The Seven Wonders

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Definition

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were:

  1. the Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt
  2. the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
  3. the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece
  4. the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
  5. the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
  6. the Colossus of Rhodes
  7. the Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt

The Seven Wonders were first defined as “themata” (Greek for 'things to be seen’ which, in today’s common English, we would phrase as 'must sees’) by Philo of Byzantium in 225 BCE, in his work 'On The Seven Wonders’. Other writers on the Seven Wonders include Herodotus, Callimachus of Cyrene and Antipater of Sidon.

The Seven Wonders were hardly an objective agreed-upon list of the greatest structures of the day but were, rather, very like a modern-day tourist pamphlet informing travelers on what to see on their trip. Herodotus disagreed with Philo’s original list and felt the Egyptian Labyrinth was greater than them all. Antipater replaced the Lighthouse with the Gate of Ishtar and Callimachus, and others listed the great Walls of Babylon. Philo’s list, however, has long been accepted as the 'official’ definition of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

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Articles

Article

The Great Pyramid of Giza: The Last Remaining Wonder of the Ancient World

by writer873
published on 18 January 2012
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest monument on the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is also the only one left standing. It is a marvel of human engineering and construction, and its sheer size and scale rivals any structure built within the last few hundred years. It's construction, though, has always been the subject of much debate... [continue reading]
Article

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: The Mysterious Wonder of the Ancient World

by writer873
published on 18 January 2012
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon evoke a romantic picture of lush greenery and colorful flowers cascading from the sky. The grandeur of their sight must have been awe-inspiring, which is why Herodotus would have considered them one of his 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. However, not only are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon not standing today, but their entire existence... [continue reading]
Article

The Lighthouse at Alexandria: the Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World

by writer873
published on 18 January 2012
The Pharos at Alexandria was the last structure to be named on Antipater of Sidon's list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was constructed at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, begun by Ptolemy Soter, the ruler of the Egyptian region after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. It was impressive in its construction and scale, and legends... [continue reading]
Article

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: A Tomb for a King and a Testament to Greek Architecture

by writer873
published on 18 January 2012
The term mausoleum, since the Roman era, has meant any large-scale tomb. It is what we think of today as a big marble building that houses the remains of the deceased. The term mausoleum, though, has very specific origins that can be traced back to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. This monument was the grandiose... [continue reading]
Article

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

by writer873
published on 18 January 2012
In the ancient world, there were many temples dedicated to Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. But there was only one temple to Zeus that housed one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was home to one of greatest sculptural achievements of ancient history. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia represented the pinnacle of Classical sculptural... [continue reading]
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Lighthouse of Alexandria Ancient Rhodes by Frantisek Kupka The Pyramids of Giza Model of the Temple of Artemis

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