| Dictionary: Seven Wonders of the World |
In ancient times, the pyramids of Egypt; the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; Phidias's statue of Zeus at Olympia; the temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the tomb, or mausoleum, of King Mausolus at Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes; and either the Pharos, or lighthouse, at Alexandria or the walls of Babylon. The list of manmade wonders was first compiled by a Hellenistic traveler in the second century B.C.
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| Architecture: Seven Wonders of the World |
The seven most remarkable structures of ancient times: pyramids at El Gizeh, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Colossus at Rhodes, statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the lighthouse at Alexandria; of these, only the pyramids at El Gizeh remain.
| Archaeology Dictionary: Seven Wonders of the World |
More properly the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, these monuments were listed by the Greek writer Antipater in the 2nd century bc as being the most impressive buildings and works of art in the world at the time. Most of the sites have been destroyed or damaged by earthquakes and wars since Antipater set down his list. The Seven Wonders are: the statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece, dated to about 450 bc; the tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus, Greece, dated to about 353 bc; the Colossus of Rhodes, Greece; the temple of Diana (Artemis) at Ephesus, Turkey, dating to the 4th century bc; the Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt, built in the 3rd century bc; the pyramids of Giza, Egypt; and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Iran, dating to about 626–539 bc. All except the pyramids of Egypt have been destroyed, although sculpture from the temple of Diana and the tomb of Mausolus are preserved in the British Museum in London.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Seven Wonders of the World |
Bibliography
See L. Cottrell, Wonders of the World (1959).
| History Dictionary: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
| Wikipedia: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a well known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. It was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic (Greek) tourists and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. Later lists include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be magical.[1]
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The traditional list, though not the first or last, was made by Philo of Byzantium and written in 225 BC in his work "On the Seven Wonders". Earlier and later lists, written by the historian Herodotus (484 BC–ca. 425 BC), and the architect Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305–240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, survive only as references. The later version of a list of seven wonders was compiled by Antipater of Sidon, who described the structures in a poem around 140 BC:
I have gazed on the walls of impregnable Babylon along which chariots may race, and on the Zeus by the banks of the Alpheus, I have seen the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Helios, the great man made mountains of the lofty pyramids, and the gigantic tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the sacred house of Artemis, that towers to the clouds, the others were placed in the shade, for the sun himself, has never looked upon its equal, outside Olympus'
– Antipater, Greek Anthology IX.58
These are given in the table below:[1]
| Wonder | Date of construction | Builder | Notable features | Date of destruction | Cause of destruction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Pyramid of Giza | 2584-2561 BC | Egyptians | Built as the tomb of |
Still standing | --- |
| Hanging Gardens of Babylon | 605-562 BC | Babylonians | Diodorus Siculus described multi-levelled gardens reaching 22 metres (75 feet) high, complete with machinery for circulating water. Large trees grew on the roof. Built by Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife Amytis of Media. | After 1st century BC | Earthquake |
| Statue of Zeus at Olympia | 466-456 BC (Temple) 435 BC (Statue) | Greeks | Occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it, and was 12 metres (40 feet) tall. | 5th-6th centuries AD | Unknown, presumed destroyed by fire or earthquake. |
| Temple of Artemis at Ephesus | c. 550 BC | Lydians, Persians, Greeks | Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, it took 120 years to build. Herostratus burned it down to achieve lasting fame. Rebuilt by Alexander the Great only to be destroyed again by the Goths. It was rebuilt once again after, only to be closed in 391 and destroyed by a mob led by St John Chrysostom in 401. | 356 BC (by Herostratus) AD 262 (by the Goths) AD 391 (by mob led by St John Chrysostom) |
Arson by Herostratus etc., Plundering |
| Mausoleum at Halicarnassus | 351 BC | Carians, Persians, Greeks | Stood approximately 45 metres (135 feet) tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum, a tomb built for Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire | by AD 1494 | Damaged by an earthquake and eventually disassembled by European Crusaders. |
| Colossus of Rhodes | 292-280 BC | Greeks | A giant statue of the Greek god Helios, c. 35m (110 ft) tall. | Toppled by an earthquake in 226 BC, with the bronze scrap removed in AD 654. | Earthquake |
| Lighthouse of Alexandria | c. 280 BC | Hellenistic Egypt | Between 115 and 135 metres (383 - 440 ft) tall it was among the tallest structures on Earth for many centuries. | AD 1303-1480 | Earthquake |
The Greek category was not "Wonders" but theamata, which translates closer to "things to be seen".[2] The seven as we know them could only have been seen after 280 BC, when the Colossus of Rhodes was completed. Earlier lists included things like the Walls of Babylon. The list is at its core, a celebration of Greek accomplishments. Only two of the final seven were non-Greek. Since the Colossus of Rhodes fell down after a mere 50 years (it fell in an earthquake in 226 BC), few historians could have seen it standing (Philo amongst them) and so the exact form of the statue is unknown. It is known however that the Colossus could not have straddled the harbour entrance as it is often depicted in romantic medieval pictures.
Antipater's first list replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Ishtar Gate. Of these wonders, the only one that has survived to the present day is the Great Pyramid of Giza. The existence of the Hanging Gardens has not been proven, though theories abound. Records and archaeology confirm that the other five wonders used to exist. The Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus were destroyed by fire, while the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Colossus, and tomb of Mausolus were destroyed by earthquakes. There are sculptures from the tomb of Mausolus and the Temple of Artemis in the British Museum in London.
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 | Phidias (Athenian sculptor) |
| Colossus of Rhodes (huge statue of Apollo) |
| pharos |
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| The 7 old world wonders? |
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more |
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| History Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World". Read more |
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