7.1

There are many lists of Seven Wonders, but the original list is entitled The Seven Wonders

of the Ancient World.

There are some architectural and sculptural buildings on the list.

About 2 ,500 years ago, a Greek historian named Herodotus made this list of wonders.

His list became known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Herodotus only wrote about the places he knew.

He did not know much about Asia, North and South America were completely unknown at the time.

Six of these ancient places no longer exist.

Here is the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

It was built as a tomb for an Egyptian king more than 4 ,500 years ago.

It is the oldest and the largest of the three pyramids, Kufu, Kafre, and Mankauer.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is also called the Pyramid of Kufu.

It is the only wonder which remains largely undamaged.

It is about 140 meters high.

It took more than 20 years to construct it.

The Temple of Artemis

The temple was a beautiful marble structure.

They built it in about 350 BCE to honor the goddess Artemis, Diana.

It was one of the largest and most complex temples built in ancient times.

Records say that the Goths destroyed the temple when they invaded the area.

The temple was built in ancient Greece about 2 ,500 years ago.

The Faros of Alexandria

It was an ancient lighthouse.

A fire burning on the top of the lighthouse made it easier for ships to find the harbor.

It was the tallest building in the ancient world.

It was about 130 meters tall.

So Stratus of Cinnitus built it on the island of Faros on the coast of Egypt in the 3rd century BCE.

It stood there for 1 ,500 years before an earthquake destroyed it.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

They were considered as the second wonder.

They were located in the south of Baghdad, Iraq.

King Nebuchadnezzar, the second, built it to make his queen, Amuhia, happy around 600 BCE.

2 ,600 years ago.

Ancient historians say there were a huge system of gardens with trees and flowers.

The Colossus of Rhodes

It was a huge bronze and metal statue of Apollo.

It was about 37 meters tall.

Greek sculptor Chares built it near the harbor on the Greek island roads.

He worked on it for 12 years and finished it in 280 BCE.

2 ,300 years ago.

An earthquake destroyed it.

The Mausoleum at Holy Carnassus.

The sixth wonder was also built in Bodrum, Turkey by Queen Artemisia II for her husband.

King Mausolis of Korea, when he died.

Some remains of the building are still in the British Museum.

It was such a famous building that all large burial places and tombs became known as Mausoleums after it.

An earthquake destroyed the structure.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

It was the most famous statue in the ancient world.

Phidius built the statue in the 5th century BCE.

It was made of gold and ivory.

It was about 13 meters tall.

It was located in Olympia, Greece.

All the trace of the statue was destroyed in a big fire.

We only know it from ancient Greek descriptions and representations on coins.