Wonder

A Wonder is a massive structure with no attack. It has a very high amount of hit points. In Age of Empires, if it is constructed and stands for two thousand years, the player who constructs it will automatically win the game. They require, and  to build. If a player manages to construct a Wonder all other players are able to attack them, even allies. Each and every civilization has its own unique Wonder (from Age of Empires II onwards), which best fits their own historical styles. If a player's Wonder is destroyed, the player does not lose the game, although he/she does not receive any resources back. Wonders can only be built in the final Age of a game.

Age of Empires
In Age of Empires there are only 5 variants of the Wonder. There is the Shang Temple of Heaven, the Greek Warrior, Colossus of Rhodes, the Roman Colosseum - the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Egyptian Pyramid of Khufu, and the Babylonian Temple, The Great Ziggurat of Ur, each looking very prestigious. It is highly recommended that the Wonder be built as far away as possible from the enemies as they will mount a relentless assault on it until it is brought down.



The following information is about Age of Empires & Age of Empires:The Rise of Rome Expansion Wonders includes: Civilization, Name of the structure, Location and date of building.

Babylonian, Persian, & Hittite:
 * Great Ziggurat of Ur.
 * Location: Ur, Nasiriyah, Iraq.
 * Constructed: approximately the 21st century BC.

Egyptian, Assyrian, & Sumerian:
 * Pyramid of Khufu.
 * Location: Giza Necropolis.
 * Constructed: 2560 B.C.

Greek, Phoenician, & Minoan:
 * Colossus of Rhodes.
 * Location: Island of Rhodes.
 * Constructed: between 292 and 280 BC.

Roman, Carthaginian, Palmyran, & Macedonian:
 * Flavian Amphitheatre.
 * Location: Rome, Italy.
 * Constructed: 80 AD

Yamato, Shang, & Choson:
 * Temple of Heaven
 * Location: Beijing, China
 * Constructed: 1420 AD

Age of Empires II
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is the first in the series to introduce unique Wonders to each civilization. As you would expect, the Wonders contain a higher grade of detail than those featured in the first game. None of the Wonders from the original game are featured in Age of Empires II or its expansion because none of the original civilizations are intact, except from the Asian Temple of Heaven, which now belongs to the Chinese civilization.





The following information is about Age of Empires II Wonders only.

Overview
''One distinguishing cultural characteristic of the great Middle Age civilizations was architecture. Buildings in Japan, Scandinavia, Britain, Constantinople, and Arabia looked quite different and employed different construction techniques. In many cases, particularly noteworthy buildings stand as icons for the building civilization, marking it for all time as a culture that achieved greatness, if only temporarily. Examples of such Middle Age cultural icons are Chartres, Charlemagne's Palace, and the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople.''

Aztecs :
 * Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan:
 * Location: Tenochtitlán, México City.
 * Constructed: Around 1325 - XVI Century
 * Appearance in Level: A) It is featured within Tenochticlan in the "Broken Spears" Scenario in the Montezuma Campaign, within two castles.

Britons :
 * St. Paul's Cathedral:
 * Location: London, England
 * Constructed: 790 - 805 AD
 * Appearance in Level: None (though the Cathedral, which looks very similar, can be found in a few levels).

Byzantines :
 * Hagia Sophia:
 * Location: Constantinople, Turkey
 * Constructed: 532 - 537 AD
 * Appearance in Level: A) It is featured in "Barbarossa's March", the fifth level of the Barbarossa campaign "Barbarossa's March", where the player must station troops next to it to gain access to the Byzantines navy. B) In the 3rd level of the Attila the Hun campaign "The Walls of Constantinople", a wonder is one of the things in Constantinople, destroying it tributes gold.

Celts :
 * Rock of Cashel:
 * Location: Cashel, County Tipperary, Munster, Ireland
 * Constructed: XII and XIII centuries
 * Appearance in Level: None

Chinese :
 * Temple of Heaven
 * Location: Beijing, China
 * Constructed: 1420 AD
 * Appearance in Level: A) In the "Into China" Scenario of the Genghis Khan Campaign, Jin build a wonder if they are not defeated fast enough.

Franks :
 * Cathedral of Chartres
 * Location: Chartres, France
 * Constructed: 1194 - 1260 AD
 * Appearance in Level: Seen as a Monument in the "Agincourt" scenario.

Goths :
 * Mausoleum of Theodoric I
 * Location: Ravena, Italy
 * Constructed: 520 AD
 * Appearance in Level: None

Huns :
 * Arch of Constantine (devastated and filled with the Huns' gold obtained from looting)
 * Location: Rome, Italy
 * Constructed: 315 AD
 * Appearance in Level: None

Japanese :
 * Todai-ji Temple
 * Location: Nara, Japan
 * Constructed: 728 AD
 * Appearance in Level: None

Koreans :
 * Hwangnyong Temple:
 * Location: Gyeongju, South Korea
 * Constructed: 646 AD
 * Appearance in Level: A) In the Noryang Point Campaign of the Battles of the Conquerors Scenario, an optional objective features to prevent the japanese from destroying the wonder, it is guarded by towers.

Mayans :
 * Temple of the Great Jaguar:
 * Location: Tikal, Guatemala
 * Constructed: Around 500 AD
 * Appearaence in Level: None

Mongols :
 * Genghis Khan Tent:
 * Location: Karakorum, Mongolia
 * Constructed: XIII Century
 * Appearance in Level: A) In the "Life of Revenge" Scenario in the Genghis Khan Campaign, a wonder must remain standing near the starting point, you lose if it is destroyed.

Persians :
 * Taq-i Kisra Palace:
 * Location: Ctesifonte, Iraq
 * Constructed: 500 - 560 AD
 * Appearance in Level: A) Appears in "The Horde Rides West" Scenario of the Genghis Khan Scenario, it appears in the Kwarazm city near where the Shah stands.

Saracens :
 * Great Mosque of Samarra:
 * Location: Samarra, Iraq
 * Constructed: 848 - 852 AD
 * Appearance in Level: A) In the final level of the Saladin campaign, "The Lion and the Demon", the Saracens must construct their Wonder and defend it to win the map.

Spanish :
 * Torre del Oro:
 * Location: Seville, Spain
 * Constructed: First third of the XIII Century
 * Appearance in Level: A) In "King of Valencia", the fifth level of the El Cid campaign, the player must defend their ally while a wonder is constructed. B) In the fourth level of the Montezuma Campaign "La Noche Triste", The Spanish build a Wonder within Tenochticlan and it must be destroyed to win the Scenario before Time Runs Out. C) In the "Battles of the Conquerors" map "Lepanto", the player must build a Wonder and defend it.

Teutons :
 * Maria Laach Abbey:
 * Location: Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
 * Constructed: 1093 AD
 * Appearance in Level: A) In the "Jihad" Scenario of the Saladin Campaign, Ascalon builds a wonder within the walls if not defeated fast enough. B) After an hour in the "Pax Mongolia" Campaign, the Hugarians will build a wonder. C) In the Barbarossa Scenario "The Lombard League", the player must build a wonder within one the Lombard cities of Padua, Verona or Venice.

Turks :
 * Süleymaniye Mosque:
 * Location: Constantinople, Turkey
 * Constructed: 1550 - 1557 AD
 * Appearance in Level: None
 * Appearance in Level: None (though the Mosque, which is similar, can be found in a few levels).

Vikings :
 * Borgund Stave Church:
 * Location: Borgund, Norway
 * Constructed: End of the XII Century
 * Appearance in Level: None

Age of Empires III
Wonders do not appear in Age of Empires III and are replaced with a Capitol. However, they do return in the expansion pack, The Asian Dynasties. In the expansion, they are used to advance to the next age. Each Asian civilization has its own unique wonder. The Indian civilizations have either The Tower of Victory, Agra Fort, Charminar Gate, The Karni Mata, or the Taj Mahal. The Japanese civilization can construct the Toshogu Shrine, the Great Buddha, the Golden Pavilion, Shogunate, or the Torii Gates. Finally, the Chinese civilization may build the Porcelain Tower, the White Pagoda, the Summer Palace, the Confucian Academy, or the Temple of Heaven (as featured in Age of Empires I and II).

Age of Mythology
Wonders also appear in Age of Mythology, serving the same purpose as Wonders in Age of Empires. Each one is unique to each major God, usually an important building in their myths. When the Wonder is built, your allies will stop attacking enemies and send their troops, including Titans, to guard your Wonder instead, while it becomes the main target of the opponent attacks. Wonders can also start a countdown when a game is in Supremacy mode. When the countdown ends, you and your team win.

The following are the known Wonders of Age of Mythology and the Titans expansion:

Greeks

 * Zeus : Statue of Zeus at Olympia
 * Poseidon : Theater of Dionysus
 * Hades : Mausoleum of Halicarnassos

Egyptians

 * Ra : Pyramid of Giza
 * Isis : The Great Sphinx of Giza
 * Set : Abu Simbel

Norse

 * Odin : Valhalla
 * Thor : Donar Oak
 * Loki : Naglfar

Atlanteans

 * Kronos : Solar Clock Tower
 * Oranos : Oranos Palace
 * Gaia : Aquarius Fountain