Pietro Coppo map (1520)
So, can you name the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? As the list was compiled in Greece, it only includes structures located around the Mediterranean rim. They did not all exist concurrently, and only one remains in existence today. Although there were actually a number of such lists, the list that is known today is believed to have been finalized around the fifth century A.D.
Pyramid of Giza – The only Wonder still in existence. The largest and oldest of three pyramids, the Great Pyramid was built by the Egyptians in the 26th century B.C. for Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops). Its height was more than 480 feet, and it was constructed from about 2.3 million blocks of stone, averaging 2.5 tons in weight. Each side is oriented to one of the cardinal points of the compass, and it is filled with a number of corridors, shafts, galleries and chambers. The outside was once encased in fine white limestone. It was the tallest structure on Earth for almost 4000 years.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon – Although there is some dispute as to whether, or where, these gardens actually existed, they are believed to have been built by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 B.C. for his homesick Queen. The gardens would have grown from a series of vaulted terraces within his palace grounds, and would have likely been “overhanging” rather than “hanging”. They are believed to have been irrigated by water pumped up from the Euphrates, and they are thought to have been destroyed by earthquake.
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus – The shrine was destroyed and rebuilt many times, but the Anatolian temple erected around 550 B.C. by Theodorus was considered very impressive. It was 300 feet in length and 150 feet wide, with more than 100 columns supporting the enormous roof. In 356 B.C. it was destroyed by arson and rebuilt once again by Scopas of Paros as the first building to be made completely of marble, and stood 425 feet in length and 225 feet in width, with 127 of its 60-foot columns supporting the roof. Thirty-six of these columns featured figures carved in high relief on their lower portions. This temple was destroyed during a raid by the Goths in 262 A.D.
Statue of Zeus at Olympia – The Olympics were started in 776 B.C., held on the site of Olympia in Greece, which contained a stadium and a sacred grove where the temples were located. The centerpiece of its shrine to Zeus was a 40 foot tall statue of Zeus, completed by Phidias in 435 B.C., and covered in gold and ivory plates. The statue was seated on a throne covered in gold, ebony and ivory, and inlaid with precious stones. In 392 A.D. the games were abolished, and the statue moved to Constantinople, where in was destroyed in a fire in 462 A.D.
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus – Constructed in 356 B.C. by Scopas of Paros and other world-famous sculptors of the day as an elaborate tomb for King Mausolus, a Hellenized Carian, the mausoleum was 135 feet tall. It had a pyramidal roof, topped by a massive sculpture of four horses pulling a chariot, and sat in an enclosed courtyard filled with statuary. It was made of bricks covered in white marble, and was covered with relief sculpture. It survived until an earthquake in medieval times.
Colossus of Rhodes – After successfully resisting a year-long siege resulting from the break-up of Alexander’s empire upon his death, Rhodes’ Hellenistic army melted down its bronze and iron weapons and sold the other war equipment to erect a 110 foot statue of the sun god Helios. Completed in 280 B.C. by Chares of Lindos, it stood on a 50-foot marble pedestal by the harbor. It was constructed of bronze plates over an iron framework, with several stone columns inside the statue acting as support. An earthquake brought it down 56 years later.
Lighthouse of Alexandria – On the small Hellenistic island of Pharos, in Alexandria’s harbor, stood the original lighthouse at around 450 feet in height, although some scholars believe it was even higher. It was erected in 270 B.C. by Sostrates of Knidos, and constructed of marble blocks with lead mortar, in 3 distinct sections At the top, bronze mirrors reflected the sunlight during the day, and fire at night. An earthquake brought it down in the 14th century, making the lighthouse the last of the six wonders no longer in existence to disappear.
Here’s a helpful map of these Wonders to put them in some context: Map at WorldAtlas.com.
