Ancient Wonders - List of Seven Wonders of Ancient World by Hellenistic Poets
We are all familiar with the Seven Wonders of the World. But did you know that there is also a list of seven wonders which existed in the Ancient times. But only one monument from the list actually exists today.
This list of remarkable structures was given by various poets and travellers during the Hellenic period (12th – 9th century BC). The original list inspired various versions through the time often ending with seven members. Here is the location and list of monuments which are considered as the Seven Wonders of Ancient World.
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| Map of seven ancient wonders by Infospreads |
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
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| Statue of Zeus at Olympia credit: Ancient history encyclopedia |
This amazing 12 m tall statue of the Greek God of Sky and Thunder was
sculpted by Phidias, who was also known for his other work, Statue of Athena at
Parthenon in Athens. It was built around 435 BC.
The statue was identified to be made of gold and ivory sheets. It was
mounted on a cedarwood throne with gold, ivory and ebony decorations. The
structure was known only through the coins and descriptions of Ancient Greek. In
391 AD, Roman Emperor, Theodosius I banned and closed the temple and put into
disuse.
The destruction of the statue is still debatable. According to a
Byzantine historian, Georgios Kedrenos, the statue after the temple’s closing,
was transferred to Constantinople, modern Istanbul, where it is believed to be
destroyed in the Great Fire of Palace of Lausus in 475 AD. Another theory
states that the statue along with the temple was damaged by fire around 425 AD.
Temple of Artemis
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| This model of the Temple of Artemis, at Miniatürk Park, Istanbul, Turkey, attempts to recreate the probable appearance of the third temple. credit: wikimedia commons |
The Temple of Artemis or Artemision was located at the city of Ephesus
in Turkey. Some of the findings indicated that the sacred site predates the
Artemision itself. It predated the Ionic migration by many years. It was
believed to be built by the Amazons, warrior women from Asia Minor who were
believed to the daughters of Ares and Harmonia.
Around the 7th century BC, the temple was destroyed by flood.
The reconstruction began in 550 BC and was completed 10 years later. It was
designed by Chersiphron of Knossos and his son Metagenes. After its
reconstruction, this temple became the first Greek temple to be made up of
marble. Later it was destroyed in 356 BC by Herostratus, who set fire to wooden
beams.
The 2nd reconstruction started in 323 BC. It was larger than
the second reconstruction. There were details of the temple in the early
Christian accounts as well. In 268 AD the temple was raided and ransacked by
Goths, tribes of East Germanic origin. After that the temple was closed in 407
AD and the name of Artemis was erased from inscriptions around the Ephesus.
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
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| The Ruins of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. credit: Carole Raddato |
The Mausoleum is a tomb built for Mausolus and his sister-wife Artemisia
II at Halicarnassus, modern Bodrum. It was built between 353 BC and 350 BC.
Many suggest that the construction must have been started even before the
Mausolus’ death. After his death, Artemisia II must have completed the tomb.
The tomb was 45 m tall and consisted of 4 sides with each side
constructed by different sculptors. It was constructed on a hill which oversaw
the city. It was untouched when the city fell under Alexander, The Great and
even survived two pirate attacks. It stood over the city ruins for sixteen
centuries but was destroyed by a series of earthquakes between 12th
and 15th centuries.
The Colossus of Rhodes
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| An oil painting representing the ancient city of Rhodes by Frantisek Kupka (1906 CE). Probably a realistic representation of the Colossus of Rhodes. credit: Tony Hisgett |
The Colossus was a statue of Greek sun-god, Helios. The statue was
believed to be constructed to celebrate the successful defence of the island against
a formidable enemy force of Demetrius Poliorcetes who had a large army and
navy. It was described that Ptolemy I of Egypt, sent ships for Rhodes’ defence,
which made Demetrius retreat.
The statue was constructed by Chares of Lindos. The construction began
in 292 BC and was completed in 280 BC. It was 33 metres high and was built with
iron bars and bronze skin plates. After standing for 54 years near the harbour
of the city, it collapsed on its knees during the 226 BC earthquake. The broken
parts remained nearby for nearly 600 years after which, Muawiyah I conquered
the island, melted the bronze and sold it to Jewish merchants.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
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| A representation of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. credit: Wikimedia commons |
The Hanging Gardens are the only one among the Ancient Wonders whose
location and proof of existence are not known. The Gardens are said to have an
ascending series of tiers like steps, with each step containing various shrubs,
herbs and even trees making it look like a small hill.
These gardens were built during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, the best
of the Neo-Babylon Kings, for his wife Amytis. The reason was because she
missed her homeland which was filled with hills and valleys. It was also linked
with Queen Semiramis who ruled Babylon in the 9th century BC.
The definite location of the gardens is still not known. There is no
text of Babylon which actually mentions the gardens. Soon several theories were
put forward which includes relating these gardens to another garden built by an
Assyrian King, Sennacherib in his own capital Nineveh.
Even the concept of such a garden is amazing.
Lighthouse of Alexandria
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| A drawing of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as Pharos, by German archaeologist Prof. H. Thiersch (1909). |
This lighthouse was constructed during the reign of Ptolemaic Kingdom.
It was believed to be 103-113 metres in height build on a 30 by 30 m square
stone base. The construction started during the reign of Ptolemy I and was
completed under his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus in 317 BC.
It has a furnace as the source of light at night. It has a mirror to
reflect the sunlight during the daytime. The entire structure was made up of
limestone. The lighthouse was destroyed by several earthquakes between 956 AD
and 1323 AD. Some of the parts remained until 1480, when they were used for the
construction of Citadel of Qaitbay.
Great Pyramid of Giza
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| credit: Steffen Gunderman |
It is the largest and oldest of the three pyramids in
the Giza complex. It is also the oldest of the seven Wonders of the Ancient
World. It is also the only remaining one among them. The pyramid was built for
Pharaoh Khufu and was completed around 2560 BC.
The total height of the pyramid was about 146.6 m and remained the tallest
man-made building for 3,800 years until the completion of Lincoln Cathedral in
1311 AD. During its completion, the pyramids had a slanting face and a flat
top. The pyramid core was made up of yellow lime stones. The outer casing and
the layers of inner passages were covered with white lime stone.
The 1303 AD earthquake loosened the outer casing. In 1356 Ad, the white
lime stones were carried away by Bahri Sultan to build mosques around Cairo.
Some of the remaining casings were removed by Muhammad Ali Pasha in the 19th
century to build Alabaster Mosque near Cairo.
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