Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

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Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a well known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity

Classical antiquity

Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome....
. It was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic (Greek)

Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
tourists and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. Later lists

Wonders of the World

Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural things in the world....
include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be magical.
The Seven Ancient Wonders
The traditional list, though not the first or last, was made by Philo of Byzantium

Philo of Byzantium

Philo of Byzantium , also known as Philo Mechanicus, a Greeks writer on mechanics, flourished during the latter half of the 2nd century B.C....
and written in 225 BC in his work "On the Seven Wonders".

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The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a well known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity

Classical antiquity

Ancient Greece

Wonders of the World

The Seven Ancient Wonders

The traditional list, though not the first or last, was made by Philo of Byzantium

Philo of Byzantium

Herodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greeks historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture....
(484 BC–ca. 425 BC), and the architect Callimachus

Callimachus

Callimachus was a native of the Greek colony of Cyrene, Libya, Libya. He was a noted poet, critic and scholar of the Library of Alexandria and enjoyed the patronage of ancient Egyptian Greeks Pharaohs Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Ptolemy III Euergetes....
of Cyrene

Cyrene

Cyrene may refer to:* Cyrene , a Greek mythological figure* Cyrene, Libya, an ancient Greek colony in North Africa* The USS Cyrene , a motor torpedo boat tender...
(ca 305–240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, survive only as references. The later version of a list of seven wonders was compiled by Antipater of Sidon

Antipater of Sidon

Antipater of Sidon , Antipatros or Antipatros Sidonios in the Anthologies, was a Ancient Greece poet in the second half of the 1st century BCE....
, who described the structures in a poem around 140 BC:

These are given in the table below:

Wonder	Date of construction	Builder	Notable features	Date of destruction	Cause of destruction
Great Pyramid of Giza Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three Egyptian pyramidss in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo , Egypt, and is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World....	2584-2561 BC	Egyptians Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt....	Built as the tomb of fourth dynasty Fourth dynasty of Egypt The Fourth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, also written Dynasty 4 and Dynasty IV, is characterized as a golden age of the Old Kingdom.... Egyptian Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was an Ancient history civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile in what is now the modern nation of Egypt.... pharaoh Khufu.	Still standing	---
Hanging Gardens of Babylon Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis, near present-day Al Hillah in Iraq , is considered one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World....	605-562 BC	Babylonia Babylonia Babylonia was a state in Lower Mesopotamia , Babylon as its franklin. Babylonia emerged when Hammurabi created an empire out of the territories of the former kingdoms of Sumer and Akkad.... ns	Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus , was a Roman Greece historian who flourished in the 1st century BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agira in Sicily .... described multi-levelled gardens reaching 22 metres (75 feet) high, complete with machinery for circulating water. Large trees grew on the roof. Built by Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife Amytis of Media Amytis of Media Amuhia or Amytis of Media was the daughter or granddaughter of the Medes king Cyaxares and the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II. Married to Nebuchadrezzar to formalize the alliance between the Babylonian and Median dynasties, it is reported that Amytis' homesickness led to the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as Nebuchadnezzar a... .	After 1st century BC	Earthquake Earthquake An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
Statue of Zeus at Olympia Statue of Zeus at Olympia The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was made by the Greek sculptor of the Classical Greece, Phidias, circa 432 BC on the site where it was erected in the temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece....	466-456 BC (Temple) 435 BC (Statue)	Greeks Ancient Greece The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....	Occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it, and was 12 meters (40 feet) tall.	5th-6th centuries AD	Unknown, presumed destroyed by fire or earthquake.
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Temple of Artemis The Temple of Artemis , also known less precisely as Temple of Diana , was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed? in its most famous phase? around 550 BC at Ephesus under the Achaemenid Empire of the Persian Empire....	c. 550 BC	Lydia Lydia Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkey provinces of Manisa Province and inland Izmir Province.... ns, Persians Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire was amongst the first Persian Empires that ruled over significant portions of Greater Iran, and followed the Ancient Iranian peoples Median Empire.... , Greeks Ancient Greece The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....	Dedicated to the Greek Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices.... goddess Goddess A goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheism system that includes several deities in a pantheon .Common associations of goddesses are the Earth goddess, the Mother Goddess, Love goddess, and the hearth goddess, reflecting historical gender roles.... Artemis Artemis In Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, child birth/virginity/fertility, the hunt and was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows..... , it took 120 years to build. Herostratus Herostratus Herostratus was a young man who set fire to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in his quest for celebrity on about July 20, 356 BC. The Greek temple was constructed of marble and considered the most beautiful of some thirty shrines built by the Greeks to honour their goddess of the hunt, the wild and childbirth.... burned it down in an attempt to achieve lasting fame. Rebuilt by Alexander the Great Alexander the Great Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle.... only to be destroyed again by the Goths Goths The Goths were East Germanic tribes who, in the 3rd and 4th centuries, invasion the Roman Empire and later adopted Arian Christianity. In the 5th and 6th centuries, divided as the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, they established powerful successor-states of the Roman Empire in the Iberian peninsula and Italy.... .	356 BC (by Herostratus) AD 262 (by the Goths)	Arson Arson Arson is the crime of deliberately and maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires caused by lightning for example.... , Plundering
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus Mausoleum of Maussollos The Tomb of Mausolus, Mausoleum of Mausolus or Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus for Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia II of Caria, his wife and sister....	351 BC	Carians Carians The Carians were the ancient inhabitants of Caria.... , Persians Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire /s?'lus?d/ was a Hellenistic empire, i.e. a successor state of Alexander the Great's empire. The Seleucid Empire was centered in the near East and at the height of its power included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir Mountains and parts of Pakistan.... , Greeks Ancient Greece The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....	Stood approximately 45 meters (135 feet) tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum, a tomb built for Mausolus Mausolus Mausolus was ruler of Caria . He took part in the revolt against Artaxerxes II , conquered a great part of Lycia, Ionia and several Greece List of islands of Greece and cooperated with the Rhodes and their allies in the Social War against Athens.... , a satrap Satrap Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of ancient Medes and Persian Empire empires, including the Achaemenid Empire and in several of their heirs, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic civilization empires.... in the Persian Empire Persian Empire The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....	by AD 1494	Damaged by an earthquake and eventually disassembled by European Crusaders Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious war waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents. Crusades were fought mainly against Muslims, though campaigns were also directed against Paganism Slavic peoples, Jews, Eastern Orthodox Church, Mongols, Catharism, Hussites, Waldensians, Old Prussians, and political enemi... .
Colossus of Rhodes Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek god Helios, erected on the Greece island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC....	292-280 BC	Greeks Greeks The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in Greek diaspora communities around the world....	A giant statue Statue A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a Bust , and at least close to life-size, or larger.... of the Greek Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices.... god God (male deity) God, as a male deity, contrasts with female deities, or "goddesses". While the term 'goddess' specifically refers to a female deity, words like 'gods' and 'deities' can be applied to all gods collectively, regardless of gender.... Helios Helios Helios is the god of sun.In Greek mythology the sun was personified as Helios . Homer often calls him simply Titan or Hyperion , while Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn separate him as a son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia or Euryphaessa and brother of the goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn.... , c. 35m (110 ft) tall.	Toppled by an earthquake in 226 BC, with the bronze scrap removed in AD 654.	Earthquake Earthquake An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....
Lighthouse of Alexandria Lighthouse of Alexandria The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a tower built in the 3rd century BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt to serve as that port's landmark, and later, its lighthouse....	c. 280 BC	Hellenistic Egypt Ptolemaic Egypt Ptolemaic Egypt began when Ptolemy I Soter declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt in 305 BC and ended with the death of queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and the Aegyptus in 30 BC....	Between 115 and 135 meters (383 - 440 ft) tall it was among the tallest structures on Earth for many centuries.	AD 1303-1480	Earthquake Earthquake An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph....

The Greek category was not "Wonders" but theamata, which translates closer to "things to be seen". The seven as we know them could only have been seen after 280 BC, when the Colossus of Rhodes was completed. Earlier lists included things like the Walls of Babylon

Ishtar Gate

The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city....
. The list is at its core, a celebration of Greek accomplishments. Only two of the final seven were non-Greek. Interestingly enough, since the Colossus of Rhodes fell down after a mere 50 years (it fell in a massive earthquake in 226 BC), few historians could have seen it standing (Philo amongst them) and so the exact form of the statue is unknown. It is known however that the Colossus could not have straddled the harbour entrance as it is often depicted in romantic medieval pictures. The Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty , or, more formally, Liberty Enlightening the World , was presented to the United States by the people of France in 1886....
was partly inspired by what the Colossus may have looked like.

Antipater's first list replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Ishtar Gate

Ishtar Gate

The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city....
. Of these wonders, the only one that has survived to the present day is the Great Pyramid of Giza. The existence of the Hanging Gardens has not been proven, though theories abound. Records and archaeology confirm that the other five wonders used to exist. The Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus were destroyed by fire, while the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Colossus, and tomb of Maussollos were destroyed by earthquakes. There are sculptures from the tomb of Maussollos and the Temple of Artemis in the British Museum

British Museum

The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture situated in London. Its collections, which number more than 7 million Object , are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present....
in London

London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
.

External links

— a look from a professor of civil engineering at the American University in Dubai
American University in Dubai

The American University in Dubai is a private, non-sectarian institution of higher learning founded in 1995. It serves UAE nationals and international students who seek world-class career-oriented education....
, a virtual satellite tour made with Google Earth [02:34]
Parkin, Tim, , from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. - a collection of books and Internet resources with information on seven ancient wonders.
, by Jonathan Glancey in The Guardian
The Guardian

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, March 10, 2007
— A symphonic suite inspired by the seven ancient monuments by UK composer Stuart Mitchell - The Prague Symphony Orchestra

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Seven Ancient Wonders

See also

Further reading

External links