A basic introduction of the seven wonders before I go deeper into
explaining them individually.
The Pyramids of Egypt are three pyramids at Giza, outside modern
Cairo. The largest pyramid, built by Khufu (Cheops), a king of the
fourth dynasty, had an original estimated height of 482 ft (now
approximately 450 ft). The base has sides 755 ft long. It contains
2,300,000 blocks; the average weight of each is 2.5 tons. Estimated
date of completion is 2680 B.C.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were supposedly built by
Nebuchadnezzar around 600 B.C. to please his queen, Amuhia. They
are also associated with the mythical Assyrian queen Semiramis.
Archeologists surmise that the gardens were laid out atop a vaulted
building, with provisions for raising water. The terraces were said
to rise from 75 to 300 ft.
The Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) at Olympia was made of gold and ivory
by the Greek sculptor Phidias (5th century B.C.). Reputed to be 40
ft high, the statue has been lost without a trace, except for
reproductions on coins.
The Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus was begun about 350 B.C.,
in honor of a non-Hellenic goddess who later became identified with
the Greek goddess of the same name. The temple, with Ionic columns
60 ft high, was destroyed by invading Goths in A.D. 262.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was erected by Queen Artemisia in
memory of her husband, King Mausolus of Caria in Asia Minor, who
died in 353 B.C. Some remains of the structure are in the British
Museum. This shrine is the source of the modern word
mausoleum.
The Colossus at Rhodes was a bronze statue of Helios (Apollo),
about 105 ft high. The work of the sculptor Chares, who reputedly
labored for 12 years before completing it in 280 B.C., it was
destroyed during an earthquake in 224 B.C.
The Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria was built by Sostratus of
Cnidus during the 3rd century B.C. on the island of Pharos off the
coast of Egypt. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th
century.
