Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

While the entries have varied over the centuries, the seven traditional wonders are the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Alexander the Great's conquest of much of the western world in the 4th century BC gave Hellenistic travellers access to the civilizations of the Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians.

[5][6] The epigrammist Antipater of Sidon,[7] who lived around or before 100 BC,[8] gave a list of seven "wonders", including six of the present list (substituting the walls of Babylon for the Lighthouse of Alexandria):[9] 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.Another ancient writer, who, perhaps dubiously, identified himself as Philo of Byzantium, wrote a short account entitled The Seven Sights of the World.

Download coordinates as: The seven wonders on Antipater's list won praises for their notable features, ranging from superlatives of the highest or largest of their types, to the artistry with which they were executed.

[16] Paintings and sculptures alluding to Antipater's list were made, while significant numbers of adventurers travelled to the actual sites to personally witness the wonders.

Its brilliant white stone facing had survived intact until around 1300 AD, when local communities removed most of the stonework for building materials.

The "seven wonders" label has spawned innumerable versions among international organizations, publications and individuals based on different themes—works of nature, engineering masterpieces, constructions of the Middle Ages, etc.

Its purpose has also changed from just a simple travel guidebook or a compendium of curious places to a list of sites to defend or preserve.

16th-century imagined depictions of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. From left to right, top to bottom: Great Pyramid of Giza , Hanging Gardens of Babylon , Temple of Artemis , Statue of Zeus at Olympia , Mausoleum at Halicarnassus , Colossus of Rhodes , and the Lighthouse of Alexandria
Timeline, and map of the Seven Wonders. Dates in bold green and dark red are of their construction and destruction, respectively.
The Great Pyramid of Giza , the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing
A map showing the locations of the seven wonders of the ancient world
In this painting by Maerten van Heemskerck , the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are depicted as a background for the abduction of Helen by Paris. [ 15 ] The Walters Art Museum