Ancient
20 buildings
Colosseum
Could seat 50,000 to 80,000 spectators. The velarium was a massive retractable awning oper...
Parthenon
Dedicated to Athena, patron goddess of Athens. Uses optical illusions: columns lean slight...
Petra
Carved directly into rose-red sandstone cliffs. The Nabataeans engineered a sophisticated ...
Pantheon
The unreinforced concrete dome remains the largest ever built at 142 feet diameter. The oc...
Acropolis
Rises 490 feet above Athens. The Propylaea gateway took 5 years to build. The Erechtheion ...
Baiae
An ancient Roman resort city now partially underwater due to volcanic activity. The super-...
Pompeii
Preserved under 13 to 20 feet of volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius. Over 2.5 million visito...
Teotihuacan
The Avenue of the Dead is 2.4 miles long. The Pyramid of the Sun is 216 feet tall. Over 10...
Terracotta Army
Over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, and 670 horses. Each face is unique with individual fea...
Pantheon detail
See Pantheon main entry....
Roman Aqueduct of Segovia
Over 2,400 feet long with 167 arches. Reaches 93 feet at its tallest point. Built without ...
Pont du Gard
Carried water 31 miles to Nimes. Three tiers of arches reaching 160 feet. Built without mo...
Hadrians Wall
Stretches 73 miles across northern England. Built by 15,000 men in 6 years. Up to 20 feet ...
Pyramids of Teotihuacan detail
See Teotihuacan main entry....
Sigiriya
A 660-foot rock fortress rising from the jungle. King Kasyapa built a palace on top. The m...
Ajanta Caves
30 Buddhist cave monuments cut into a horseshoe cliff. Over 2,200 years of history. Abando...
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Created by the sculptor Phidias in gold, iv...
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Built for Mausolus, the satrap of Caria, by...
Lighthouse of Alexandria
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Built on the island of Pharos to guide ship...
Colossus of Rhodes
One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A bronze statue of the sun god Helios about...