Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

How many individuals can name the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? These ancien, man made monuments were compiled into a list considerable in their enormous size or some other unusual quality (Donovan 325). We should not let these legacies be left behind in the past, because each of these "Seven Wonders" has a story hidden within their ruins, or in one case, within its remains. Picture these architectural structures as I uncover the legends of The Statue of Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Temple of Artemis. The first full modern version of the list appeared less than four centuries ago in Italy in 1608 (Romer IX). After that the lists varied, sometimes naming ten wonders, but always keeping the honored name of "The Seven Wonders of the World" (IX). The listing of these wonders initiated by Greeks and Romans listed memorable things that they thought travelers should see (Donovan 325). The origianl authorship of the list is not completely proven, but it is believed to be composed by Bede and Philo (Romer X). Philo's list is the most impressive, because of it's uncomparable text, in length, poetr

The Greek architect Sostratos designed the lighthouse, one of the tallest structures on Earth in its time, during the reign of the King Ptolemy II (1). According to the legen, Nabuchadnezzar continued Nabopolassar's work of building fortresses and walls (15). Zeus was the son of the titans Cranos and Rhea (22). There is almost no exception thateach tomb of the Egyptian Kings was plundered (2). The structure became so famous that "pharos" came to mean lighthouse in French, Italian, and Spanish (1). The statue stood on a promontory overlooking the water and on some accounts, ships sailed between its legs, for it stood near the harbor of Rhodes, a Greek Island in the Aegean Sea (1). One of the best Greek sculptors, Phedias, was asked to do it (22). The Colossus of Rhodes was to be the most short-lived of the world's wonders (Grigson 15). The Olympic games were held in honor of Zeus since 776 B. In an attempt to immortalize himself, Herostratus burnt down the temple in 365 BC (Grigson 23). The Colossus was one of the greatest pieces of self-criticism and hailed as the most perfect representation of a human form (14). There is only about eight inches difference between the longest and the shortest baselineand teh four corners make an almost perfect right angle (18). The task to Chares took twelve years, from 292 B. They believedthat the body has two separate existances, so all the dead leaders were placed inthe tomb along with many treasures the Egyptians believed they would need in the afterlife(2).