If you asked someone what the seven wonders of the world are, it’s possible that you would get more than 7 answers. There are 3 sets of 7 wonders:
- The seven wonders of the ancient world (a.k.a. the old seven wonders)
- The seven natural wonders of the world
- The seven wonders of the new world (a.k.a. the new seven wonders of the world.
Ninety years ago the Christ Redeemer hadn’t been a wonder of the world. 130 years ago the Eiffel Tower wasn’t a wonder of our world. Five-hundred years ago the Taj Mahal wouldn’t have been one of the wonders of the world. Two-thousand one-hundred years ago the Roman Colosseum was never seen or heard of. Two-thousand five-hundred years ago the great wall of china had never been heard of. These gorgeous structures hadn’t been built yet in the time frames given. So what were the wonders of the world then?
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
A few of these Wonders haven’t been heard of by many people, but that doesn’t make them anything less than incredible.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is a very well known ancient wonder. Most people think that it’s popular just because it’s a pyramid in Egypt. But what really makes it so special? Well to start off it’s the oldest wonder of the ancient world and surprisingly enough it’s also the least damaged . The Great Pyramid of Giza is an architectural feat and it’s magnitude was far greater than any structure built within 3,800 years after it!
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens Of Babylon
Have you ever heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? This wonder certainly isn’t as well know as The Great Pyramid of Giza. One of the reasons why is probably because it is not longer standing due to a massive earthquake. These gardens were a wonder of the ancient world because of the awe-struck feeling a tourist would feel at first sight. Unfortunately, due to the destruction of this ancient wonder its entire existence is being questioned.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The remains of The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia showed Zeus holding Nike (his messenger, not the shoe brand) in one hand and a rod with an eagle on it in the other. This monument was 43 feet tall, the sculptor probably used the height of the statue as a way to symbolize Zeus’ power.
The downfall of this historical monument came after the olympic games got banned and was due to several earthquakes, floods and landslides. But The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was finally destroyed in year 462 C.E. due to a disastrous fire. Just like The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia is also now nothing but ruins.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
A Replica of The Temple Of
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus is also a greek monument that was made to honor and respect the Goddess Artemis. This structure was an architectural marvel. Even today a temple of that sort would take a tremendous amount of effort, time, and money. It would also be extremely difficult. The artisans at that time built this temple using rare materials, tools, and beautiful architectural skills. The Temple was set on fire by Herostratus. It was rebuilt after the death of Alexander The Great. Just to be destroyed again by the Goths.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife. Likewise, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was built by Artemisia in memory of her husband Mausolus. This tomb was so gorgeous at its peak time that the people looking at it may have thought that it was just a fragment of their imagination.
All four sides of this masterpiece were embellished with “sculptural reliefs” each designed by a different architect which is pretty cool. Sadly this wondrous work of art also came to a devastating end due to A few earthquakes and an attack from crusaders which finally knocked the tomb down.
The Colossus of Rhodes
Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes was built on the Greek island, Rhodes. The statue was made to honor the greek sun-god Helios and to celebrate their victory over the ruler of Cyprus in 305 BC. The Colossus of Rhodes had a spiky head-dress much like the statue of liberty and it also represented freedom. But there is no actual evidence that the statue of liberty was inspired by The Colossus of Rhodes. This structure stood for almost 55 years but collapsed after an earthquake hit the Island of Rhodes and destroyed a sufficient amount of the city as well.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
Last but definitely not least is the The Lighthouse of Alexandria. At the time that it was built it was the tallest building standing other than the Great Pyramid of Giza. So why was it so important? First of all it was the first lighthouse ever built! This lighthouse was built on the island of Pharos and was used to guide many ships to the busy harbor of Alexandria.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was badly damaged in the earthquakes of 956, 1303, and 1323. What ever remains of the lighthouse were still on the base at that point disappeared since the Sultan of Egypt decided to build a fort on it.
Whether it’s still standing or completely collapsed each one of these incredible structures deserve some recognition. Maybe in a few thousand years there will be 7 wonders of the new, new world. But for right now I think our world is perfect just the way it is. You can see the beauty in everything if you just look around you.
