纪唯一留存下来的原世界奇迹。 “亚历山大博物馆的馆长，昔兰尼的卡利马什（Callimachus，公元前305年-公元前240年），曾撰写过“世界奇迹之精选”。根据最初的名单，吉萨金字塔是首次入选名单的奇迹之一。金字塔坐落在吉萨城内，现属于埃及开罗地区。
中国的长城
长城最初是分段建成的，用来防范异族的入侵。在公元前221-206年间，秦王朝将分段的长城连接起来。长城一直发挥着很好的作用，直至城墙内的王朝开始衰弱。蒙古人和满族人之所以能够入侵，却是由于人民的虚弱和贫穷，而不是城墙本身的原因。直到1368-1644年，长城才开始以它今天的外貌出现。
珠穆朗玛峰
珠穆朗玛峰位于喜马拉雅山脉的雪峰上，中国西藏与尼泊尔交界处。珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最高的山峰，高度为29028英尺（8853.5米）。在珠穆朗玛峰最高处的大气压约为海平面气压的三分之一，即意味着，在那里大约只有海平面的三分之一多的氧气可供呼吸。那些曾到达珠峰顶部的人们常说这是他们最接近神的地方。我相信这座山峰可能是每个人都可以尝试的最具挑战性的壮举。这座山峰是一个精神意义上的挑战，是一个由众神或你心中的神创造的自然奇迹，更是一个证明你自己有多么强大的自我保存能力的机会。
罗马竞技场（或罗马圆形大剧场）
罗马竞技场是最著名的古罗马遗迹。其原来的名称是弗拉维竞技场。该工程于公元70-76年间开始兴建，并于公元80年完成。它的名字来源于一个描绘罗马皇帝尼禄（Nero）的巨像（colossus）。竞技场开放的第一个庆祝活动是为期100天的斗兽竞技，而且有50000名观众坐满了整个竞技场。
波斯波利斯王城
由第一波斯帝国的国王于公元前六世纪建立的波斯波利斯，位于伊朗设拉子东北60公里处。是波斯帝国用于庆典仪式的都城。两个阶梯连着一个“众国之门”，其上雕刻着来自亚美尼亚人、埃及人、米堤亚人和许多其他民族的各种符号。波斯波利斯继续繁荣发展，直到公元前330年亚历山大大帝（Alexander the Great）将其付之一炬。“波斯波利斯城于1979年被联合国教科文组织宣布为世界遗产”。
婆罗浮屠庙
该庙宇位于印度尼西亚中爪哇省马格朗市南部的婆罗浮屠地区。根据可追溯到公元842年的碑文，卡斯帕拉斯（Casparis）认为婆罗浮屠曾是一个精神膜拜的场所。庙宇的封闭结构表达了一种与世隔绝的境界。
贝加尔湖
据说，该湖有二千五百万年的历史，是地球上最古老的湖。它亦是最深的湖，其蓄水量比北美洲五大湖的总和还要多。其中生存着1500多种动物和1000多种植物。贝加尔湖与地球上任何其他湖的不同之处，在于其拥有从表面到最深处到处流通的富氧水，并蕴含着地热资源。“为了挽救工作，联合国教科文组织已推荐该湖及其水域列为世界遗产。”
帕劳群岛
“帕劳群岛的珊瑚礁从数百万年前珊瑚虫栖息在水下的火山山脉上的时候开始生长”。据说那里生存着700多种珊瑚以及1500多种鱼，使得其成为地球上最多样的礁区。
孔姆·艾尔苏卡法地下陵墓
自公元一世纪就存在的地下陵墓位于埃及的亚历山大，我最喜爱的城市之一。这是一个那些拥有共同的目标和热爱传统胜于战争和破坏的人们聚会的地点。由于地震以及建设，地下陵墓已被破坏或掩埋。直到1900年才被意外地发现，当时一头驴从地面上一个洞掉了下去，恰好落在该建筑物的中心。
大峡谷
科罗拉多大峡谷，是亚利桑那州北部科罗拉多高原上的一条290英里长的裂缝，是世界上最大的峡谷。多个独特的层砂岩、石灰岩以及页岩层诉说着6亿年以来远古海洋的前进与后退、山脉的形成和侵蚀以及河流的蜿蜒曲折。这里已经成为一个令人敬畏的印第安土著人的精神追求的地方，并由于其伟大结构的假定年代成为大众思索研究的主题。
马丘比丘
建于1460年左右，但100年后西班牙人征服了印加帝国，其作为印加统治者的官方遗址而被遗弃。马丘比丘是哥伦布发现美洲大陆前印加人的一个居住点，海拔2400米，其坐落于秘鲁乌鲁班巴河谷的山嵴上。它通常被称为“失落的印加城市”；马丘比丘是印加帝国最为人所熟悉的标志之一。
碑铭神庙
神庙位于华达山麓下的乌苏马辛塔河盆地的东侧，墨西哥恰帕斯州境内，海拔约3000米。该遗址最早有人居住的时间约在公元前100年，但在公元600年左右开始形成人口，到公元800年左右该遗址的所有建设都已停止。
佩特拉
纳巴泰王国的首都佩特拉，在公元前六世纪左右由一个阿拉伯民族的部落统治。尽管数次有人试图征服他们的首都， 但纳巴泰人实际上保持着自治，一直到公元前31年安东尼和埃及女王克利奥帕特拉战败和屋大维统一了罗马帝国。在公元106 年，罗马人终于占领了佩特拉，城市自此开始衰落。