ANCIENT WONDERS

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were a selection of exceptional pieces of architecture and works of art in the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe. The wonders that should be included in the list were debated over millennia, with different authors proposing different sites. The list that we have today "only became fixed in the Renaissance," archaeologist authors wrote in the book "The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World".

great pyramid

THE GREAT PYRAMID AND THE SPHINX

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, it is the oldest of both The New and Ancient Seven Wonders, and the only one to remain largely intact. The proportions of the Pyramid are colossal—even for the modern era. The original height from the base to the peak was around 482 feet — though time has worn away the height to around 450 feet. It stood as the world’s tallest human-made structure for nearly 4,000 years. Over its 20-year construction period, around 2.3 million stone blocks were crafted to create this 5.75-million-ton monolith. The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile. The face of The Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre.

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

MAUSOLEUM AT HALICARNASSUS

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus or "Tomb of Mausolus" was built between 353 and 350 BC in Halicarnassus (present Bodrum, Turkey) for Mausolus, a governor in the Persian Empire and his sister-wife Artemisia II of Caria. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythius of Priene. The mausoleum stood approximately 135 feet high and was considered a wonder due to its immense marble structures, large dimensions, sculptures and architectural beauty. The building featured various artistic achievements, including many relief sculptures and free-standing statues. Despite standing for centuries and even surviving a raid by Alexander of Macedonia, a series of earthquakes finally rocked it to its core. All that remains are a few scattered pieces of its foundation.

hanging gardens of babylon

HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are thought to have been located within the walls of the royal palace at Babylon, the capital of Babylonia (now in southern Iraq). By the beginning of the 21st century, the site of the Hanging Gardens had not yet been conclusively established. According to legend, the sixth-century B.C. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II had a colossal maze of waterfalls and dense vegetation incorporated into his palace for his wife, Amytis of Media, who missed her lush homeland in Persia. However, archaeologists still debate whether the garden really existed. It is said the gardens were set upon vaulted terraces and were watered by an exceptional system of irrigation and roofed with stone balconies on which were layered various materials, such as reeds, bitumen, and lead, so that the irrigation water would not seep through the terraces.

lighthouse of alexandria

PHAROS OF ALEXANDRIA

This ancient lighthouse, considered a technical masterpiece that served as the model for all lighthouses that followed, was constructed on Pharos, an island in the harbor of Alexandria in Egypt. It was completed between 285 and 247 B.C.E. Standing over 350 feet tall and conceived as a navigational landmark for voyagers along the Egyptian coast, the lighthouse was constructed in three distinct stages: a square stone base; an octagonal middle section; and a cylindrical section at the top. At the apex, a mirror was erected to reflect sunlight during the day. At night, a fire was lit to guide travelers. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was severely damaged by earthquakes in 965 C.E., 1303 C.E., and 1323 C.E. It was completely gone by 1480 C.E. Today, visitors to the site where the lighthouse stood encounter the Egyptian fort Qaitbay, which was built using some of the stones from the lighthouse ruins.

The Seven Wonders of Greco-Roman antiquity inspired the compilation of many other lists of attractions, both natural and human-made, by successive generations. Among such lists, all of which are limited to seven “Wonders,” are the Architectural Wonders of the Middle Ages, the Natural Wonders of the World, the Natural Wonders of the United States, the Architectural Wonders of the Modern World, and the Wonders of American Engineering.