Random Underrated Historical Monuments That Should Be Wonders of the Ancient World (16 items)

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  (#6) Great Wall of China

  • Shanhaiguan District, China

  Emperor Qin Shih Huang Di - the first emperor of a united China who built himself a terracotta army for eternity - also commissioned the Great Wall of China. While his vision wasn't the wall we all know today, it was the framework for it. Successive emperors of later dynasties constructed the other major portions of it.

  Some of the original construction actually dated before the Qin emperor, and were regular military garrisons. Qin ordered various northern walls all be linked up to create one mega-wall to protect his empire against "barbarians" and feudal lords. Overtime, the wall grew to be 12,500 miles long, much of which still stands today.
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  (#10) Pyramids of Meroe

  Located in modern Sudan, these pyramids are relics of the Kushite civilization of ancient Nubia. They're different than their northern counterparts - steeper and a bit smaller - and there are about 200 of them all together. While their pyramids are different from the Egyptian pyramids, the residents of ancient Nubia interacted with the Egyptians to their north, creating a cultural and ideological exchange.

  These were built between 2,300 and 2,700 years ago. Their design elements include cultural influences from Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Tourism used to boom in this region, but in the past 30 or so years has slowed down substantial. This is partly due to civil war in the country and the conflict in Darfur. 
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  (#7) Ciudad Perdida

  • Colombia

  Ciudad Perdida - located in Colombia - literally translates from Spanish to "the Lost City." It was built 300 years after Machu Piccu - another ancient Latin America site - and spread out over 75 acres. It has 200 buildings that can be accessed by a 1,200 step staircase. But it probably wasn't a ceremonial center like Machu Picchu. It most likely served as a residential city where only a few thousand people lived. It remained occupied until the Spanish conquistadors invaded and massacred the inhabitants about 400 years after it was built.

  It was rediscovered in 1972 by a group of treasure looters who found the stone staircase. Inside the city, they found gold figurines and ceramic urns, which they sold on the black market. Archeologist discovered the artifacts, and four years later made their way to the lost city. Local native tribes said they always knew of the city's existence but kept quiet about it. 
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  (#12) Persepolis

  • Iran

  Persepolis was once the capital of the great Achaemenid Empire. The ancient city - located in modern-day Iran - was built around 500 BCE under the instruction of King Darius I. 

  The "Gate of All Nations," aka the "Xerxes Gate," was the ceremonial entryway to the city of Persepolis. Complete with giant winged creatures called lamassu (bulls mixed with men and birds), the self-referential "gate" led to stairs that featured a depiction of subjects coming from all over the empire to visit the King. Once visitors walked up these stairs, they would head into the audience hall, or the apadana. There, they would be wowed by 72 giant columns and the presence of the King, who would receive a really nice gifts.
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  (#11) Great Living Chola Temples

  The Great Living Chola Temples are three southern Indian temples built in the 11th and 12th centuries CE. These divine palaces were often dedicated to the god Shiva and patronized by the wealthiest classes, serving as centers of religious and political unity for a great empire. Constructing the temples offered up tons of employment possibilities and lots of economic advancement for artisans. And the temples themselves were works of art, with ornate stonework and construction.

  The Brihadisvara Temple, which stands at 216 feet in the air, attracts tons of tourists. It's the biggest of the three temples and considered the most popular. 
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  (#13) Hadrian's Wall

  • United Kingdom

  Named after the man who ordered its construction, Hadrian's Wall marked off the northwestern end of the Roman Empire for a long time. Extending 73 miles and measuring eight feet wide, the wall is peppered with little forts to house soldiers. Its purpose? To separate the "barbarians" from the Romans. 

  Emperor Hadrian - the leader of the Holy Roman Empire - commissioned the wall in 122 CE. It crossed Britain from the town of Wallsend on the River Tyne to the North Sea at Solway Firth. Along the wall's path are turrets and Roman forts meant to act as patrol bases. At the time of its conception, Hadrian was experiencing pushback from Brits to the north. Fearing rebellion, he build a wall to keep a possible uprising out. It's common misconception the wall is the border between England and Scotland. While the Scottish border is actually less than a mile from the wall, they have nothing to do with one another. 

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