The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is a famous list of astonishing architecture and is based upon real guidebooks from the Hellenic people thousands of years ago.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis collection of monuments, Egypt, it is also the oldest of the Seven Ancient Wonders. It is also the only one of the seven wonders which stands almost entirely intact.
It is widely believed, although not conclusively confirmed, that the pyramid served as the tomb for Pharaoh Khufu and took some 20 years to construct before completion around 2551 BC.The pyramid was the tallest man made structure in the world for over 3800 years and there are at least three chambers inside the structure. The contents of the two smaller pyramids were emptied by the 'New Kingdom' when they started the construction of tombs in the 'Valley of Kings', whilst the contents of the Great Pyramid itself were taken by the 'Middle Kingdom'. Tourists still visit the site of the three pyramids today.
It is widely believed, although not conclusively confirmed, that the pyramid served as the tomb for Pharaoh Khufu and took some 20 years to construct before completion around 2551 BC.The pyramid was the tallest man made structure in the world for over 3800 years and there are at least three chambers inside the structure. The contents of the two smaller pyramids were emptied by the 'New Kingdom' when they started the construction of tombs in the 'Valley of Kings', whilst the contents of the Great Pyramid itself were taken by the 'Middle Kingdom'. Tourists still visit the site of the three pyramids today.
The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, located in present day Iraq, were built by the Chalden King Nebuchadnezzar II in around 600 BC. Nebuchadnezzar is believed to have constructed the gardens to make his sick wife happy who missed the trees and plants of her Persian homeland.
The gardens were tiered, with water features, and were built in stone to prevent erosion to the ground caused by water.The gardens were later destroyed by multiple large earthquakes around 200 BC. There are several historians who have placed doubt on the gardens existence, believing that the site may have been confused with other known gardens, there has also been suggestions that an earlier ruler had ordered the gardens construction.
The gardens were tiered, with water features, and were built in stone to prevent erosion to the ground caused by water.The gardens were later destroyed by multiple large earthquakes around 200 BC. There are several historians who have placed doubt on the gardens existence, believing that the site may have been confused with other known gardens, there has also been suggestions that an earlier ruler had ordered the gardens construction.
The Statue Of Zeus At Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was made by the Greek sculptor Phidias in or around 432 BC, he created it in the Temple of Zeus,where it would remain for 600 years after the death of the sculptor. People from all over the 'civilised world' would travel to see it, as they believed that not seeing it before death would bring misfortune. The statue was made out of ivory and gold plated bronze and occupied the whole width of the temple built to house it, a number of bronze and marble copies were also created but none have survived; the only surviving depiction of the statue can be found on various Elin and Roman coins and on a few engraved gems. The date of the statue, having previously been doubted, was confirmed when archaeologists discovered and excavated Phidias' workshop between 1954-1958. There are several unconfirmed theories on why the statue no longer exists, including one that it perished in a fire at the temple, and another that the Roman Emperor Caligula ordered its destruction
The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis was a Greek temple dedicated to the god Artemis around 550 BC at Ephesus, a site which now sits in present day Turkey. Only the foundations of the temple, and a few sculptural fragments, remain.The temple, all of which was made out of marble with the exception of the roof, sits on the site of a number of previous temples. The previous temple at the site was destroyed in the 7th century BC, and this replacement was initially designed by the architect Chersipon and his son Metagenes. The project took some 120 years to complete and was funded primarily by Croesus the King of Lydia. The temple was destroyed on 21st July 356 BC by Herostratus, whose only motivation was "fame at any cost", giving birth to the phrase 'herostratic fame'.
The temple was later restored by Alexander, who was born on that very same night, before the reconstruction was also destroyed during a raid by the Goths in 262 AD. Yet again the temple was rebuilt, only for it to be destroyed for the last time by a mob led by St. John Chrystostom following the conversion of many Ephesians to christianity.
The temple was later restored by Alexander, who was born on that very same night, before the reconstruction was also destroyed during a raid by the Goths in 262 AD. Yet again the temple was rebuilt, only for it to be destroyed for the last time by a mob led by St. John Chrystostom following the conversion of many Ephesians to christianity.
The Mausoleum Of Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum of Halicanassus was a tomb built between 353 - 356 BC at Halicanassus, present day Bodrum in Turkey, for Mausolus a governer of the Persian Empire. The tomb was also used for his wife and sister.The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythias, and stood some 45 meters in height. The word Mausoleum initially 'dedicated to Mausolus' but such was the beauty of the structure that it became the word used generically for any significant tomb. Amazingly the Mausoleum stood untouched when the city fell to Alexander III in 334 BC, and then remained undamaged following attacks by pirates in 62 BC and 58 BC, standing above the city's ruins for sixteen centuries before serious earthquakes shattered the columns. By 1404 AD only the base of the structure was still recognisable and an invasion by Knights of St John of Malta led them to build a massive castle in the region called Bodrum Castle, later using the stone from the tomb to fortify the castle in 1494.
The Colossus Of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek god Helios erected in the city of Rhodes, on the Greek island of the same name, between 292 BC and 280 BC, the statue stood at over 30 metres high.The statue was erected following a successful defence of a siege attempt by Antigonus I Monopthalmus, during which the invading army fled leaving all of their siege equipment. The left behind equipment was sold for the equivalent of $360m in today's terms in around 304 BC and a proportion of the money was spent on celebrating the victory with this statue, Helios was the cities patron god and thus was believed to have helped to protect them against the invasion. The statue itself was made primarily out of iron and bronze, materials which were left over from the weapons left by Antigonus I Monopthalmus, with stones filling the supporting structure. It stood on a 15 metre high marble pedestal. The statue stood for just 56 years before being destroyed by the massive 226 BC Rhodes earthquake, during which the statue snapped at the knees. The remains layed broken on the ground for over 800 years, and yet were still so impressive that travellers would visit them, such was the size of the statue that most visitors could not wrap their arm around a thumb.
The Lighthouse Of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a tower built on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt, between 285 BC and 247 BC.The tower was built was initially built to serve as the port's landmark, but was later adapted to serve as a lighthouse. The height of the structure is estimated at over 115 meters in height and is believed to have been the world's third largest structure, after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafra, for the whole time that it was standing. It was adapted to use as a landmark, using fire and mirrors, during the Roman period around the 1st Century AD. The Lighthouse stood for centuries, with Muslim traveller Ibn Jubayr having noted seeing the structure when visiting the city in 1183, before two earthquakes in 1303 and 1323 damaged the lighthouse so significantly that Arab traveller Ibn Buttata reported that it was no longer possible to enter the ruin. The remnants of the structure disappeared in 1480 when Qaitbay, then Sultan of Egypt, used the stone to build a medieval fort on the exact same spot. It is possible for divers to see substantial remains of the building which have fallen in the harbour.