Civilization 7 best Wonders: Tier list for the Antiquity Age
Firaxis GamesCivilization 7 is split into three distinct Ages, each with their own characteristics, units, and buildings to get to grips with. As part of that, there are also unique Wonders for each civ, but not all are worth pursuing on an average playthrough.
The earliest time period you can start a game of Civilization 7 in is the Antiquity Age, when titans like the Roman and Persian empires were at their peak. It also comes with some of the most iconic Wonders, many of which have featured in the series since its earliest days.
That said, Civilization comes with some significant changes from previous iterations, with the biggest being the way your chosen civ will advance. You can pick your starting faction freely, but as you advance through Ages you will be forced to change, with the options on the table dictated by hitting certain requirements.
As such, you’ll want to ensure you get started on exactly the right footing, so we’ve organized all of the Antiquity Age Wonders into a handy tier list.
Antiquity Age Wonder tier list
| TIER | WONDER NAME |
| S | Colossus, Gate of All Nations, Nalanda, Pyramid of the Sun |
| A | Colosseum, Monk’s Mound, Oracle, Terracotta Army, Weiyang Palace |
| B | Angkor Wat, Dur-Sharrukin, Hanging Gardens, Mausoleum of Theodoric, Petra, Pyramids |
| C | Emile Bell, Great Stele, Ha’amonga ‘a Maui, Mundo Perdido, Sanchi Stupa |
Our tiers explained
- S: The best Wonders in the game overall
- A: Very good for most playthroughs
- B: More situational, though not without merit in the right setting
- C: Best to avoid unless you find yourself drawn to them
The main thing to bear in mind when choosing which Wonders to prioritize on a playthrough is that priority is highly dictated by the win condition you are pursuing.
Many lean towards Cultural pursuits and apply bonuses that should help you achieve Cultural victory further down the line. Others are less specialized or more nuanced, but we’ve only placed the most regularly spectacular picks in the S-Tier.
S-Tier Antiquity Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Colossus
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +3 Gold
- +3 Resource Capacity in this Settlement
- +1 Economic Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Skilled Trades
- Placement: Coast adjacent to land
The Colossus is one of the best Wonders available in the Antiquity Age, despite its relatively understated initial appearance. A critical part of the early game is ensuring you have sufficient resources to set yourself up and become safe in the frought opening turns.
From there, it becomes a case of preparing for your transition into the Exploration Age and the Colossus of Rhodes helps massively with both periods (as distinct as they are). It won’t revolutionize your playthrough, but it serves as an excellent boon throughout the campaign.
Gate of All Nations
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +2 Support on all wars
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Discipline II
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
In a lot of cases, the Antiquity Age generates a lot of friction between nations, as they attempt to find solid footing among a ton of uncertainty. As such, you’ll likely find yourself at war before too long and support for your endeavors is a key part of success.
War Support is a new mechanic in Civilization that massively affects times of conflict. The side with less War Support will suffer from War Weariness, negatively affecting Happiness across your whole empire. The Gate of All Nations gives you a better chance of avoiding that penalty and it’s well worth picking up early.
Nalanda
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +3 Science
- Gain 1 Codex
- Has 2 Codex slots
- +1 Scientific Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Literacy
- Placement: On a Plains tile
The Codex is a new part of successfully completing the Science Legacy Path in the Antiquity Age, and Nalanda is your best way of facilitating that pursuit. It’s one of the easier paths to take, though Science it’s a slightly trickier yield to accrue.
Because of that, the direct boost to Science output is well worth picking up (even if it isn’t your chosen Legacy Path) and the attribute point is the cherry on top of a very compelling pudding.
Pyramid of the Sun
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +3 Culture
- +2 Culture on Quarters in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Mathematics
- Placement: On Flat Terrain adjacent to a District
Cultural pursuits are more relevant than ever in Civilization 7 and it’s probably the easiest path to victory in the current version of the game. If you’re trying to secure victory on a higher difficulty for the first time, it’s probably the best way to go and the Pyramid of the Sun is a great way of facilitating that.
As well as boosting Culture generally, it also gives additional Culture in Quarters for the settlement where the Wonder is present. Quarters are pretty OP if you can get one or two together, and this Wonder snowballs their effect further.
A-Tier Antiquity Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Colosseum
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +3 Culture
- +2 Happiness on Quarters in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Entertainment
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
Arguably the most famous ancient building in the world, the Colosseum is also a highly effective Wonder to build in Civilization 7. As is the case with many structures on this list, it’s geared towards adding culture, with a significant direct boost to the Yield.
As with the Pyramid of the Sun, it also encourages players to form Quarters again and gives a nice boost to happiness if you do. It’s not quite as potent as the aforementioned pyramid, hence its inclusion in the tier below.
Monks Mound
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +3 Food
- +4 Resource Capacity in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Commerce
- Placement: Adjacent to a River
Food is one of those Yields that gradually becomes less of a pressing concern once you’ve set up a few cities, town,s and sufficient infrastructure. The Antiquity Age is the portion of the game where you’ll be the most food insecure and Monks Mound is a great way of taking the pressure off.
The direct buff to Food is highly useful but it’s the Resource Capacity that proves really useful as you barrel towards the Exploration Age.
Oracle
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +2 Culture
- When gaining rewards from a Narrative Event, gain 10 Culture per Age
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Public Life
- Placement: On Rough Terrain
As mentioned earlier, Culture is a great way to get to your eventual victory, and a lot of that is down to the myriad Wonders on offer that facilitate that. The Oracle is one of the better choices for that in the game, building on its reputation as a stalwart of the series.
The direct Culture boost is relatively low, but it’s the additional Culture on offer from Narrative Events that is the real bonus. Narrative Events happen all the time in Civilization 7 so you should start accumulating heavily throughout the Antiquity Age.
Terracotta Army
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +2 Production
- Grants a free Army Commander when built
- +25% Army Experience
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Tactics
- Placement: On Grassland
Going back to conflict for a while, the Terracotta Army is the kind of Wonder that you want to build as early as possible if you’re going for a Military victory. In the first instance, it grants a free Army Commander and serves as a nice way to get more than one quickly.
The 25% additional Army Experience on offer genuinely feels a little over-tuned and you’ll find yourself with highly capable forces in no time at all.
Weiyang Palace
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +6 Influence
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Citizenship
- Placement: On Grassland
Influence is a brand new Yield in Civilization and it already looks like one of the most powerful ones to specialize in. The Weiyang Palace is designed to directly facilitate this, adding a pretty extraordinary +6 Influence to your pool.
It only makes the A-Tier because it is entirely one-dimensional, but if you are hoarding influence, then Weiyang Palace is the best way to go.
B-Tier Antiquity Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Angkor Wat
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +3 Happiness
- +1 Specialist Limit in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Philosophy
- Placement: Adjacent to a River tile
The Happiness of your citizens should be a top priority, regardless of how you’re hoping to achieve victory in the long run. Though it’s relatively common in tiles surrounding cities, it’s still a stat that you’ll need to track closely.
The +3 Happiness on offer here is well worth having, particularly if you’re planning to be at war a lot, but Angkor Wat only makes the B-Tier because it doesn’t do anything particularly unique. The increased Specialist Limit is solid, but again it won’t revolutionize your playthrough.
Dur-Sharrukin
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- Acts as a Fortified District that must be conquered
- +3 Combat Strength to Fortified Districts in all Settlements
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Discipline
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
If you haven’t managed to establish widespread influence early, it’s often a sound strategy to ensure that your major city is in a good state to defend itself. In that scenario, Dur-Sharrukin is well worth pursuing for the double bonus of a defensive Fortified District and offensive Combat Strength for your troops.
Outside of that specific scenario, you shouldn’t find the need for a Fortified District particularly pressing. The Combat Strength is nice to have on the way to a Military victory, but there are better options to prioritize first.
Hanging Gardens
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +1 Food on Farms in this Settlement
- +10% Growth Rate in all Cities
- +1 Expansionist Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Irrigation
- Placement: Adjacent to a River
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is one of those diminishing returns Wonders that is spectacular in the earliest portions of the game. An additional 10% Growth Rate in all cities is unbelievable when you’re finding your feet, allowing you to outperform enemy settlements by a mile.
The Expansionist Attribute Point is the other major benefit, with the extra Food on Farms a relatively minor buff. Unfortunately, all of the above feels less consequential, the further away you get from those unsteady early turns.
Mausoleum of Theodoric
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +3 Production
- +100% yields and HP from pillaging
- +1 Militaristic Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Organized Military
- Placement: Adjacent to Coast
If you intend to rustle up endless hordes and send them out into the world to conquer, the Mausoleum of Theodoric is an excellent way of achieving that. The Production buff will allow you to build troops a lot more easily and you should be able to accumulate units more quickly than foes.
Once you’ve done that, the 100% buff to Yields and HP from pillaging will make your attempts to kill everyone considerably more profitable. It doesn’t appear higher in this list because if you’re going for Science or Culture wins, you’ll miss out on its biggest bonus.
Petra
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +2 Gold
- +1 Gold and Production on Desert Terrain in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Code of Laws
- Placement: Placed on a Desert tile
Gold is as applicable in Civilization 7 as it is in the real world, and Petra does a very simple job of letting you have more of it. If you build it early, you’ll earn a lot of additional income throughout a campaign, so it’s best secured quickly if you’re going to bother doing it at all.
High-density Desert biomes are where you’ll get the most significant benefit from Petra (particularly the Production) but it doesn’t feel as impactful as Wonders further up the list.
Pyramids
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +1 Gold and Production on Minor and Navigable River tiles in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Masonry/Light of Amun Ra (Egyptian Unique Civic)
- Placement: On a Desert adjacent to a Navigable River
The Pyramids are a tricky Wonder to place, purely because they can range in their efficacy from a critical part of potential success to a total waste of time.
Navigable Rivers are common, but you’ll want at least three tiles of that type within the sphere of influence of the city where the Pyramids will be placed. Without that minimum, the bonuses on offer just aren’t worth having.
C-Tier Antiquity Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Emile Bell
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- Gain a unique Diplomatic Endeavor called Ginseng Agreement that grants Food to both Leaders’ Capitals
- +1 Diplomatic Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Code of Laws II
- Placement: On Rough Terrain
Kicking off the bottom tier is the Emile Bell and it’s difficult to see why you should bother prioritizing it in the Antiquity Age. The Ginseng Agreement Endeavor that it brings is okay on the face of it, but it’s weaker than most of the food bonuses on offer from some of the Wonders above.
This does come with a Diplomatic Attribute Point as well, but I can count the number of times that I’ve urgently needed another one of those on one hand.
Great Stele
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- Gain 200 Gold when you construct a Wonder in this Settlement, including this one
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Writing
- Placement: On Flat Terrain
Probably the weakest wonder in the entire game, the Great Stele is little more than an occasional Gold boost throughout your playthrough. In a standard game, you won’t be building more than a few Wonders in the same city.
This means that earning more than 600-800 Gold is unlikely, and that just isn’t enough (over the course of a game) to warrant building this.
Ha’amonga ‘a Maui
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +2 Culture
- +1 Culture and Food on Fishing Boats in this Settlement
- +1 Cultural Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Navigation
- Placement: On Grassland or Tropical and adjacent to Coast
Ha’amonga ‘a Maui is undoubtedly a unique Wonder, but there isn’t a single area where it’s close to the best at what it does. Nothing it does is expressly bad, but +2 Culture just doesn’t stack up to other Wonders designed to facilitate that Legacy Path.
Though this can be increased through the use of Fishing Boats, it’s way too situational to bother with in any good faith.
Mundo Perdido
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +1 Happiness and Science on Tropical Terrain in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Mysticism II
- Placement: On Tropical
Running the Great Stele is close for the Worst Wonder award, Mundo Perdido is deeply under-tuned and far too specific in its requirements. Tropical Terrain is the only way it works, and even if you set everything up correctly, you won’t be getting any more than 2-3 Happiness and Science.
If it was aimed towards Yields that were more difficult to generate, then there could perhaps be an argument for its requirements, but without that, it’s difficult to see why anyone should bother with it.
Sanchi Stupa
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +2 Happiness
- +1 Increased Culture for every 5 excess Happiness in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Citizenship II
- Placement: On Plains
The one thing that Sanchi Stupa does offer in spades is the ability to snowball Culture in the settlement where it’s built, if you can build up Happiness levels. The interdependency feels a little odd in the broader landscape of Civilization 7, and the bonuses on offer are not significant enough.
That’s the complete tier list! Make sure to check out our complete tier list for every leader in Civilization 7, so you can pick the character that suits your playstyle the most.