T.L. Higley - Seven Wonders of the Ancient World


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	The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World The Colossus of Rhodes - Learn more about the amazing statue featured in Shadow of Colossus here The Great Pyramid of Giza - Find out about the Wonder featured in Book 2 of the Seven Wonders Novels, City of the Dead, here The Lighthouse of Alexandria - Learn more about the Lighthouse featured in Book 3 of the Seven Wonders Novels, Guardian of the Flame here The Statue of Zeus on Mount Olympia In about 450 B.C., the city of Olympia -- where the first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. -- built a temple to honor the god Zeus. A lavish 40-foot statue of Zeus was commissioned for inside. Athenian sculptor Phidias created an ivory Zeus seated on a throne, draped in a gold robe. Zeus had a wreath of olive branches around his head and held a figure of his messenger Nike in his right hand, and a scepter in his left. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon These gardens are said to have been laid out on a brick terrace by King Nebuchadnezzar II for one of his wives, who was longing for her home in Persia. According to the writings of a Babylonian priest, they were approximately 400 feet square and 75 feet above the ground. His account says slaves working in shifts turned screws to lift water from the nearby Euphrates River to irrigate the trees, shrubs and flowers. The Tomb of King Mausollus This enormous white marble tomb was built to hold the remains of Mausolus (Mausollos), a provincial king in the Persian Empire, and his wife, Artemisia . Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius designed the approximately 135-foot-high tomb, and four famous Grecian sculptors added an ornamental frieze (decorated band) around its exterior. On the top of the tomb, there stood a four-horse chariot. Word of the grandeur of the finished structure spread though the ancient world, and the word "mausoleum" came to represent any large tomb. The Temple of Artemis The great Ionian city of Ephesus was chosen as the site for one of the largest and most complex temples built in ancient times. The Temple of Artemis (Diana) had a marble sanctuary and a tile-covered wooden roof. The original temple burned in 356 B.C. and was rebuilt on the same foundation. Fire devastated the second temple in 262 A.D., but its foundation and some debris have survived. Only one column still stands. ~from CNN.com: A virtual tour of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Can you name the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? Don't panic if you can't. With modern monuments, the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, and the world's Seven Natural Wonders in the mix, very few people can sort out these astounding ancient architectural feats. What makes it even harder is that only one still exists. Inspired by mythology, religion and art, ancient civilizations undertook these seven imposing projects from about 2700 B.C. to about 270 B.C. Only one, the Egyptian Pyramids at Giza, has survived. Fires, earthquakes, conquests and the ravages of time have led to the others' demise. The ancient Greeks and Romans are said to have initiated the original "Seven Wonders" list, perhaps as an early travel guide of sorts. Over time, the inventory was added to and culled, then finally "completed" during the Middle Ages. Classical writers later disagreed on the final list, but the following seven works of art and architecture were among those most commonly included. Unfortunately, relatively few drawings or sketches exist of the wonders that vanished, so archaeologists have relied on ancient tales and literary works to get an idea of their appearance and history. Click on any icon on the map above to begin your virtual tour, or click below: Pyramids of Egypt \| Pharos of Alexandria \| Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Temple of Artemis \| Statue of Zeus Mausoleum at Halicarnassus \| The Colossus of Rhodes


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