7 Wonders Of The Middle Ages





By N2H

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Leaning Tower of Pisa

December 10th, 2007 by Shenron

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a 14,500 ton tower with 294 steps and leans at 5.5 degrees, meaning it has moved more than 4 meters from where it originally stood. It began construction in 1173, and soon after the ground under it began to sink in one softer area, along with poor foundation construction, causing the leaning.

It took 174 years to build and complete, considering it was built in stages with add-ons made later, and did not tilt until the weight of the third floor was added on. In order to compensate one side was built heavier than the other with taller walls, but they over compensated and it began to lean in that direction. Recently in the 1990’s to 2001 a mass restoration was undertaken along with strengthening of the structure and reinforcing the base, to prevent collapse and further tilt. Because of these efforts it will remain stable for at least another three hundred years and maintain its iconic status.

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Porcelain Tower of Nanjing

December 10th, 2007 by Shenron

This massive tower was constructed in the 1400’s and was located in Nanjing China, with the original calling of it being the Bao’ensi (Temple of Gratitude). However when the Europeans saw it they gave it their own name that has stuck in our culture, they called it the Porcelain Tower.

It had an octagon shaped base and it was built by the Buddhist of that time, and rose nine stories into the sky to 260 feet; however the original plans for this massive monument called for an additional four stories making it 330 feet. Constructed with white porcelain bricks it was said to become a beacon of bright white during the day and was illuminated by hundreds of lamps by nightfall, and within these white brick panels were colored stoneware tiles which held many colors and images, along with landscapes and other scenes. However, after the 1850s it was lost to warfare and total destruction.

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Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

December 10th, 2007 by Shenron

The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa is a massive complex that was used from the 100’s to the 300’s AD, and held many corpses and burials of many people. It has Egyptians who were buried there, along with Romans and Greeks, and is one of the few catacombs that is multi cultural on this scale.

In the middle of this massive complex there is a spiral staircase that was for the movement of corpses down into the catacomb, and one of the most famous episode of this catacomb is the result of Emperor Caracalla. Although Emperor Caracalla was not buried here, he contributed to this necropolis’ population, with a mass burial chamber containing animals and humans massacred on his orders. The catacomb was lost for over a thousand years until in 1900 a donkey fell into one of its shafts, and lead to its rediscovery.

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The Great Wall of China in China

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Great Wall of China is a wall that the Chinese Dynasties constructed to keep invading forces out, and there have been several walls over several time periods. The Great Wall is the longest human made structure and it is 6,500 kilometers in length, it is also the biggest man made structure in the world if you account for mass.

Many lengths of the wall are in disrepair, are being pilfered for stones, vandalized, and demolished for construction, losing more of its mystique as this occurs. Constructed mostly from bricks the wall has battlements that are throughout the top, and stretch on for great distances. There are also watchtowers at regular intervals along the wall that served as locations for gathering guards and doing what watchtowers do, while there were also barracks and signal towers as well at regular intervals. Today it is the most visited attraction in China for tourists, bringing in millions for local commerce.

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The Hagia Sophia in Turkey

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Hagia Sophia is a former mosque that is now a museum in Istanbul Turkey, and it is famous for its amazingly well constructed dome. Originally in the fifth century AD the Byzantine Emperor ordered its construction on the site of where two previous churches had been. The church contained many relics and a 50 foot silver iconostasis. A millennia later the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and the church was converted to being a mosque, and remained so until the 1930s, after the Ottoman Empire had fallen. The Hagia Sophia suffered from many disasters, including an earthquake in the 10th century, which forced repairs to its dome, and it was also ransacked with the fourth crusade. It survived by constant restorations afterwards, along with additional buttresses, but again it was fixed. It is the best surviving structure created during the height of the Byzantine Empire, and one of the longest lived buildings, surviving many encounters with possible destruction.

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The Stonehenge in United Kingdom

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

Stonehenge is a monument that is located in the Wiltshire in England north of Salisbury, and it is one of the most famous human construction sites in the world, being erected over five thousands years ago with massive stones, and a construction period lasting for three thousand years, with evidence suggesting activity even earlier and somewhat later than the dates conclusively known.

The Stonehenge was constructed in about seven phases, or three phases with the third having five sub-phases. Recently restoration work has been underway, and early in the 20th century construction work was undertaken to carefully re-align some of the stones into their original positions. Currently Stonehenge is threatened by the A303 road upgrades that the British government wishes to upgrade, with a few plans that could drastically alter the surrounding area of the site and disturb archaeological potential of more information regarding what Stonehenge was constructed for, as there is no conclusive solution to many of the questions regarding it.

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The Colosseum in Italy

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Colosseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater, is a large construction that is 48 meters high, 189 meters long, and 156 meters wide with the entire structure taking up six acres. What you see when you look at the massive structure today is actually the original interior wall, not the exterior which has collapsed in many areas.

The total capacity of this magnificent marvel of Roman engineering was around 87 thousand people, along with this seating there were special box seating areas for the Emperor, of course giving him the best view. In the 1800’s the structure was stabilized and some parts restored after hundreds of years of abuse, neglect, and usage for other buildings. The facade was reinforced with brick wedges and much of the interior was repaired thrice, having been done so in 1831, 1846 and throughout the 1930’s. Today it stands as a monument to the power of the Roman Empire, and it is a major Tourist attraction in the city or Rome with thousands upon thousands visitors each year paying to go into the arena.

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Recent Articles

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Porcelain Tower of Nanjing

Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa

The Great Wall of China in China

The Hagia Sophia in Turkey

The Stonehenge in United Kingdom

The Colosseum in Italy

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