Wonder Week, Ancient Version
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, as described by 2nd Century BC Greeks, are:
Sunday
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, in what is now southern Iraq, were supposedly built about 600 BC and described in many narratives, but the nature of these gardens, and even their exact location, has been debated for decades.
Monday
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, built over the course of 33 years starting in 280 BC, was for centuries the tallest man-made structure after the pyramid at Giza. Ships entering the harbor at Alexandria, Egypt were guided by the fire atop and a reflective bronze mirror until 15 centuries and multiple earthquakes finally took their toll on the lighthouse.
Tuesday
The Colossus of Rhodes, a 110 foot tall statue of the sun god Helios, was built about 280 BC to celebrate the city’s survival of a extended siege. Though a earthquake broke it off at the knees about 60 years later, even the fallen statue continued to be an attraction to visitors for the next 800 years.
Wednesday
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, 40 feet tall seated and made of gold and ivory by the same sculptor who oversaw the Parthenon and Acropolis’ construction, amazed onlookers for nearly 1,000 years.
Thursday
The massive and opulent Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was named for Mausolus, the ambitious 4th century governor in what is now Turkey, who started its construction during his life. About 140 feet in height, the building lasted 17 centuries, with parts of it still to be found in exhibits.
Friday
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was described as twice the size of the Parthenon and both longer and wider than a modern football field, not to mention made entirely of marble. This enormous temple to the Greek fertility goddess took 120 years (or by one account, 200 years) to complete.
Saturday
At forty-five centuries old, weighing in at 5.75 million tons and made of 2.3 million massive blocks of limestone and granite, the Great Pyramid at Giza is the only wonder of the ancient world still largely intact. Built for the pharaoh Khufu over 20 years by between 20,000 and 100,000 workers, it sits in a complex that includes smaller pyramids and with sides that align with the cardinal directions and was called “perhaps the most colossal single building ever erected on the planet.”