10 great places to be dazzled by humans' labor

— -- Just as man "does not live by bread alone," humankind does not toil merely to eat. Civilizations are driven to create magnificent monuments. To celebrate the accomplishments symbolized by Labor Day, Barry Goldmith, professor of architectural history at New York University, shares with USA TODAY his picks of tremendous achievements created by the brains and brawn of people through the ages.

Pyramids of Giza/Abu-SimbelEgypt

The Great Pyramid, dating to the 25th century B.C., is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to survive and is part of a complex that includes other pyramids and the Sphinx. Located near Cairo, the giant tomb was built for a single human being, the Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops), by thousands of human beings. "Even today, the proportions are dazzling," Goldsmith says. Farther south near Aswan, a modern-day feat of engineering in the 1960s moved the Abu-Simbel temple and its four gigantic statues of Ramses to save it for posterity. ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/pyramid.html

Hoover DamNevada/Arizona border

"The Hoover Dam was the largest concrete structure ever built when it was constructed between 1931 and 1936," Goldsmith says. "In fact, the amount of concrete used could pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York." New technology had to be developed for such a huge mass of concrete to set and dry evenly. Unfortunately, building the dam claimed 100 lives. 702-494-2517; www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam

Angkor WatCambodia

Angkor Wat is the world's most extensive temple complex: It's made up of more than 70 Buddhist temples primarily built from the ninth through 12th centuries. Its 77 square miles were lost until rediscovered by the French in the 19th century. "Almost every inch of these stone temples is covered with exquisite carving," Goldsmith says. "These masterpieces are ever more amazing because they were created in the middle of an unbearably hot, steamy jungle." angkorwat.org

Panama CanalPanama

The country was carved out of Colombia by the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt so the United States could build this canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. "For 10 years, up to 45,000 men at a time dug through swamps infested by mosquitoes carrying yellow fever and malaria," Goldsmith says. "Their wages, at least, were considered high: 30 cents a day, plus meals." pancanal.com