“I have gazed on the walls of impregnable Babylon along which chariots may race, and on the Zeus by the banks of the Alpheus, I have seen the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Helios, the great man-made mountains of the lofty pyramids, and the gigantic tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the sacred house of Artemis that towers to the clouds, the others were placed in the shade, for the sun himself has never looked upon its equal outside Olympus.” — Antipater

Over 2,000 years ago, two ancient writers named Antipater of Sidon and Philo of Byzantium authored antiquity’s most well known tour guides. After the two Greeks had traveled around the Mediterranean, they wrote of what they considered to be the classical world’s greatest construction projects. While there is still some question as to who actually authored the text attributed to Philo and when it was authored, their lists ended up comprising the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, igniting interest in the ones they chose and inspiring subsequent generations to identify their era’s own Seven Wonders.

Naturally, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World may be considered something of a misnomer. Only one still stands (the' Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt), all existed in the Hellenistic culture rather than all over the world, and relatively few people saw them or visited them. They were all architectural marvels of the late Classical period and all but two were created by the Greeks. All but one were in the Mediterranean area. Even so, they represented a widespread range of works and cultures and spread out across three different continents.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World have continued to fascinate modern society, thanks in large measure to what was written about them and the fact that only one, the Great Pyramid at Giza, still survives. For that reason, speculation has revolved around the ones that didn’t. Did the Colossus of Rhodes straddle the entire harbor or was it a statue on a pedestal at the mouth of the harbor, like an ancient Statue of Liberty? How did the Babylonians successfully plant and irrigate the Hanging Gardens? How tall was the Lighthouse of Alexandria? When did Phidias construct the Statue of Zeus at Olympia?

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World profiles each of the seven wonders named by Philon, discussing the history of each wonder, what was written about each wonder, what is known about each wonder, and the lingering mysteries surrounding what is not known about them. Along with historic depictions of the wonders, you will learn about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World like you never have before, in no time at all.

History