7 Facts About the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The first list of the wonders of the world was compiled by the ancient Greek writer and poet Antipater of Sidon in the second century BCE, and it included seven extraordinary landmarks around the Mediterranean and modern-day Middle East. Since then, these ancient marvels have been a subject of study, fascination, and awe. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were stunning achievements of sculpture and architecture, built with such intricacy and at such a massive scale that in some cases historians remain baffled as to how ancient civilizations were able to create them. Most of the wonders have been lost to time — only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains in any substantial form — but they still capture the imaginations of generations of people who look to them as a source of beauty and inspiration. Here, we take a brief tour around the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East with seven facts about the ancient wonders of the world.
The Great Pyramid of Giza Is the Largest Compass Ever Built
If you happen to find yourself lost in the deserts of Egypt, you might want to seek out the Great Pyramid of Giza to find your way home. The four corners of the Great Pyramid are aligned with the four cardinal directions, and with such a high degree of accuracy that experts are still trying to puzzle out how the ancient Egyptians pulled it off. The pyramid’s alignment is accurate within one-fifteenth of a degree, a measure that’s difficult to achieve even with modern technology, and especially for a structure so massive (in its prime, the Great Pyramid stood 481 feet tall). Historians theorize that ancient engineers may have used shadows cast by the sun or the location of stars in the night sky to orient the massive structure. However, to this day, the exact method the Egyptians used to pull off this stunning feat of architecture and engineering remains a mystery.
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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon May Have Relied on a Rooftop Irrigation System
Located in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon (in modern-day Iraq), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are unique among the seven ancient wonders in that their historical existence remains a subject of debate among scholars. No definitive evidence of the gardens has ever been found, and our modern knowledge of them relies on a handful of detailed descriptions that have survived from antiquity. One common thread among many of these accounts is the ingenious irrigation system that kept the gardens vibrant and thriving. The gardens were said to grow on a series of rooftop terraces, and some historians believe that water was pumped through a complex system of pulleys, pipes, and water tanks from the Euphrates River up into the gardens.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Was Almost Stolen by a Roman Emperor
The Statue of Zeus, a giant sculpture erected outside the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, was famous throughout the Mediterranean, and attracted tourists and religious pilgrims who came from all over Greece to marvel at its sheer scale and beauty. It was considered so amazing, in fact, that the Roman emperor Caligula once decided to add the creation to his personal art collection, and tried to have the entire 40-foot statue moved to Rome. (He also planned to remove the statue’s head and replace it with his own.) According to Roman historians, the plan was abandoned when the statue started laughing and frightened away the moving crew.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Was Completely Rebuilt After Burning Down
The Temple of Artemis was one of the most famous structures of the ancient world. It was decorated with countless works of breathtaking art, and its massive size made it the most striking building in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey). Unfortunately, the temple’s notability could sometimes draw negative attention, and in 356 BCE it was burned down by a man named Herostratus, who hoped his crime would earn him eternal fame. At great expense and difficulty, the Ephesians undertook the massive task of rebuilding the temple, and finally completed the reconstruction sometime after 323 BCE. Sadly, when the temple was destroyed a second time by invading Goths, it was never rebuilt again.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Gave Us the Word “Mausoleum”
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, a gigantic monumental tomb built for the ancient ruler Mausolus of Caria (in modern-day Turkey), was a whopping 140 feet tall and decorated with sculptures by four of the most famous sculptors in ancient Greece. Its appearance was so awe-inspiring that ever since it was built, the word “mausoleum” has been used for any tomb built in a similar style — though most modern-day mausoleums are a fair bit smaller.
An Oracle Prevented the Reconstruction of the Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes, a towering statue of the Roman sun god Helios, stood for just 54 years in the harbor of the Greek city of Rhodes before it toppled in an earthquake around 226 BCE. The Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy III offered to help pay for the reconstruction of the monument, but the project was quickly abandoned when the Oracle of Delphi (the Greek high priestess Pythia) delivered a prophetic warning that rebuilding the statue would provoke the wrath of Helios, and bring divine retribution to the city.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria’s Beacon Could Be Seen for 35 Miles
Constructed around 280 BCE, the Lighthouse of Alexandria in ancient Egypt wasn’t just for show; it played an essential role in guiding ships along the treacherous Egyptian coastline, and its light could be seen by ships up to 35 miles away. Part of the reason for the beacon’s impressive reach was the tower’s massive height. At the time it was built, it was the second-tallest building in the world after the Great Pyramid of Giza (at 350 feet and 481 feet, respectively). The strength of the beacon was further amplified by a gigantic mirror that was used to reflect the light out to sea.
