THE SEVEN WONDERS
OF THE
ANCIENT WORLD
In ancient times, Greek historians documentated what they felt were the marvels of their time. Herodotus (484 BC-ca 424BC), who is known as the father of history is reported to have created a list of man made structures that qualified as the wonders of the time.
Since much of the world was unknown to Greeks at that time, all of the 'wonders' were located in areas that the ancient Greeks were familar with or had heard of. Much of the histroy that Herodotus recorded was based on places or events that he had not visited or witnessed, but upon stories that he had been told while on his travels.
The Great Pyramid is the only survivor of the Ancient Wonders of the World. It is located outside on modern day Cairo in Egypt. The Great Pyramid is the oldest of all of the ancient wonders and is almost 4,000 years old. It was built in about 2560 B.C. by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. When first built the pyramid was approximately 480 feet tall (146meters), but today is only 137 meters. This was the tallest man made structure in the world for almost 4,000 years.
Pyramids were built to serve as tombs for the pharaohs. After death, the pharaoh's body was treated with a mummification process to preserve their bodies for the after life and buried with all of their wealth.
Question: How tall in feet is the Great pyramid today?
1 foot = 0.3048 meter
1 meter = 3.2808399 feet
The Temple of Artemis was located on the west coast of the country that is now known as Turkey. It was reported to be one of the most beautiful buildings in antiquity. It was built, destroyed, and rebuilt many time over the years, starting in 800B.C. It was rebuilt by the Greek architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenus sometime between 600 and 550 B.C. This is reported to be the first building to be made completely of marble. The temple was built to honor the goddess of fertility, Artemis. Each of the 120 columns was reported to be 6o feet high. The temple was said to contain many works of art, including bronze statues of the Amazon, the legendary race of female warriors. It was reported to be both a market and a place of worship.
The temple was destroyed in 356 B.C. by a man named Herostratos but was later restored. This was the last Great Goddess Temples to remain open and lasted until 262 A.D. when it was destroyed by the Goths. Today the temples foundations have been excavated and some of its 120 columns partially restored.
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was in memory of King Mausolus of Caria by his wife, Queen Artemisia upon his death in 353 B.C. Most of the structure has been lost but some of the remains are in the British Museum. The central burial chamber was reported to have been decorated in gold and the exterior ornately decorated by Greek artist.
The Mausoleum was reported intact until the 15th century when it dismantled by Christian Crusaders in search of building materials for a new castle.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were reportedly by King Nebuchadnezzar in 600 B.C. Babylon was located in present day Iraq, approximately 55 miles south of Bagdad. Babylon is in an arid area and the king supposedly built the gardens for his wife who missed the green mountains of her youth.
Ancient account report that the gardens did not hang from ropes but rather were raised on tiers and were the roofs of the palace buildings. Although not mentioned in Babylonian records, the Greek historian Strabo described the garden as consisting of vaulted terraces with complex irrigation systems.
The Colosssus at Rhodes was created by the sculptor Chares and was 105 feet high. It was a representation of the Sun god, Helios. It took 12 years to complete and was finished in 280 B.C. and was destroyed by an earthquake in 54 years later. The Colossus was built to commemorate the victory of Rhodes over the Antagonids. The Antagonids attempted to invade Rhodes for over a year, starting in 305 B.C. and having no success after a year when it was reported that allies of Rhodes were coming to its aid.
The statue was built will the materials left by the retreating Antagonids and took 12 years to build. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 B.C.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built approximately between 285 and 247 B.C. on the island of Pharos. It was reported to be 384 feet in height and was the worlds tallest build for many centuries until it was destroyed in an earthquake in the 13th century. Its height was the equivalent of a 40 story building.
The light house used mirrors during the day to reflect the light out to sea that were reportedly visiable up to 35 miles out to sea. At night fires were used to illuminate the mirrors. In ancient times the light house was depicted on Roman coins.