Sunday 8 May 2011

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

1.Great Pyramid of Giza
Description

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. It is the only one left of the seven ancient wonders. It has been the biggest and largest building for over 3,800 years. The pyramid was build for Egyptian king Khufu second king of the fourth dynasty. The Great Pyramid at Giza is thirty times larger than the Empire State Building in mass. The pyramid is so big you can see it from the moon.

2.Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Description

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are a piece of art, they where build by king Nebuchadnezzar II. He constructed it to please his sick wife.
His wife (Amytis of Media) missed the trees and plants of her homeland Persia. The location is unknown it could have been confused with gardens that existed at Nimrud. Several earthquakes have destroyed the gardens after the 2nd century BC.
The Hanging Gardens did not realy hang, meaning the plants and flowers didn't hang with cables or ropes. The name came from translatinon of the Greek word kremastos or in Latin pensillis. The 2 words stand for overhanging, as in the terrace or balcony.

3.Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Description

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, is a sitting Zeus made of ivory and gold-plated bronze. No copy in marble or bronze survived of the giant Statue. If the statue of Zeus where to stand up, he would unroof the temple. Strabo noted early in the first century BC.
The Olympic Games where first held in 776 BC near a shrine to Zeus. The Olympic Games grow in importance and it became obvious a new and larger temple had to be build, between 470 and 460 BC. The designer was Libon of Elis and his masterpiece, The Temple of Zeus, was completed in 456 BC.

4.Temple of Artemis
Description

The Temple of Artemis has been destroyed at least seven times and and rebuilt just as many times. There were previous temples on its site, where evidence of a sanctuary dates as early as the Bronze Age. In the seventh century the old temple was destroyed by a flood. Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes designed and constructed the new temple, known as one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was a 120 year project. The temple was made of marble, there were 127 columns in total. The columns were 20 m, 60 feet high with Ionic capitals and carved circular sides.

5.Mausoleum of Mausolus
Description

The Mausoleum of Mausolus was a tomb build for Mausolus, a Satrap in the Persian Empire. His wife and sister where also buried in the Mausoleum. The structure was designed by Satyros and Pythis 2 Greek architects. It stood approximately 45 meters, 135 feet in height.
The finished structure was considered to be such an magnificent piece of craftsmanship that Antipater of Sidon indentified it as one of his seven wonders of the ancient world. The Mausoleum overlooked the city of Halicarnassus for many centuries. It stood above the city ruins for some 17 centuries (1700 years). But then a series of earthquakes shatterd the columns and sent the stone chariot crashing to the ground.
By 1404 AD only the very base of the Mausoleum was still recongnizable.

6.Colossus of Rhodes
Description

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek god Helios. It is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Before its destruction the Colossus of Rhodes stood over 30 meters high in the sky, making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world.
In 305 BC a genereal invaded Rhodes with an army of 40 000 men. However the city was well defended and they lost the battle and abandoned the siege, leaving most of thier siege equipment. To celebrate their victory, the Rhodians sold the equipment left behind for 300 talents. (Worth in US$ 360 million in today's money.) And they decided to use the money to build a colossal statue of their patron god Helios.

7.Lighthouse of Alexandria
Description

The Lighthouse of Alexandria may have been the third tallest building after the 2 Great Pyramids of Khufu and Khafra for its entire life.
It was a tower build in the 3rd century BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria. The building had to serve as landmark and later as lighthouse for the island pharos. So impressive the ancient Egypt buildings where that is commanded 2 wonders.
1) The Great Pyramid of Giza was build near the beginning of Egyptian history while ..
2) The Lighthouse of Alexandria was build by Egypt's last pharaohs. Also the last one build and the last one standing of the 7 ancient wonders. Latter it was destoryed by a earthquake in 1303 AD and again in 1480 AD.



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