So I was scanning my notes when I was on a review last year and I found something interesting and thought about sharing this with you guys.
These are called 7 wonders not only because of its aesthetics and huge sizes but also because archaeologists and historians couldn't pinpoint facts on how these structures were built.
Here are the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World:
1. The Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt
- this pyramid was constructed by the slaves for the Egyptian Pharoah Khufu
- with a width of 775 feet and a height of 480 feet, The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the largest man-made structure ever built.
- this was when Geometry, specifically the Pythagorean Theorem was first used.
- this was when the cement is invented
- this was built 3,000 B.C without equipment or whatsoever, just bare hands
- that's why it remains a mystery how they were able to build the structure without construction equipment
2. The Hanging Gardens at Babylon (Hillah, Iraq)
- this was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II, as a gift tor his wife Amytis of Media (now Iran) because of her homesickness for the beautiful vegetation and gardens of her hometown.
- Self-watering planes of exotic flora and fauna reaching a height of over 75 feet through a series of climbing terraces
- this was built in 6th century B.C
- it is called the Hanging Gardens because the plants weren't rooted in the earth like a traditional garden as seen in the picture
- I believe they made the history of calling us plantitos and plantitas
3. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece
- This statue is built by a sculptor named Phidias
- this was built to honor Zeus as the father of the Olympian Gods and supreme deity
- Depicted the God of the Gods, Zeus seated on his throne, his skin of ivory and robes of hammered gold
- the statue stands 40 feet tall
- this was built 466 BC
- the statue was destroyed a Roman Emperor Theodosius I (r. 379-395 CE) favored Christianity, decreed that all cult practices, including the Olympic Games, should be stopped, and then was completely destroyed by earthquakes
4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (now Turkey)
- Artemis is the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation and of chastity and childbirth;
- She was identified by the Romans with Diana.
- Daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo.
- the building of this temple took over 120 years to complete and only had one night to destroy.
- The great temple was built by Croesus, king of Lydia, however, it was burned by a madman named Herostratus.
5. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (Turkey)
- the tomb of the Persian Emperor Satrap Mauslos.
- this was built 135 feet tall and ornately decorated with fine sculptures
- it is from the tomb of Mauslos where the English word Mausoleum is derived.
- the structure was destroyed by a series of earthquakes, lay in ruins for a hundred years, and was completely dismantled in 1494.
6. The Colossus of Rhodes (Greece)
- this was a statue of the Greek god of the Sun, Helios which stood over 110 feet high and was built for a celebration of a victory against the ruler Cyrus.
- It took 12 years to complete building the structure
- the statue only stood for 56 years before it was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC.
- For 800 years, the statue laid on the ground until it was robbed of its bronze by an Arab force.
- the bronze then was sold to a Jewish merchant and had 900 camels to take it all the way.
7. The Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt
This lighthouse stood close to 440 feet in height
- build on the island of Pharos commissioned by Ptolemy I
- It was built with marble and mortar and composed of three stories.
- The lighthouse was intended to guide & protect sailors, & to that end was dedicated to Zeus Soter (Deliverer). Around 300 BCE Ptolemy I Soter (r. 323 - 282 BCE) commissioned the building of a massive lighthouse to guide ships into Alexandria and provide a permanent reminder of his power and greatness.
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If you have noticed, all of these wonders were coming from the Middle East region or Eurasia it is because this is where the ancient civilization started.
Yay! That was the long historical stuffs I have shared. Anyway, I will be uploading an article about the natural wonders of the world soon.
Nice Post