About Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a well known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. It was based on guide-books popular among Hellenic (Greek) tourists and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. Later lists include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be magical. ==Links to pages == To read about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, click on one of the links below:
 * Great Pyramid of Giza
 * Hanging Gardens of Babylon
 * Temple of Artemis
 * Statue of Zeus at Olympia
 * Mausoleum of Maussollos
 * Colossus of Rhodes
 * Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Greek category was not "Wonders" but theamata, which translates closer to "things to be seen". The seven as we know them could only have been seen after 280 BC, when the Colossus of Rhodes was completed. Earlier lists included things like the Walls of Babylon. The list is at its core, a celebration of Greek accomplishments. Only two of the final seven were non-Greek. Interestingly enough, since the Colossus of Rhodes fell down after a mere 50 years (it fell in a massive earthquake in 226 BC), few historians could have seen it standing (Philo amongst them) and so the exact form of the statue is unknown. It is known however that the Colossus could not have straddled the harbour entrance as it is often depicted in romantic medieval pictures. The Statue of Liberty was partly inspired by what the Colossus may have looked like.

Antipater's first list replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Ishtar Gate. Of these wonders, the only one that has survived to the present day is the Great Pyramid of Giza. The existence of the Hanging Gardens has not been proven, though theories abound. Records and archaeology confirm that the other five wonders used to exist. The Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus were destroyed by fire, while the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Colossus, and tomb of Maussollos were destroyed by earthquakes. There are sculptures from the tomb of Maussollos and the Temple of Artemis in the British Museum in London.