Since ancient

times, people have put together many “seven wonders” lists. Examples include the Seven
Wonders of the Natural World, the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and the Seven Natural
Wonders of the U.S. The content of these lists tends to vary, and none is definitive. The original
list of seven wonders is the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which is made up of a
selection of ancient architectural and sculptural accomplishments. The seven wonders that are
most widely agreed upon as being in the original list are outlined below.

The Pyramids of Egypt

A group of three pyramids, Khufu,

Khafra, and Menkaura located at Giza,
Egypt, outside modern Cairo, is often called
the first wonder of the world. The largest
pyramid, built by Khufu (Cheops), a king
of the fourth dynasty, had an original
estimated height of 482 feet (now
approximately 450 feet). The base has sides
755 feet long. It contains 2,300,000 blocks.
The average weight of each block is 2.5 tons. Estimated date of construction is 2680 B.C. Of all
the Ancient Wonders, the pyramids are the only one still standing.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Often listed as the second wonder,

these gardens, which were located
south of Baghdad, Iraq, 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 think 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 feet.

Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) at Olympia

Phidias (fifth century B.C.) built this 40-foot high

statue in gold and ivory. All trace of it is lost, except for
reproductions on coins. It was located in Olympia,
Greece.

Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus

The temple was a beautiful marble

structure, begun about 350 B.C., in
honor of the goddess Artemis. The
temple, with Ionic columns 60 feet
high, was destroyed by invading Goths
in A.D. 262. It was located in Ephesus,
Turkey.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

This famous monument was erected in

Bodium, Turkey, 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,” which is a
large above-ground tomb.

Colossus at Rhodes

This bronze statue of Helios (Apollo), about

105 feet high, was the work of the sculptor
Chares. He worked on the statue for 12 years, finishing it in 280 B.C. It was destroyed during an
earthquake in 224 B.C. Rhodes is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.

Pharos of Alexandria

The seventh wonder was the Pharos (lighthouse) of

Alexandria. Sostratus of Cnidus built the Pharos during the
third century B.C. on the island of Pharos off the coast of
Egypt. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the
thirteenth century.