THE 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD - ...... But most Britons can only name one

The Seven Wonders of the World... But most Britons can only name one

• - Original list was drawn up by Greek scholars in the third century BC
• - But now only one of the ancient monuments still exists 
• - 61% of Britons were able to name one - usually the Great Pyramid in Giza
• - But only 21% were capable of coming up with a second
• - Respondents to the survey have come up with seven new suggestions
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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 08:44 GMT, 30 August 2013 | UPDATED: 10:59 GMT, 30 August 2013

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

The seven wonders of the ancient world are said to be the most remarkable creations of classical antiquity, yet only six per cent of Britons can actually name them all, a survey has revealed.

While 61 per cent of those quizzed managed to name one - in most instances the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, only a paltry 21 per cent were capable of coming up with a second.

And a shameful 12 per cent of those who took part in the survey were were unable to name any at all. 

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, built between 2584 and 2561 BC was the one ancient wonder of the world most Britons were able to name

However the lack of knowledge may not be altogether unexpected as out of the all the monuments on original list it is now only possible to visit one - the Great Pyramid.

All the others no longer exist. Most were destroyed by earthquakes and experts now doubt that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were said to have been laid out on an artificial mountain in Iraq, ever existed at all.

The original list was drawn up by Greek scholars around the third century BC for travellers in the eastern Mediterranean.

However over three quarters of the 2,486 people quizzed for the survey by online travel agency bonvoyage.co.uk, said they they found the ancient monuments 'boring'. 

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is said to have stood on the east bank of the River Euphrates, from around 600BC before being destroyed by earthquakes although many experts now doubt it ever existed at all

An engraving of Statue of Zeus at Olympia. The temple was built between 466and 456 BC. The statue was added in 435 BC. It was disassembled during the 5th and 6th centuries AD and later destroyed by fire

An engraving of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in Turkey. It was built by the Lydian Greeks in 550 BC and again at 323 BC. It was destroyed in 401 and only fragments now remain

Bonvoyage.co.uk have responded by asking those who took to suggest a new set of seven wonders of the modern world instead.

The top choice was the Statue of Liberty in New York harbour. The other six are all natural phenomena consist of The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Table Mountain, the Northern Lights and Mount Vesuvius.

Bonvoyage.co.uk spokesman Steph Curtin, said: 'After discovering the lack of knowledge and awareness among the general public regarding the seven wonders of the world, the team here felt compelled to investigate what landmarks are now highly coveted as modern day wonders.'

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus at Bodrum, Turkey, was built in 351 BC by the Greeks Carians and the  Greeks but was destroyed by earthquakes in 1494     

The Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of the Greek Titan Helios, was built by the Greeks between 292 and 280 BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, sometimes called the Pharos of Alexandria was built between 280 and 247 BC on the coastal island of Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1303

THE OLD SEVEN WONDERS

• Great Pyramid of Giza
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Lighthouse of Alexandria

...AND THE NEW SUGGESTIONS

• Statue of Liberty  
• The Grand Canyon
• Niagara Falls
• Great Barrier Reef
• Table Mountain
• The Northern Lights
• Mount Vesuvius

'The collated list produced some great results, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Great Barrier Reef, but also a couple that we weren’t expecting, including the Northern Lights and Mount Vesuvius.'

Forty-three per cent of those questioned claimed they had learned all seven ancient wonders at school and simply forgotten them over time.

The classic seven wonders are The Great Pyramid of Giza, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and Lighthouse of Alexandria.

And in with the new...

The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France. It represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, the tablet she is holding is inscribed with the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA,  stretches for 277 miles and is up to 18 miles wide and over a mile deep

Table mountain is a flat-topped mountain creating a stunning backdrop to the South African city of Cape Town. The level plateau stretches two miles from from side to side

The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis (seen here in Lapland, Finland) are a natural light phenomenon caused when charged particles collide with atoms in the thermosphere

The Great Barrier Reef off Australia's Queensland coast is the world's largest coral reef, stretching over 1,600 miles and covering an area of approximately 133,000 square miles. It is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands

Mount Vesuvius is seen behind a cast of one of the victims of the famous eruption of A.D. 79. which led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum

Niagara Falls comprises three waterfalls that sit on the border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York