Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World

Wondering what the seven wonders of the ancient world were like? Do not worry. The magnificent and outstanding modern monuments and seven wonders of the Modern Ages have left very less space for people to miss the 7 wonders of the ancient world. One of the major reasons for this could be that only one of those seven architectural wonders remains intact today. Yes, it’s true. Among all the wonders of the ancient world, the Egyptian Pyramid of Giza survives till today. The main reasons why the other ancient monuments do not exist today are earthquakes, conquests, fires and other ravages of time. It is also very saddening to know that only a few sketches and drawings remain of these wonders that got vanished long before. Go through the lines below, to know about the 7 wonders of the world in ancient times in detail.

 

 

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to remain largely intact. It is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis on the western banks of river Nile, near Cairo. Also known as the Pyramid of Khufu and the Pyramid of Cheops, this structure was built around 2551 BC and rises around 450 feet off the ground, spreading across 13 acres of land. It was built as the tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure for almost 3,800 years.

 

Located in Babylon, near the modern-day Al Hillah, Babil in Iraq, the Hanging Gardens were built in 600 BC by the Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar II. Also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis, the gardens were built for one of his wives, Amytis of Media who longed for trees and fragrant plants of her homeland Persia. Spread over an area of 400 square feet and hung approximately 75 feet above the ground level, the Hanging Gardens were destroyed after the 2^nd century BC, by several earthquakes.

 

The Temple of Artemis, also referred as Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple located in the Greek city of Ephesus, on the west coast of modern Turkey today. Built around 550 BC, the city of Ephesus was chosen as the site to built one of the largest and most complex temples in the ancient times. Also known as the Temple of Diana, it had a tile-covered wooden roof and a marble sanctuary. While the original temple was burnt down in 356 BC, the second temple built on the same foundation was devastated by a fire in 262 AD. However, one can find the foundations and sculptural fragments of the temple even today.

 

The Statue of Zeus was built around 457 BC in the ancient Greek city of Olympia, where the first Olympic Games were held. The statue was located in a temple built to honor God Zeus. Since the Doric-style temple was considered too simple, the 40-foot statue of the God was erected in the temple. The ivory structure of Zeus was seated on a royal throne, draped in a magnificent gold robe. The entire structure was sculpted by the ancient Athenian sculptor Phidias. A wreath was wrapped around his head and he held a figure of his trusted messenger, Nike in his right hand. The temple, along with the statue, was destroyed in a massive fire in 462 AD. All one can find today are the fallen columns of the temple and the foundation of the structure.

 

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was the tomb of Mausolus, a provincial king of the Persian Empire and his wife, Artemisia, built between 353 and 350 BC, at Halicarnassus, the present Bodrum city in south-west Turkey. The 135-foot high structure was designed by Greek architects, Pythius and Satyrus, while four other famous Grecian sculptors added the decorative band around the exterior of the tomb. Since then, the word mausoleum came to be referred to a large tomb. This wondrous monument was destroyed in an earthquake in the 15^th century. Only a few pieces and the foundation of the mausoleum remain today.

 

The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the tallest statues of the ancient world, standing at a height of around 120 feet. The statue was built between 292 and 280 BC by Chares of Lindos, in the honor of the sun god Helios, near the harbor of Rhodes, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. The hollow statue was supported by interior iron bars and stone blocks. Unfortunately, the statue was destroyed in an earthquake only 56 years after it was built.

 

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, or the Pharos of Alexandria, was a tower built in 270 BC on the ancient island of Pharos in the harbor of Alexandria in Egypt, with the purpose of guiding sailors into the harbor, at night time. Standing high at around 400 feet above ground, the tower was the tallest manmade structure on Earth for centuries. The lighthouse had a mirror that could reflect the sunlight to very long distances. It was built during the reign of King Ptolemy II and was designed by Greek architect Sostratus. The lighthouse was destroyed gradually by a number of earthquakes in the 14^th century. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was also the last of all six wonders to have disappeared.