The Seven Wonders of the Medieval Mind

Stonehenge:The construction has been estimated more than thirty million hours of labors. As mysterious as old, it has long puzzled archaeologists; no one knows why it was constructed, although it's believed to have been started about 3100 B.C and spanning several centuries. Stonehenge is a medieval term meaning "hanging stones". Multi-ton stones were brought to Salisbury Plain from great distances. Experts speculate that stone could have been put on rafts, transported by water and dragged on rollers. Maybe 500 men, aided by ropes pull one of these stones. Researchers suggested that Stonehenge was used as a place of worship, even as a location for human sacrifice, other consider that the stone formations were used as an observatory to predict the sun and moon's position to the earth and determinate the seasons. Today only half of the original monument survives, because over the centuries, people taken pieces of the stone for building materials and souvenirs, however Stonehenge is a popular tourist destination. Stonehenge a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument in Wiltshire consider five theories about this amazing world medieval heritage. Although new research suggests that Stonehenge was originally used as a cemetery. Mike Parker Pearson of the University of Sheffield, UK argues that Stonehenge was primarily a place for the dead, and must be treated as part of a greater complex of monuments in the surrounding area. Many human remains excavated from burial mounds nearby have shown signs of injury or illness, and chemical analysis of teeth revealed that they came from as far afield as Ireland, Wales and northern England, so that monument was a place of healing, probably people have the impression that they could cure them of their ailments. Another theory supposes that it was an ancient observatory, used to mark midsummer, but other suggested that Stonehenge was used to predict solar and lunar eclipses. Lionel Syms of the University of East London argues that the building marked a fundamental shift in society from hunting to agriculture, which corresponded with a shift from lunar to solar worship. In this case Stonehenge could have been used as a place of Moon worship. Ant the last theory suggested a UFO landing site, because of its claimed sightings in the area.

The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa:The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, is the Arab translation of the ancient Greek name, Lofus Kiramaikos which means "mound of shards" or "potsherds". Located to the southwest of the Pompey's pillar is a multi level labyrinth featuring dozens of chambers adorned with sculpted pillars, statues and other Romano Egyptian religious symbols, burial niches and sarcophagi as well as a banquet room of Roman style, where memorial meals were conducted by relatives of the deceased. Many of the features of the necropolis merge both Roman, Greek and Egyptian cultural points, due to the time period. So some statues are Egyptian in style, Roman clothes and hair style whilst other features share a similar style. During the age of the Antonine emperors a circular staircase used to transport deceased bodies down the middle of it, leads down into the tombs that were tunneled into the bedrock. So its easy access was then used as a burial chamber. According to tradition, this is a mass burial chamber for the humans and animals massacred by order of the Emperor Caracalla, so this is one of the more gruesome features of the catacombs, called Hall of Caracalla.

The Great Wall of China:The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties. The steps that form the Great Wall of China are very steep and tall in some areas. Tourists often become exhausted climbing the wall and walk no more than a kilometre or two (around a mile). In some areas the blocks were cemented with a mixture of glutinous rice and egg white. In the extreme western desert locations, where good materials are scarce, the wall was constructed from dirt rammed between rough wood tied together with woven mats. The Wall is included in lists of the "Seven Medieval Wonders of the World" but was of course not one of the classical Seven Wonders of the World recognized by the ancient Greeks.It is the world's longest human made structure, stretching over approximately 6,400 km from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia, but stretches to over 6,700 km in total. It is also the largest human made structure ever built in terms of surface area and mass. Three sections are in Beijing municipality, which was renovated and which is regularly visited by modern tourists. One of the most striking sections of the Ming Great Wall is where it climbs extremely steep slopes. It runs 11 kilometres long, ranges from 5 to 8 meters in height, and 6 meters across the bottom, narrowing up to 5 meters across the top. Wangjinglou is one of Jinshanling's 67 watchtowers, 980 meters above sea level. South East of Jinshanling, is the Mutianyu Great Wall which winds along lofty, cragged mountains from the southeast to the northwest for approximately 2.25 kilometers. It is connected with Juyongguan Pass to the west and Gubeikou to the east. Another notable section lies near the eastern extremity of the wall, where the first pass of the Great Wall was built on the Shanhaiguan, the first mountain the Great Wall climbs. Jia Shan is also here, as is the Jiumenkou, which is the only portion of the wall that was built as a bridge.

The Hagia Sophia:Aya Sofya is the most beautiful building that survived to the fire, to the earthquake and the vandalism of rioters but each time it literally rose from its ashes was to be the most majestic human construction ever before seen.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa :The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the third structure by time in the Cathedral Square and is situated behind the Cathedral. The tower presently leans to the southwest at an angle of 3.97 degrees. At the beginning it intended to stand vertically but was impossible due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The height of the tower is 55.86 m from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m on the highest side. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tones.

The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing: The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing does not exist now but it was located on the south bank of the Yangtze. It means the "Temple of Gratitude", also known as Bao'ensi, it was constructed as a Buddhist pagoda, that's the reason for it's also known as Porcelain Pagoda, but around 19th century it was mostly destroyed during the Taiping rebellion. However now is under reconstruction once again.

The Colosseum:Rome was a center of learning, trade and commerce for ages and has contributed significantly in the development of these areas. The origination of the word "Coliseum", probably come from colossal statue of Nero which once stood near the stadium. The discussion of Rome would be unfinished without the description of so the much talked Roman Colosseum. But non doubt the architecture and the concept is definitely a matter of appreciation and pride. Originally was the Flavian Amphitheatre, an elliptical amphitheatre located in the heart of the city of Rome. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, hence its original name. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum; this name could have been strictly poetic. The Colosseum or Coliseum occupies a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian, opened by Emperor Titus in 80 AD with 100 days of games which roughly have taken the lives of some nine thousand animals and remodeled by Domitian who constructed the hypogeum, a series of underground tunnels used to house animals and slaves. Also he added a gallery to the top Colosseum to increase its seating capacity. The Coliseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, with a capacity of 50 000 spectators. It was used for the next 500 years with the last recorded games being held there. As well as the traditional gladiatorial games, many other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. It ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era and it was later re-opened for such varied purposes as housing, workshops; quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry and a Christian shrine. Today the Colosseum is in a ruined condition, due to damage caused by an earthquakes and stone-robbers. For a long time it has been seen as an icon symbol of Imperial Rome. It's one of modern Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads torchlight "Way of the Cross" procession to the amphitheatre. The Coliseum is depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.