Ever stood in front of a massive stone structure and felt like a tiny, insignificant speck in the timeline of the universe? It happens. People often lump "ancient history" into one giant bucket of dusty rocks and tunics. But the gap between certain famous spots is actually mind-blowing. Honestly, if you're trying to figure out which of the following landmarks was built first between heavy hitters like the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Roman Colosseum, and Stonehenge, the answer isn't just a date. It’s a completely different era of human existence.
History is messy.
When we look at the Great Pyramid of Giza, we’re looking at something that was already ancient when the Romans were just figuring out how to build a decent sewage system. It’s weird to think about, but Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than she did to the building of the Great Pyramid. If you’re pitting these landmarks against each other in a chronological cage match, the winner is usually the one standing in the Egyptian sand, and it’s not even a close fight.
The Giza Powerhouse: Why the Great Pyramid Wins the Race
If you're asking which of the following landmarks was built first, the Great Pyramid of Giza usually takes the gold medal by a landslide. We are talking roughly 2560 BCE. That is over 4,500 years ago. Khufu, the pharaoh who commissioned it, wanted a monument that would last forever. It worked.
For roughly 3,800 years, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world. Think about that. No one beat that record until the Lincoln Cathedral was finished in England around 1311 AD. The sheer math involved is staggering. They used about 2.3 million stone blocks. Some of those stones weigh more than an elephant. How did they move them? We have theories—wet sand for friction, massive ramps, internal spirals—but the precision is what kills me. The pyramid is aligned to true north with an accuracy of within three-sixtieths of a degree.
They didn't have lasers. They had string, shadows, and a lot of patience.
Stonehenge: The Mysterious Runner-Up
Now, some people argue about Stonehenge. It’s the classic "ancient mystery" contender. Construction on the circular earthwork actually started around 3000 BCE, which technically makes the site older than the pyramids. But the iconic standing stones—the big ones you see on postcards—didn't go up until about 2500 BCE.
So, it’s a tight race.
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While the Egyptians were perfecting massive limestone geometry, the people in what is now Wiltshire, England, were dragging sarsen stones from 20 miles away. It’s a different vibe entirely. One is a testament to a highly centralized, bureaucratic empire; the other is a spiritual puzzle left by a culture that didn't leave us a single line of written text.
The Roman Colosseum: The New Kid on the Block
It’s kind of funny when people compare the Colosseum to the Pyramids. In the grand scheme of things, the Colosseum is practically a modern apartment complex. It was started around 70-72 AD under Emperor Vespasian.
Let’s do the math.
The Great Pyramid was already 2,600 years old when the first gladiator stepped into the Colosseum. To a Roman citizen, the Pyramids were as ancient as the Roman Empire is to us today.
The Colosseum, or the Flavian Amphitheatre, was a marvel of engineering, sure. They used concrete—a total game-changer. They could seat 50,000 to 80,000 people. They had retractable sunshades called the velarium. They even flooded the arena to stages mini-naval battles, which sounds like an absolute logistical nightmare but was peak entertainment back then. But in terms of the question of which of the following landmarks was built first, Rome is the newcomer.
Why our brains get the timeline wrong
We tend to group "BC" history into one flat layer. It's like how we think of "the 90s" as one block of time, forgetting that 1990 and 1999 felt totally different.
- The Stone Factor: Because they are both made of weathered stone, we assume they are contemporaries.
- Eurocentrism: Many history books focus heavily on the Greco-Roman world, making it feel like the "beginning" of everything.
- Preservation: The Colosseum is a ruin. The Great Pyramid is... mostly still there. Paradoxically, the older structure looks "newer" in terms of structural integrity, which messes with our internal clock.
The Great Wall of China: A Chronological Nightmare
If you throw the Great Wall into the mix, things get complicated. People think of it as one long project. It wasn't.
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The earliest bits—mostly rammed earth and gravel—date back to the 7th century BCE. But the iconic stone wall you see in photos? That’s mostly from the Ming Dynasty, which started in 1368 AD. That's practically yesterday compared to Giza. If you’re looking for which of the following landmarks was built first, you have to specify which wall you're talking about. The concept is ancient; the stone is relatively fresh.
Deep Dive: The Construction Gap
Let’s look at the actual tech. When the Great Pyramid was being built, the Bronze Age was just getting its legs. We're talking copper chisels. Hard stones like granite were worked using dolerite pounders and abrasive sand. It was grueling, slow, and required a level of social organization that is honestly hard to wrap your head around.
By the time the Colosseum went up, we had iron, cranes, pulleys, and complex hydraulic engineering. The Romans were "modern" by comparison. They weren't just stacking rocks; they were pouring liquid stone (concrete) into molds.
- Pyramids: Copper tools, levers, manpower.
- Stonehenge: Antler picks, stone hammers, sheer grit.
- Colosseum: Iron tools, cranes, advanced mathematics, volcanic ash concrete.
The Parthenon: The Middle Child
Sitting right in the middle of this timeline is the Parthenon in Athens. Completed in 438 BCE, it’s the peak of Greek architecture. It’s older than the Colosseum but way younger than the Pyramids.
It’s interesting because the Parthenon represents a shift in why we build things. The Pyramids were tombs for a god-king. Stonehenge was likely a calendar or a temple. The Parthenon was a symbol of a city-state’s power and its patron goddess, Athena. It was built during the "Golden Age" of Pericles. If you’re trying to rank them, the Parthenon is your midpoint. It’s the bridge between the ancient monoliths and the functional arenas of Rome.
Fact-Checking the "Mystery"
You’ll often see weird claims online about these sites. "The Pyramids align with Orion's belt!" or "Aliens built Stonehenge!"
Basically, no.
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Archaeologists like Mark Lehner have found the actual villages where the pyramid builders lived. They found their bread molds, their beer jars, and their medical records showing they had surgery for broken bones. These weren't slaves, and they weren't aliens. They were highly skilled Egyptian laborers.
Similarly, at Stonehenge, Mike Parker Pearson’s work with the Stonehenge Riverside Project has shown that the site was part of a larger complex that included Durrington Walls, a place for the living. The stones weren't dropped by Merlin; they were dragged by people who had a very deep connection to the land and the seasons.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you want to truly grasp the timeline of which of the following landmarks was built first, stop looking at dates and start looking at the "Gap."
- Visit in Order: If you ever do a "World Wonders" tour, try to go chronologically. Start in Egypt, then hit Athens, then Rome. It’s the only way to feel the evolution of human capability.
- Use the 2,000-Year Rule: Always remember that the gap between the Pyramids and Rome is bigger than the gap between Rome and your local Starbucks.
- Check the Material: If it's made of concrete, it's probably Roman or later. If it's dry-stacked massive stone, look further back.
- Context Matters: When researching, always check if a date refers to the start of a site or the current structure. Places like the Great Wall or Notre Dame were built over centuries.
Understanding these timelines isn't just for winning trivia nights. It changes how you see human progress. We didn't just wake up one day and build the Burj Khalifa. We spent thousands of years figuring out how to keep a heavy rock from falling on our heads, starting with the massive, silent giants in the Giza plateau.
The next time you're faced with a list of historical sites, remember: Egypt usually got there first, the Greeks made it pretty, and the Romans made it big.
To dig deeper into this, your next step should be looking into the Old Kingdom of Egypt specifically. Most of the "pyramid" hype comes from a very specific 500-year window. Once you understand that narrow slice of history, the rest of the ancient world starts to make a lot more sense. You can also check out the Radiocarbon Dating results from the 1990s Giza Plateau Mapping Project, which finally settled the "how old are they" debate with hard science.