Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza The Pyramid of Khufu is the largest of the three pyramids in Giza near what is now Cairo, Egypt, and it is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. According to Herodotus, who was a Greek traveler who visited Egypt around 450 BC, the Great Pyramid was as a tomb for the Pharaoh Khufu. It was constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon They were built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. He constructed the gardens to please his wife, Amytis of Media, who came from Persia. The king decided to recreate her homeland by building an artificial mountain with rooftop gardens. Unfortunately, the gardens were destroyed by several earthquakes after the 2nd century BC.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Statue of Zeus at Olympia This is the statue of the god in whose honor the Ancient Olympic games were held. It was located in the ancient town of Olympia, on the west coast of modern Greece. The sculptor chosen for this great task was a man named Phidias, who began working on the statue around 440 BC. The statue was 12 metres tall and it is said that it was destroyed when the temple burned in 425 AD.

Temple of Artemis

Temple of Artemis It was a temple dedicated to Artemis, who was the goddess of fertility. It was completed around 550 BC at Ephesus ,in present-day Turkey. It was 115 meters long and 55 meters wide, made almost entirely of marble. About 127 Ionic columns, 18 meters in height, supported the roof. The great temple was destroyed during a raid by the Goths in 262 A.D.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus It was a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC at Halicarnassus, present Turkey, for Mausolus, who was a satrap in the Persian Empire. It was approximately 45 metres in height, and each of the four sides was adorned with sculptural reliefs. A series of earthquakes shattered the columns.

The Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes It was a statue of the Greek god Helios, erected on the island of Rhodes between 292 and 280 BC. It was over 30 meters high, making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world. It was constructed of bronze plates over an iron framework. The statue stood for only 56 years until Rhodes was hit by an earthquake in 226 BC.

Lighthouse of Alexandria

Lighthouse of Alexandria It was a tower built in the 3rd century BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt to serve as a port landmark. Around the 1st century AD, during the Roman period, the building became a lighthouse, with a fire and reflective mirrors at the top. In 1303 and 1323, two earthquakes destroyed it.

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page