Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Several writers/authors listed the greatest monuments and buildings known to the Classical World. One such writer was the Greek, Antipater of Sidon. Seven were settled on because that was considered a magic number by the Greeks.

The Egyptian Pyramids.
Built more than 4000 years ago, they are the oldest of the ancient wonders and the only ones still surviving. They served as tombs for the Egyptian pharaohs, whose mummified bodies were surrounded by treasures and personal belongings. Recent studies have indicated that certain ones may have some astrological connections due to their alignment to certain constellations.

The Colossus of Rhodes.
A bronze statue of the sun god Helios standing 32m (105 ft) high at the mouth of Rhodes harbour. According to legend, the Colossus straddled the harbour and vessels sailed between its legs. It was built on the Greek island in about 305 - 292 BC and was destroyed in 224 BC by an earthquake.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Built in the 6th century BC by Nebuchadnezzer II, they consisted of a series of terraces on which flowers and trees were grown. The gardens stretched along the banks of the Euphrates and were watered by irrigation channels.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Asia Minor.
The tomb of Mausolus, a ruler of the city in the 4th century BC. It was built by his widow and was destroyed by an earthquake before the 15th century AD.

The Pharos of Alexandria.
The worlds first known lighthouse, it stood 122m (400 ft) high and had a spiral ramp leading to the beacon. It was built on the island of Pharos, at the entrance to Alexandria harbour in Egypt in about 270 BC. By the 15th century AD it had fallen into ruin.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
An imposing figure - 9m (30 ft) high - of the supreme Greek god with a body made of wood and covered with gold and ivory. It was designed in the 5th century BC by the Athenian sculptor Phidias and was destroyed by fire in 475 AD.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephasus, Asia Minor.
Built of marble in the 6th century BC in honour of the Greek virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon, it was rebuilt in the 4th century BC and finally destroyed by the invading Goths in the 3rd century AD. Fragments of the temple are in the British Museum, in London, England.

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