How the 7 Wonders of the World Vanished

The phrase “Wonder of the World,” is an ancient term, harkening back to the second century B.C.E. Antipater of Sidon. He was a travel writer who wrote of seven structural marvels defining human accomplishment at that time. These were the original Seven Wonders of the World, now called the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Unfortunately, only one of them still stands. What happened to them?

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Supposedly, the Hanging Gardens were a brilliant floral display constructed by King Nebuchadrezzar II for his wife Amytis; she missed the greenery of her homeland, and this was his romantic gesture. It puts all those bouquets we’ve bought our loved ones into perspective.

No one can agree on what the Hanging Gardens looked like. It’s possible that, despite the name, they were an elaborate rooftop garden or a series of ziggurat terraces irrigated by pumps.

However, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon may not have existed in the first place. Scholars and archeologists can’t agree on where it would have been, or even if transporting that much water to the deserts of Babylon would have been feasible.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus went through cycles of being destroyed and rebuilt before finally crumbling forever in 262 C.E. The most famous version of the temple was built in 550 B.C.E. and was breathtakingly massive.

According to contemporary descriptions, it was 350 by 180 feet, making it almost twice the size of the Parthenon in Greece. It was built with marble and gold and contained a giant gold statue of Artemis.

This version of the temple was destroyed by an arsonist named Herostratus in 356 B.C.E. We don’t know much about him except that he wanted to make a name for himself by destroying The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; all other information was deliberately erased after his execution.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

To give you a sense of how big The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was, in his right hand he held a life-size statue of Nike, the goddess of victory.

It took eight years to complete the Statue of Zeus. It was finally finished in 430 B.C.E. and was so tall the head almost touched the temple ceiling. The statue was presumably destroyed in a fire in 426 C.E., but it may have been transported in secret to Constantinople only to be destroyed 50 years later. Not even copies of the original statue survive.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The second longest Ancient Wonder to survive (352 B.C.E.-1404 C.E.) was the tomb of Mausolus, a Persian governor. His wife commissioned the tomb and hired four of the most prominent Greek architects alive to design and carve the sculptural reliefs on the four exterior walls, with each architect given a wall to himself.

The final Mausoleum was nearly 14 stories high and had a base area of 10,000 square feet, so each architect had a lot of wall space to cover.

This tomb was so famous it became the source of the word “mausoleum” in English. After over 16 centuries, it was finally destroyed by an earthquake.

The Colossus of Rhodes

To honor the sun god Helios, the people of Rhodes constructed a gigantic statue of the deity. Standing at 105 feet tall, it took 12 years to build. Finally completed in 282 B.C.E., it towered gloriously over the Mandrákion harbor until an earthquake knocked it over in 226 B.C.E.

Surprisingly, people were still so impressed that the knocked-over Colossus of Rhodes continued to attract tourists until 654 C.E. when Arabic forces took Rhodes and broke the statue up to use its bronze.

Scholars and engineers agree that the image of the statue straddling the harbor is both very cool visually and actively impossible physically.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

Possibly the most famous lighthouse in history and certainly an influence for lighthouses to this day, The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in 280 B.C.E. on the island of Pharos in Alexandria harbor. Made of marble and lead mortar, it stood 350 feet high and its light could be seen from up to 35 miles away.

By day, the lighthouse used curved mirrors to reflect the sun. By night, a massive fire, fueled by wood carried up a board spiral ramp, glowed like a star. According to legend, it could even burn enemy ships with its light.

An earthquake in 1323 C.E. probably led to the end of the Lighthouse.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

The pyramids are the oldest Ancient Wonder and the only one still standing. Built in 2570 B.C.E., The Great Pyramid of Giza is the tomb of Pharoah Khufu and is one of the largest ancient buildings ever constructed; the length of each of the sides averages 755 feet and it once stood at 481 feet tall (although thieves have reduced it to 451 feet).

Originally, the entire pyramid was encased in polished limestone, which was so brilliant and reflective it could be seen for miles. Despite thieves helping themselves to the limestone exterior over the centuries, it’s still a sight to behold.

These Seven Wonders of the Ancient World continue to captivate the imagination of modern audiences. We may not be able to see almost any of them ourselves, but their legacy continues to tower over us.

References: Seven Wonders of the World | Seven Wonders of the World | Pyramids of Giza | Hanging Gardens of Babylon | Statue of Zeus | Temple of Artemis | Herostratus: the man who destroyed an ancient wonder of the world | Mausoleum of Halicarnassus | Colossus of Rhodes | lighthouse of Alexandria