The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is a widely-known list of seven remarkable manmade constructions of classical antiquity.
It was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic sight-seers and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. Later lists include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World.
- Great Pyramid of Giza
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia
- Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
- Colossus of Rhodes
- Lighthouse of Alexandria
More information below:
| Wonder | Date of construction | Built by | Notable features | Date of destruction | Cause of destruction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Great Pyramid of Giza |
2650-2500 BC |
Egyptians |
Built as the tomb of Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. |
Still standing |
- |
|
Hanging Gardens of Babylon |
600 BC |
Babylonians |
Herodotus claimed the outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high (although some archaeological findings suggest otherwise). |
After 1st century BC |
Earthquake |
|
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus |
550 BC |
Lydians, Persians, Greeks |
Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, it took 120 years to build. Herostratus burned it down in an attempt to achieve lasting fame. |
356 BC |
Arson |
|
Statue of Zeus at Olympia |
435 BC |
Greeks |
Occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it, and was 40 feet (12 meters) tall. |
5th-6th centuries AD |
Fire |
|
Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus |
351 BC |
Persians, Greeks |
Stood approximately 45 meters (135 feet) tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum. |
by AD 1494 |
Earthquake |
|
Colossus of Rhodes |
292-280 BC |
Hellenistic Greece |
A giant statue of the Greek god Helios roughly the same size as today's Statue of Liberty in New York. |
224 BC |
Earthquake |
|
Lighthouse of Alexandria |
3rd century BC |
Hellenistic Egypt |
Between 115 and 135 metres (383 - 440 ft) tall it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries. |
AD 1303-1480 |
Earthquake |
The historian Herodotus, and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305?240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, made early lists of "seven wonders" but their writings have not survived, except as references. The earliest extant 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 set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.' ? Antipater, Greek Anthology IX.58
A later list, under various titles like De septem orbis spactaculis and traditionally misattributed to the engineer Philo of Byzantium, may date as late as the fifth century AD, though the author writes as if the Colossus of Rhodes were still standing.
This list is shown in the table above.