Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

SevenWondersOfTheWorld

ancient seven wonders timeline

Pyramide Kheops

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Maerten van Heemskerck - Panorama with the Abduction of Helen Amidst the Wonders of the Ancient World - Google Art Project

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is a list of remarkable constructions known to the Ancient Greeks. These wonders are celebrated monuments and structures of the classical era, and they have inspired and intrigued historians, architects, and travelers for centuries. The list, as we know it today, was based on guidebooks popular among Hellenic sightseers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. The original list inspired innumerable versions through the ages, but the traditional enumeration of the wonders is as follows:

1. The Great Pyramid of Giza
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
6. The Colossus of Rhodes
7. The Lighthouse of Alexandria

Great Pyramid of Giza

The only one of the seven wonders still in existence today, the Great Pyramid of Giza, was built as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) around 2580–2560 BC. It is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the only wonder whose existence is disputed, as there is no definitive archaeological evidence to prove they existed. According to legend, they were built in the ancient city-state of Babylon, near present-day Hillah, Babil province, in Iraq. They were supposedly constructed by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife, Amytis of Media, who longed for the trees and fragrant plants of her homeland.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated figure, about 12 m (39 ft) tall, made by the sculptor Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece. Made of ivory and gold, it represented the god Zeus sitting on an elaborate cedarwood throne ornamented with ebony, ivory, gold, and precious stones.

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, was completely rebuilt three times before its eventual destruction in 401 AD. The final version was built around 550 BC by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes and was considered the largest temple of the ancient world.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus (present-day Bodrum, Turkey) for Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire, and his sister-wife Artemisia II. It stood approximately 45 m (148 ft) in height, and its design by Pythius and Satyros is considered the epitome of classical architecture in the form of a monumental tomb.

Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the sun god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos in 280 BC to celebrate Rhodes' victory over the ruler of Cyprus, Antigonus I Monophthalmus. It was one of the tallest statues of the ancient world, standing over 30 meters (98 feet) high.

Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was a tower built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 280 and 247 BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt. It was estimated to be 100 meters (330 ft) in height and served as a prototype for all subsequent lighthouses in the world.