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Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Can You Name the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are seven awe-inspiring monuments of classical antiquity that reflect the skill and ingenuity of their creators. The list, comprised by ancient Greek historians, covers only the monuments of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions – the known world for the Greeks at the time.

Today, only one of the Seven Wonders remains mostly intact – the Great Pyramid of Giza. Three of the Wonders – the Colossus of Rhodes, Lighthouse of Alexandria, and Mausoleum of Halicarnassus – were destroyed by earthquakes. Two of the Wonders – the Temple of Artemis and Statue of Zeus – were intentionally destroyed by enemy forces, while the final Wonder – the Hanging Gardens of Babylon – has remained a matter of contention for millennia, with some historians questioning whether it existed at all.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Egypt. (Nina / CC BY-SA 2.5 )

The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest of the Seven Wonders, and the only one to remain largely intact.

It is estimated that the Great Pyramid is comprised of more than 2 million limestone blocks weighing from 2 to 70 tons. Originally standing at over 140 meters (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. It was built with such precision that it would be difficult to replicate it even with today’s technology.

The Magnificent Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

The Magnificent Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, as it would have appeared. (civilization. wikia.com )

After the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is the longest surviving wonder of the ancient world, having stood for more than a millennium and a half. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was built for Mausolus, the second ruler of Caria from the Hecatomnid dynasty (and nominally a Persian satrap) who died in 353 BC.

As the man who re-founded Halicarnassus, Mausolus was entitled to receive cultic honors and a tomb on the central square of his city, in accordance with Greek custom. The final construction was a wonder built in the styles of three different cultures – Greek, Lycian, and Egyptian.

During the 13th century, a series of earthquakes destroyed the columns of the Mausoleum, and brought the stone chariot, which sat atop the Mausoleum, crashing to the ground. By the early 15th century, only the base of the structure was recognizable. By the end of the same century, and again in 1522, following rumors of a Turkish invasion, the Knights of St. John used the stones from the Mausoleum to fortify the walls of their castle in Bodrum.

Additionally, much of the remaining sculptures were ground into lime for plaster, though some of the best works were salvaged and mounted in Bodrum castle. During the 19th century, the last remnants of the Mausoleum, including sections of relief, a broken chariot wheel, two statues, and some foundations, were unearthed by British archaeologist Charles Thomas Newton and taken back to the British Museum, where they remain to this day. They are the last remnants of a once spectacular monument that had the ancient world in awe.

The Grand and Powerful Statue of Zeus

Representation of the statue of Zeus at Olympia. (Dr. James Terry)

The statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece, was arguably the most famous statue of its day. Once built as a shrine to honor the Greek god Zeus, this statue was considered the incarnate of the Greeks’ most important god, and not to have seen it at least once in one's lifetime was considered a misfortune.

The size of a four story building and seven times the height of an average man, it was the tallest statue of the Mediterranean world. According to legend, the altar of Zeus stood on a spot struck by a thunderbolt, which had been hurled by the god from his throne high atop Mount Olympus, where the gods assembled.

The statue of Zeus was made by the Greek sculptor Phidias in 430 BC, considered the most famous artist of ancient Greece. The giant figure was made from a wooden frame of cedar wood covered with expensive materials such as ivory, ebony, bronze, gold leaf and precious stones.

Zeus wore a robe and pair of sandals made out of gold. The stool beneath his feet was upheld by two impressive gold lions. In his left hand was a scepter crowned with an eagle's head symbolizing his dominion over Earth. In his right hand sat a life-size statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory.

The statue of Zeus sat in place for over 800 years, until Rome’s new Christian emperor Theodosius I ordered the statue dismantled and stripped of its gold in 391 AD. Today, all that remains in Olympia are the temple's fallen columns and the foundation of the building, which were uncovered during 19th and 20th Century archaeological digs.

The Great Pharos of Alexandria

The Great Pharos of Alexandria

The Pharos of Alexandria by Fischer von Erlach (1656 - 1723). (Public Domain)

The Pharos of Alexandria was the most famous lighthouse in antiquity. The incredible feat of ancient engineering stood at an impressive height of 130 meters (430 ft.) until it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century AD. Built either late in the reign of Ptolemy I or early in the reign of Ptolemy II, around 280 BC, the lighthouse was located on the eastern tip of the island of Pharos.

In some descriptions, it is recorded that a huge statue, representing either Alexander the Great or Ptolemy I in the form of the Sun God, Helios, stood on the top of the lighthouse. This would have been an obvious message to anyone entering Alexandria by sea that the city was now under ‘Ptolemaic management’.

Besides being a propagandistic symbol of Ptolemaic legitimization, the Pharos was also a guide for sailors to the harbor. Alexandria was a very important city in Ptolemaic Egypt, as it was not only its capital, but also its gateway to the Mediterranean. Hence, the building of a lighthouse to ensure that ships, especially those of merchants, could safely arrive at Alexandria’s harbor would have brought economic benefits to the Ptolemies.

The lighthouse was damaged by a series of earthquakes between the 3rd and 12th centuries and is believed to have been completely destroyed in the early 14th century. In 1994, hundreds of huge masonry blocks from the original lighthouse were found in waters off the island.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Hand-colored engraving, probably from the 19th century, depicts the fabled Hanging Gardens, with the Tower of Babel in the background. (Public Domain)

The real location of the elusive Hanging Gardens of Babylon has evaded researchers for centuries.  It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World of which the exact location is still unknown.

The most commonly held belief in scientific circles is that the ancient city and hanging gardens was constructed by the Babylonians under the leadership of king Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled between 605 and 562 BC. He is reported to have constructed the gardens to please his homesick wife Amytis of Media, who longed for the plants of her homeland.

Because of the lack of evidence it has been suggested that the Hanging Gardens are purely mythical. Nevertheless, descriptions of the gardens exist in several ancient Greek and Roman texts and many historians insist the descriptions were based on a real place.

The Grand and Sacred Temple of Artemis

The Grand and Sacred Temple of Artemis

The Building of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus by Hendrik van Cleve III. (Public Domain)

The Temple of Artemis once stood as a magnificent structure three to four times as large as the Parthenon in Athens in the ancient city of Ephesus. It was described as the largest temple and building of antiquity and served as a place of worship to the Greek Goddess Artemis. Home to both Greeks and Romans, the grand temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times over the course of its long history.

The ancient temple was built around 550 – 650 BC on a site that was already sacred to the Anatolian Mother Goddess, Cybele. For years, the temple was a site visited by merchants, tourists, artisans, and kings who paid homage to the goddess Artemis by sharing their profits with her.

It was the home of priests and priestesses, musicians, dancers, and acrobats. The temple was also a marketplace and housed many pieces of art. Sculptures by renowned Greek sculptors such as Polyclitus, Pheidias, Cresilas, and Phradmon adorned the temple, as well as paintings and gilded columns of gold and silver.

According to the Greek historian Strabo, the Temple of Artemis was rebuilt seven times over 10 centuries, though the exact number is uncertain. In 401 AD, the temple was finally destroyed by a mob of Christians.

Much of the Temple of Artemis remained undiscovered until 1869, when a team of British Museum archaeologists led by John Turtle Wood found the remains and foundations after a seven year long search.  Today the site is little more than ruins.

The Colossus of Rhodes: Ancient Greek Mega Statue

The Colossus of Rhodes

Engraving of the Colossus of Rhodes. (Paul K/CC BY 2.0)

The Colossus of Rhodes was the most ambitious and tallest statue of the Hellenistic period. The last of the seven wonders to be completed, it was a statue built to thank the gods for victory over an invading enemy.

In 357 BC, the Greek island of Rhodes was conquered by Mausolus of Halicarnassus but fell into Persian hands in 340 BC and was finally captured by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. In the late fourth century BC, Rhodes allied with Ptolemy I of Egypt against their common enemy, Antigonus I Monophthalmus of Macedonia. In 305 BC, Antigonus sent his son Demetrius to capture and punish the city of Rhodes for its alliance with Egypt.

He attacked the island with 40,000 men but a relief force of ships sent by Ptolemy arrived in 304 BC, and Antigonus’ army abandoned the siege, leaving behind most of their siege equipment. To celebrate their victory, the Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to build a huge statue, to their sun god, Helios, called the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus was said to have been fashioned from the melted down bronze weapons of the defeated invaders.

The statue stood for only 56 years until the island of Rhodes was hit by an earthquake in 226 BC, destroying much of the city and causing the statue to break off at the knees and topple over into pieces.  The statue would go untouched for 900 years or until the Arab invasion of Rhodes in 654 AD.  The remains are said to have been melted down to be used as coins, tools, and weapons.

Top Image: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

By Joanna Gillan

 

Comments

IronicLyricist's picture

such r amazing feats.. they go to show the indomitable will and spirit of humanity when we WORK TOGETHER… o yeah so did the tower of babel:/

infinitesimal waveparticles comprise what we call home the earth
manipulatable by thought ability supressed in humans since birth

There were several different lists with different monuments on them - this was just the one that got promoted the most. Plus, maybe they lasted longer than others that could be put on this list. I for one have never heard of this Labyrinth in Egypt and do not recall having seen anything remotely resembling some holy site that looked like a Labyrinth. The only thing close are some of the foundations for the worker housing for the pyramids and the Valley of the King tombs, but I doubt that they could have been so magnificent to be mentioned by Herodotus. Maybe you could explain more about the Labyrinth and where it was located and maybe a reference easily obtainable that shows it.

To the other responder's point about other monuments that could be added to the list, the places he listed appear to be all New World sites, all of which were unknown by the creators of this list of Ancient Wonders. A few of the items I've also never heard of and some, like Puma Pinku or whatever, are ruins without an understanding of what the place looked like originally. I'm sure the original Parthenon in Athens looked marvelous, but right now it's just a bunch of stones laid out on the Acropolis and I don't think I've even seen anyone do a reconstruction of it, except as a vague "temple of the type" you would find in that period.

Tsurugi's picture

Yeah. Can things be added to the list? Along with the Labyrinth, I'd add Teotihuacan, Sacsayhuaman, Puma Punku, Angkor Wat, Ba'albek, and Cholula...just to name a few.

Also, in reading the article I had to ask, how does a mob of people destroy a massive building made of huge stone blocks? You can't burn it down, you can't knock it over, you can't pull it down with ropes. It would have to be done practically one stone block at a time....a difficult and tedious task that does not really fit with the kinds of activities mobs get up to.....?

I am always perplexed by the list of the Seven Ancient wonders of the World, mainly for reason of its lack of including the Labyrinth of the ancient Egyptians. The list is generally credited to the greek historian, Philo of Byzantium. Did he have something against Labyrinths, as if the structure being built underground detracted from its “wonder.” 

I bring this up because the Egyptian Labyrinth is mentioned by two of the most notable/known Greek historians, Herodotus and Strabo, and roman historian Pliny the elder. Herodotus had this to say about the Egyptian Labyrinth,

“I visited this place, and found it to surpass description; for if all the walls and other great works of the Greeks could be put together in one, they would not equal, either for labour or expense, this Labyrinth; and yet the temple of Ephesus is a building worthy of note, and so is the temple of Samos. The pyramids likewise surpass description, and are severally equal to a number of the greatest works of the Greeks, but the Labyrinth surpasses the pyramids.”

According to his words, Herodotus mentions two of the wonders, being the pyramid and the Temple of Ephesus, continuing to state that the Labrinth in scope alone surpasses them. 

Why does it always feel like history is trying to erase the memory of the Egyptian Labyrinth?

 

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Joanna Gillan's picture

Joanna

Joanna Gillan is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. 

Joanna completed a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) degree in Australia and published research in the field of Educational Psychology. She has a rich and varied career, ranging from teaching... Read More

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