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Greece was responsible for some of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring creations of the ancient world. From sculpture to architecture, the Greeks were keenly aware of beauty and what it took to produce great art.
During the Hellenistic period, several people drew up their own personal lists of the most impressive architectural works created up to that time. Such lists typically included the seven greatest works of human achievement constructed to that date.
These works were known as the
Seven Wonders of the World. (Today, we say the ancient world because other lists have been compiled of the greatest building accomplishments of the modern world .)
The first written list of the seven wonders was made in the 2 nd century B.C.E. in a poem by Antipater of Sidon, a citizen of
Alexandria, Egypt. Another list was compiled by a Greek named Philo of
Byzantium. His list included six of
Antipater’s seven, replacing the Walls of
Babylon with the Pharos Lighthouse of
Alexandria. The combined list of eight wonders was as follows.
The Pyramids of Giza: Originally standing 480 feet in height, these great stone monuments were built in ancient Egypt around 2600 B.C.E. Three pyramids
(dedicated to Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and
Menkaure) contained millions of limestone blocks, each weighing several tons. Of all the wonders, the Pyramids of Giza were by far the oldest.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon:
Constructed along the banks on the
Euphrates in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon, they were the work of King
Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 B.C.E.).
According to legend, he had them built to remind one of his homesick wives of her native Persia. The gardens were built to resemble a great mountain of green in the barren Euphrates desert.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus:
Built on the Ionian coast, it was a burial tomb of a Persian governor named
Mausolus. The design and construction was done by Greeks. It stood 160 feet high and featured statues of the governor and his wife.
The Temple of Artemis: Located at
Ephesus, this massive marble temple was built by King Croesus in 560 B.C.E. It measured 377 by 180 feet, and stood on columns 40 feet high.
The Statue of Zeus: Built at
Olympia, site of the famous games, the statue was the main feature of the Temple of
Zeus. It was designed by Phidias, who worked on the Parthenon. This wooden statue was covered over with gold and ivory and stood 40 feet high.
Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria:
Built by the Greeks, this Egyptian lighthouse stood 440 feet high and is considered one of the world’s first lighthouses. A fire burned at its top to warn ships.
The Colossus of Rhodes: This immense, bronze statue commanded the harbor entrance on the island of Rhodes, standing 100 feet tall. Built in 290 B.C.E,, the Colossus was of the sun god, Helios.
The Walls of Babylon: The Walls measured 11 miles long and 23 feet thick.
Great gates, such as the Ishtar Gate, marked the wall, providing entrance to the city.
Of all these great works of the ancient world, only the Pyramids of Giza still exist.
Earthquakes destroyed four of the wonders.
McNeese, Tim. The Greeks . “The Seven (No, Eight) Wonders of the Ancient World.” Milliken: St. Louis, 1999, p. 25.