The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World |
| Nearly everyone knows that the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World exists, but few people can accurately name them. The original list was compiled around the second century BC but the first reference to the idea of the ancient wonders is found in the History of Herodotus (5th century BC). Decades later, Greek historians wrote about the greatest monuments at the time. Callimachus of Cyrene (305BC-240BC), Chief Librarian of the Alexandria Mouseion, wrote "A Collection of Wonders around the World". All we know about the collection is its title, for it was destroyed when the Library of Alexandria burned. |
| Today's list was compiled during the Middle Ages and comprised the seven most impressive monuments of the Ancient World, some of which were bare fragments at the time. Today, archaeological evidence reveals some of the mysteries that surrounded the history of the Wonders for centuries. For their builders, the Seven Wonders were a celebration of religion, mythology, art, power, and science. For us, they reflect the ancient and the mystic and the ability to build massive, yet beautiful, structures, only one of which has survived to modern times. |
The Pyramids of Giza |
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The Lighthouse of Alexandria |
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The Colossus of Rhodes |
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The Statue of Zeus at Olympia |
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The Mausoleum of Halicarnarsus |
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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon |
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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus |
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