The Seven Wonders of the World....Trivia

February 16, 2004

Since ancient times, people have put together many “seven wonders” lists. The

content of these lists tends to vary, and none is definitive. The seven wonders

that are most widely agreed upon as being in the original list are the Seven

Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Pyramids of Egypt are three pyramids at Giza, outside modern Cairo. The

largest pyramid, built by Khufu (Cheops), a king of the fourth dynasty, had an

original estimated height of 482 ft (now approximately 450 ft). The base has

sides 755 ft long. It contains 2,300,000 blocks; the average weight of each is

2.5 tons. Estimated date of completion is 2680 B.C. Of all the Ancient Wonders,

the pyramids alone survive.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon 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 surmise 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 ft.

The Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) at Olympia was made of gold and ivory by the Greek

sculptor Phidias (5th century B.C.). Reputed to be 40 ft high, the statue has

been lost without a trace, except for reproductions on coins.

The Temple of Artemis () at Ephesus was begun about 350 B.C., in honor of a

non-Hellenic goddess who later became identified with the Greek goddess of the

same name. The temple, with Ionic columns 60 ft high, was destroyed by invading

Goths in A.D. 262.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was erected 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.”

The Colossus at was a bronze statue of Helios (Apollo), about 105 ft

high. The work of the sculptor Chares, who reputedly labored for 12 years before

completing it in 280 B.C., it was destroyed during an earthquake in 224 B.C.

The Pharos (Lighthouse) of andria was built by Sostratus of Cnidus during

the 3rd century B.C. on the island of Pharos off the coast of Egypt. It was

destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century.

(Some lists include the Walls of Babylon in place of the second or seventh

wonder.)

~ " We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a

little of each other everywhere. " ~

~ " If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you've made me smile, the

entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand. "

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