7 Wonders of the Ancient World Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled over the ages to catalogue the most spectacular man-made constructions and natural sites in the world. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the first known list of the most remarkable man-made creations of antiquity, and was based on guide-books popular among Greek sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenty. Many similar lists have been made, including lists for the Medieval World and the Modern World. By the time Greece became powerful (classical Greece), these had been built. Most were not built by the Greeks themselves, but they appreciated them anyway.

1 – The Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo, Egypt, and is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian King Khufu (Cheops in Greek) and constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man- made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Originally the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface, and what is seen today is the underlying core structure. pyramids-at-giza-video.htmhttp://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/11939-structures-the-egyptian- pyramids-at-giza-video.htm

2 – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Hanging Gardens of Babylon,, near present-day Al Hillah in Iraq (formerly Babylon), is considered one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. They were built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. He is reported to have constructed the gardens to please his wife, Amities of Media, who longed for the trees and fragrant plants of her homeland Persia. The gardens were destroyed by several earthquakes after the 2nd century BC. The lush Hanging Gardens are extensively documented by Greek historians such as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus. An idea similar to Archimedes' water screw was used as a process of raising the water to the required height. Nebuchadnezzar II also used massive slabs of stone, which was unheard of in Babylon, to prevent the water from eroding the ground. No one knows what happened to the ruins of the gardens.

3 – The Statue of Zeus at Olympia The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was made by the Greek sculptor of the Classical period, Phidias, circa 432 BC on the site where it was erected in the temple of Zeus, Olympia, Greece. The seated statue, some 12 metres (39 feet) tall, occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple built to house it. "It seems that if Zeus were to stand up," the geographer Strabo noted early in the first century BC, "he would unroof the temple." Zeus was a sculpture, made of ivory and gold-plated bronze. No copy has survived, though there are recognizable but approximate versions on coins of Elis and Roman coins, but a very detailed description of the sculpture and the throne was recorded by the traveler Pausanias. The circumstances of its eventual destruction are a source of debate: the eleventh-century Byzantine historian Georgios Kedrenos recorded the tradition that it was carried off to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in the great fire of the Lauseion, in 475. Others argue that it perished with the temple when it burned in 425 AD. olympia-video.htmhttp://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/12369-ancient-greece-the-sanctuary-of-zeus-at- olympia-video.htm

4 – The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus The Temple of Artemis, was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the Persian Empire. Nothing remains of the temple, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In the seventh century an old temple on the site was destroyed by a flood. Around 550 BC, the Lydians started to build the "new" temple. It was a 120-year project, initially designed and constructed by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes, at the expense of Croesus of Lydia. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The first time, it was burned by an arsonist who wanted to go down in history for any reason – even a bad one. His name was Herostratus, and today herostratic fame means fame at any cost. This happened on July 21, 356 BC – Alexander the Great’s birthday. The last temple was taken apart in 401 AD to use the stones in creating other buildings. video.htmhttp://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29920-into-the-unknown-ephesus- video.htm

5 – The Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus The Tomb of Mausolus, was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus in Turkey, for Mausolus, a Governor in the Persian Empire, and his wife and sister. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythis. It stood approximately 45 metres (135 ft) in height, and each of the four sides was adorned with sculptural reliefs created by each one of four Greek sculptors who worked on it. Mausol-eion used to mean “tomb of Mausolus” but now the word mausoleum has since come to be used generically for any grand tomb, such as the Taj Mahal. A series of earthquakes shattered the columns around 1404 AD and only the very base of the Mausoleum was still recognizable. In the early fifteenth century, the Knights of St John of Malta invaded the region and built a massive castle called Bodrum Castle. When they decided to fortify it in 1494, they used the stones of the Mausoleum. Sections of polished marble from the tomb can still be seen there today.

6 – The Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek god Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Before its destruction, the Colossus of Rhodes stood over 30 meters (107 ft) high, making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world. It was made of solid bronze and stood watch over the harbour. The statue stood for only 56 years until Rhodes was hit by an earthquake in 226 BC. The statue snapped at the knees and fell over on to the land. Ptolemy III offered to pay for the reconstruction of the statue, but the oracle of Delphi made the Rhodians afraid that they had offended Helios, and they declined to rebuild it. The remains lay on the ground as described by Strabo for over 800 years, and even broken, they were so impressive that many traveled to see them. Pliny the Elder remarked that few people could wrap their arms around the fallen thumb and that each of its fingers was larger than most statues. In 654 an Arab force under Muslim caliph Muawiyah I captured Rhodes and melted down the scrap metal.

7 – The Lighthouse at Alexandria The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a tower built in the 3rd century BC (between 285 and 247 BC) on the island of Pharos in Alexandria harbour, to serve as that port's landmark, and later, its lighthouse. With a height variously estimated at between 115 and 150 m (380 and 490 ft) it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries. There are ancient claims the light from the lighthouse could be seen from up to 35 mi (56 km) away. The two earthquakes in 1303 and 1323, damaged the lighthouse and it toppled over. Even the remnants disappeared in 1480, when the Sultan of Egypt built a medieval fort on the former location of the building, using some of the fallen stone. The remnants of the lighthouse that were incorporated into the walls of Fort Qaitbey are still clearly visible due to their excessive size in comparison to surrounding masonry.

QUIZ TIME!

QUIZ 1-7: In any order, list the seven wonders of the ancient world. You do not have to give the exact name, however, you do have to be specific, so “temple” is not good enough, unless you can say where it was, or who it was dedicated to. 8-Which wonder is the only one still standing? 9-Which wonder was built as a gift for the builder’s wife? 10- Which temple was destroyed on the day that Alexander the Great was born?

As long as they have the underlined word (if there is one), AND at least one of the bold terms in each answer, they get a point. The Lighthouse at Alexandria The Pyramids at Giza The Mausoleum (or tomb of Mauslaous) at Halicarnassus The Colossus of Rhodes The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Statue of Zeus at Olympia The Temple of Artimis at Ephesus 8-The Pyramids 9-The Hanging Gardens 10-The Temple of Artimis at Ephesus