Many people, including myself, are fascinated by the Seven Wonders of the World. I am going to explore what the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were and dig up some exciting facts about each one!
Here is a list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:
- The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- The Statue of Zeus in Olympia, Greece
- The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus
- The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- The Colossus of Rhodes
- The Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
“From the heights of these pyramids, forty centuries looks down on us.” – Napoleon on the pyramids in Egypt
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the last standing ancient wonder of the world, and resides in Giza, Egypt. Built during the time of Cheops (King Khufu), the pyramid took twenty years to build, and stands 479 feet high, and is 754 feet wide. One of the most interesting things that I discovered about the Great Pyramid of Giza, is that it held the record – for more than three thousand years! – for the highest structure in the world to be created by human hands. I also found out that Napoleon supposedly went inside the King’s Chamber where King Khufu was buried. Apparently, Napoleon was in the tomb alone for hours. It was said that this adventure changed his life.
See the following sources for more information:
Great Pyramid of Giza – Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza/
What’s Inside the Great Pyramid? – Britannica https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-inside-the-great-pyramid
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, said to have been built by Nebuchadnezzar II, is the only wonder of the ancient world whose existence is argued among historical professionals. Despite this, many have speculated what the hanging gardens were like. Some thought that they were gardens made on top of roofs, or on ziggurats with terraces. More recently, however, people have speculated that perhaps the gardens were made to imitate mountain structures, and maybe used the Archimedes screw to irrigate the gardens.
See the following sources for more information:
Hanging Gardens of Babylon – Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Hanging_Gardens_of_Babylon/
Hanging Gardens of Babylon – Britannica https://www.britannica.com/place/Hanging-Gardens-of-Babylon
Archimedes screw – Britannica https://www.britannica.com/technology/Archimedes-screw
The Statue of Zeus
The Statue of Zeus, was situated in Olympia, Greece. Built around 430 BC, and made of ivory and gold, it was an enormous statue – even larger than the statue of Athena in Athens. My favourite “fun fact” about this wonder is that it was featured in Disney’s movie, Hercules.
See the following source for more information:
Statue of Zeus at Olympia – Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Statue_of_Zeus_at_Olympia/
The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis was build in what is now called Turkey (formerly Ephesus). The temple was first build in the 6th century BC, and was destroyed and rebuilt twice, before being finally destroyed in AD 401. Interestingly enough, the first time the temple was destroyed, it was set on fire by Herostratus, whose main goal in setting the fire was to become an infamous arsonist. He succeeded.
See the following source for more information:
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus – Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Temple_of_Artemis_at_Ephesus/
The Mausoleum
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, similar to the Great Pyramid of Giza, was a giant tomb. It was made for Mausolus, who ruled Caria around 350 BC. It was made of marble, had many spectacular statues, and was enormous. The Mausoleum was destroyed by a large earth quake, as well as the extensive use of pieces of the Mausoleum to build Bodrum Castle. One fact about the Mausoleum that I found particularly interesting was that its architecture was a combination of Egyptian, Greek, and almost-Eastern styles.
See the following source for more information:
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus – Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Mausoleum_at_Halicarnassus/
The Colossus
The Colossus of Rhodes, was an immense bronze statue of the god, Helios, that reached an impressive thirty-three meters in hight. It was situated near a very important harbour in the Mediterranean. The statue was destroyed around 226 BC, and was later melted into scrap after having laid on the docks for a thousand years!
See the following source for more information:
Colossus of Rhodes – Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Colossus_of_Rhodes/
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built around 300 -280 BC on the island of Pharos. This structure stood for more than 1600 years, at a height of over 330 feet! The lighthouse was so tall, in fact, that it was second only to the Great Pyramid at Giza for being the tallest structure to be built by human hands. The lighthouse was dedicated to Zeus Soter (known as the deliverer) and perhaps Proteus (known as the Greek sea god or “the old man of the sea”). The dedication to Zeus Soter is particularly interesting, as it was inscribed on the lighthouse in letters that were half a meter high!
See the following source for more information:
Lighthouse of Alexandria – Ancient History Encyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/Lighthouse_of_Alexandria/
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World certainly hold many interesting pieces information, and each wonder is exciting and unique in its own way. I loved discovering all these fascinating facts about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world, and hope that you enjoyed discovering them with me!