The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

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Information and Resources of the Ancient World’s Seven Wonders

The list of seven amazing buildings and sculptures was proposed in the 2^nd century B.C. by Antipater of Sidon, a writer.  Understandably, these wonders are limited to the structures that Ancient Greeks knew about.

The Great Pyramid of Egypt

Located at Giza, Egypt, the Great Pyramid is the oldest of these Seven Ancient World Wonders. It was built for King Khufu who died in about 2465 B.C. According to Ancient Greek historian, it took thousands of men 20 years to construct. The pyramid was 147 meters high, making it the tallest man-structure for over 4000 years.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The legend is that King Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled Babylon between 605 B.C. and 56 B.C., built incredible “hanging” gardens for his wife, Amytis. She disliked the dry landscape of Babylon, which was so unlike the green hills of Media, her birthplace. The Babylonian king recreated  Media’s green hills for her.

The Statue of Zeus

The statue had Zeus seated on a throne with his head touching the ceiling of the temple. It was covered with solid gold and ivory. In his right hand, Zeus held a figure of Nike, goddess of victory, and an eagle on a sceptre in his left.

The statue of Ancient Greek god Zeus is 12 meters tall, located in the Temple of Zeus, Olympia, in western Greece. Made by a man named Phidias, it was built in the 5^th century B.C. to commemorate the first Olympic Games.

The Temple of Artemis

This temple was built by King Croesus in Ephesus, Turkey around 550B. It has been rebuilt a number of times before its eventual destruction. Only fragments have remained. The Temple of Artemis housed many art treasures and spectacular statues, including one of goddess Artemis herself, adorned with gold, silver and ebony.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

This wonder tomb was made to house the dead body of the ruler of Persia that time, King Mausolus of Caria, who died in 353 B.C. It was built by his wife, Artemisia, in Halicarnassus, now the city of Bodrum, Turkey. Her body was laid to rest there too.

The structure was a large pyramid with 24 steps, containing 36 columns.  It was 45 meters long and 45 meters tall, with a marble chariot drawn by four horses on the top.

The Colossus of Rhodes

The colossus of Rhodes was a huge bronze statue of the Ancient Greek sun god, Helios. It was 33 meters high and the tallest statue in the Ancient World. It took around 12 years to build, standing on Mandraki Harbour on the island of Rhodes, Greece. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 B.C.

The Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria

Completed in about 280 B.C., the Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse used to warn ships of the rocks surrounding the port of Alexandria, Egypt. It stood for over 1,500 years surviving numerous earthquakes.

The building measured over 110 meters to the top. Polished bronzed mirrors reflected the sunlight during the day, and a light burnt at night that could be seen up to 50 kilometers away. In 1994, an archaeologist found masonry blocks believed to be from the lighthouse, toppled in 1300s by an earthquake.

Resources about The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

New World Encyclopedia Entry about The Seven Wonders of the World

The New Seven Wonders of the World: Information and Resources

Official 7 Wonders website

Glancey, Jonathan. Lost Buildings. Cameron House, 2008.

Resource by Tel

Tel Asiado is a writer, author, and business consultant, previously, IT manager & consultant. Her articles reflect her interests, from small business, biographies & histories, to classical music especially Mozart, art & literature, biographies, and Christian writings. Tel has produced non-fictions, e-books and anthologies. Her education is MBA in Computer Management, BSc Chemistry, Diploma in Small Business & Internet Mktg, and Cert IV Training and Assessment (TAA). Her small office/home site is homebizideasnow.com, and numerous information of Mozart and classical music, mozartandclassicalmusic.com.

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