The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

They are known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World or the Seven Wonders of the World. It is a list of seven significant structures that existed during the Classical antiquity. All of them are extraordinary ancient monuments built by human hands.

The first known list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which is accepted today, dates back to the 2nd–1st centuries BC. Whilst the first reference to a list comprising seven monuments was made by Diodorus Siculus, the compilation of the list was carried out by the epigramist Antipater of Sidon, who lived around 100 BC or earlier and visited all the monuments.

Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains standing. The others have been destroyed either entirely or in large part by causes such as fire or earthquake. The Hanging Gardens are the only ‘Wonder’ among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World whose exact location has not been definitively established.

-The Great Pyramid of Giza:

Also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops, the Great Pyramid of Giza is located in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. It is the oldest and largest of the pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex in Cairo. It is also the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is the only “Wonder” to have survived to the present day largely intact, having been least affected by the passage of time and environmental conditions.

Egyptologists have concluded that the pyramid was built around 2600 BC as a tomb for the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the 4th Dynasty, and estimate that it took approximately 27 years to complete. Some 2.3 million blocks, with an estimated total weight of around 6 million tonnes, were used in the construction of this colossal pyramid.

How those massive blocks of the Great Pyramid of Giza were quarried under the conditions of that era, how the quarried blocks were transported from there to Giza over distances of several kilometres, and how this structure with its magnificent architecture was built are just a few of the questions that intrigue us all. Although some aspects have been clarified, this ‘Wonder of the Ancient World’, which still retains its mystery, remains one of the most captivating places worth visiting.

-The Hanging Gardens of Babylon:

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and have been described as a remarkable feat of engineering. The gardens are described as a series of tiered gardens rising like a great green mountain, built from mud bricks. This magnificent structure, said to contain a wide variety of trees, shrubs, vines and creepers, is said to have been built in the ancient city of Babylon, near Hilla in the Iraqi province of Babylon.

According to popular tradition, it was believed that the gardens were commissioned by Queen Semiramis (Semiramis is sometimes identified with the Assyrian queen Shammuramat). However, Diodorus Siculus objected to this view. In his opinion, the gardens were commissioned by a Babylonian king. According to the Babylonian priest Berossus, it was King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, who reigned from 605 to 562 BC, who commissioned the Hanging Gardens. This was because Queen Amytis longed for the green hills and valleys of her homeland. For this reason, King Nebuchadnezzar II had the Hanging Gardens built for his wife alongside a great palace known as the ‘Wonder of the World’. Furthermore, other significant ancient authors who stayed in the region or wrote about it, such as Herodotus, Xenophon (Cyropaedia) and Pliny the Elder, did not refer to the gardens by the name of Semiramis.

According to arguments put forward in the early 1990s by Dalley, an Assyriologist and cuneiform specialist from the University of Oxford, the Hanging Gardens were located in Nineveh on the Tigris River. King Sennacherib of Assyria, who lived approximately 100 years before King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, had the Hanging Gardens built for his wife Tašmetu-Sarrat, and these gardens were irrigated using a screw pump. Dalley based his arguments on recent developments in the analysis of contemporary Akkadian inscriptions. Archaeological excavations have uncovered traces of an extensive aqueduct system attributed to Sennacherib via an inscription on it.

The Hanging Gardens are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World whose exact location has not been definitively established. Due to a lack of documentation in Babylonian sources, it remains unclear whether the Hanging Gardens were a real structure or a poetic creation. No definitive archaeological evidence has yet been found in Babylon. However, it is possible that evidence lies beneath the Euphrates River, where safe excavation is currently not feasible. As the river flowed east of its present course during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, very little is known about the western part of Babylon.

-The Statue of Zeus at Olympia:

Zeus was the god of the sky and lightning in ancient Greek religion. He was also the king of the gods on Mount Olympus. The Statue of Zeus was commissioned by the Eleans for the Temple of Zeus. This colossal statue was the work of the Greek sculptor Phidias, who also created the Statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon, and was erected in the temple around 435 BC.

In Greek mythology, Zeus, the king of the gods of Mount Olympus, was depicted seated on a painted cedar throne adorned with ebony, ivory, gold and precious stones. The throne featured various figures and carved images. The statue was crowned with a wreath made of olive branches. It was accompanied by a gilded robe adorned with glass animals and lilies. The Statue of Zeus held a small chrysanthemum statue of the goddess of victory, Nike, in his right hand; in his left hand, he held a sceptre adorned with ornaments made of precious metals. An eagle was perched upon the sceptre.

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Statue of Zeus was either lost or destroyed in a fire before the end of the 6th century AD. There have been conflicting accounts regarding the date and circumstances. The details of the statue’s form are known only approximately from ancient Greek descriptions and depictions on coins, due to its loss or destruction in a fire.

-The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus:

Also known as the Temple of Diana, the Temple of Artemis was a Greek temple dedicated to a localised form of the goddess Artemis. The Temple of Artemis contained numerous works of art. The temple was adorned with paintings, columns gilded with gold and silver, and religious works by the famous Greek sculptors Polyclitus, Pheidias, Cresilas and Phradmon.

Ammonius of Alexandria stated that the site was likely closed as early as AD 407 or no later than the mid-5th century. Of this structure, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the foundations and fragments of the final temple remain. The ruins of the Temple of Artemis are located in the ancient city of Ephesus.

The Ancient City of Ephesus is situated approximately 3 kilometres from the centre of Selçuk district in the province of İzmir, Turkey, and is one of the most significant sites worth visiting, featuring not only the Temple of Artemis—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—but also all its other historical structures. The site of the Temple of Artemis is marked by a single column composed of various fragments found in the area. Some of the temple’s fragments are also on display in the ‘Ephesus Room’ at the British Museum.

-The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus:

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a tomb built for King Mausolos and his wife, Artemisia II of Caria. It is believed that Mausolos, who served as Persian Satrap for 24 years, planned his tomb in great detail before his own death. Mausolos likely began construction of the structure in 355 BC, during his own reign. Following his death (353 BC), Artemisia II continued the construction of the monument. After Artemisia II’s death two years later, the brothers of Mausolos and Artemisia II continued the work. The construction of the Mausoleum took place in the region of Halicarnassus, which was under Greek rule but controlled by the Achaemenid Empire. However, due to the satrapy conflict in 340 BC, construction work was left unfinished. According to the historian Pliny the Elder, the craftsmen decided to remain and complete the Mausoleum following the death of their patrons. The Mausoleum was so aesthetically pleasing and magnificent that it was designated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is believed to have been destroyed by a series of earthquakes between the 12th and 15th centuries. Bodrum Castle was built using fragments of the ruins.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, resembled Greek architecture with its columns, whilst its pyramid-shaped roof evoked Egyptian architecture. Due to its architectural significance, all subsequent structures built in the same style have been referred to as mausoleums. There are many modern buildings whose designs are based on interpretations of the Mausoleum of Mausolos or have been influenced by these interpretations.

Whilst some remains of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus are housed in the British Museum, the site where the mausoleum was originally built is located in the Bodrum district of Muğla province, Turkey. This site has now been converted into an open-air museum.

– The Colossus of Rhodes:

The Colossus of Rhodes was a colossal statue erected in the city of Rhodes on the island of Rhodes, depicting the image of Helios, the sun god in Greek mythology. The statue was constructed to commemorate a successful defence. As such, it symbolised the freedom and independence of the Rhodians. It was created between 292 and 280 BC by Charis, a student of Lysippus from Lindos.

According to most contemporary accounts, the Colossus stood approximately 32 metres (105 feet) tall. Although this colossal statue of Rhodes was destroyed some 54 years after its construction, it went down in history as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The construction technique of the Colossus served as a source of inspiration for many artists over the centuries. The most famous of these is the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who was inspired by the Colossus of Rhodes to create the Statue of Liberty.

It is believed that the Colossus of Rhodes once stood where the two columns at the entrance to Mandraki Harbour now stand. However, the statue’s exact location remains a matter of debate.

– The Lighthouse of Alexandria:

Also known as the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was a lighthouse built in Egypt by the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. The lighthouse was constructed on Pharos Island, situated opposite the Port of Alexandria.

Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria on a promontory opposite Pharos in 332 BC. The city of Alexandria and Pharos were later connected by a breakwater. After Alexander the Great’s death, Ptolemy I (Ptolemy I Soter) proclaimed himself king in 305 BC and shortly afterwards began construction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The building was completed during the reign of his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (280–247 BC).

The Lighthouse was built by Sostratus of Cnidus. According to measurements taken by the geographer Al-Idrisi in 1154, the Lighthouse was 300 dhira rashashl (162 m) in height. Contemporary research estimates that its total height was at least 100 metres (330 ft). The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built from white stone blocks and was structured in four levels. The lowest was a square base, the second a square section, the third an octagonal section, and the fourth a circular section topped by a statue of Poseidon or Zeus. This top section housed a mirror that reflected sunlight during the day. This allowed sailors to see the lighthouse from a distance of approximately 50 km. At night, passing ships were also protected from hazards by the flame burning there. In other words, the lighthouse guided ships entering the harbour both day and night. The Lighthouse of Alexandria meant a safe return home for sailors. However, the magnificent Lighthouse of Alexandria had collapsed due to a series of earthquakes. The last of the remaining stones of the lighthouse, which had stood partially intact until 1480, were used in the construction of Qaitbay Fortress in this area.

A team of French archaeologists led by Jean-Yves Empereur rediscovered the physical remains of the lighthouse on the seabed of Alexandria’s Eastern Harbour in late 1994. They took the first underwater photographs of the scattered remains of collapsed columns and statues. The cataloguing of over 3,300 pieces was completed by Empereur and his team by the end of 1995 using a combination of photography and mapping. Thirty-six pieces from Empereur’s granite blocks and other discoveries have been restored and are currently on display in Alexandria’s museums. Recent satellite and sonar imaging has revealed additional remains of piers, houses and temples that fell into the Mediterranean as a result of earthquakes and other natural disasters. It is possible to dive there and view the remains.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria is the only ‘Wonder’ among the ‘Seven Wonders of the Ancient World’ that was used for daily life. Due to its architectural design, it served as a model for lighthouses around the world for hundreds of years. It was also one of the tallest man-made structures in the world. Furthermore, it remains the tallest lighthouse ever built. As it is situated just outside the harbour, it is universally known as the Lighthouse of Alexandria.