The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World It is a collection of architectural and sculptural works that Greek authors, especially those belonging to the Hellenistic era, considered worthy of a visit.
Over time, different lists were created, but the final list was not created until the Dutch painter Merten van Heemskerck In the 16th century, he painted seven paintings representing the Seven Wonders, which at the same time survived for only 60 years.
The fact is that one is alive today. The rest was destroyed in Different moments in history And for various reasons. The sun This Sunday brings together a report on what happened to them.
Lighthouse of Alexandria
he Lighthouse of Alexandria It was the smallest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and was also the most recent to be destroyed. It is a huge lighthouse built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom in ancient Egypt in the period between 280 and 247 BC. C- The lighthouse is located in the city of Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great.
Unfortunately, the lighthouse, which exceeded 100 meters in height, was severely damaged due to earthquakes that occurred in 956 and 1303 AD. C. This turned it into a deserted ruin, whose remains finally disappeared in 1480 When the Sultan of Egypt built a fortress with fallen stones. But in 1994, French archaeologists found the remains of the original lighthouse at the bottom of the sea.
Colossus of Rhodes
Colossus of Rhodes It was a huge statue of the Greek sun god Helios. It was built in the city of Rhodes on the Greek island of the same name in the year 280.
Its purpose was to celebrate the successful defense of Rhodes against an attack by Demetrius I, King of Macedon. The statue is believed to have been 33 meters tall, making it the tallest in the ancient world. But like the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes is gone Doomed to earthquake. It collapsed during an earthquake in 226 BC. A- It was never rebuilt.
Mausoleum in Halicarnassus
Mausoleum in Halicarnassus It was a huge cemetery built between 353 and 351 BC. C- It was created for the Anatolian Mausolus who ruled Halicarnassus and its environs for 24 years. He admired the Greeks and spent large amounts of taxpayer money filling the city with statues, temples, and lots of marble.
He died in 353 BC. C, leaving his sister and wife Artemisia to rule alone. But he had planned to build a gigantic tomb so luxurious that it was considered a wonder of antiquity. It was about 45 meters high and decorated with Greek sculptures. It was very symbolic that this was the place Modern use of the shrine To describe the grave.
The shrine survived several attacks, but was eventually destroyed A series of earthquakesOnly the base remains. Its stones were used to fortify Bodrum Castle in 1494. Many of the statues in the shrine were acquired from Bodrum Castle in the nineteenth century by a British consul. They are currently in the British Museum in London.
Temple of Artemis in Ephesus
Temple of Artemis It was a Greek temple located in Ephesus, near the present-day Turkish city of Selcuk. The early form of the temple dates back to the 7th century BC. C- But it was destroyed by the flood. Later, it was built bigger and better, starting in 550 BC. C- More than 10 years.
This was destroyed by a vandal in 356 BC. C. The structure was rebuilt again, and better than ever. Works began in 323, and the third and final structure was measured It is 137 meters long, 69 meters wide and 18 meters high. It had more than 120 columns and was filled with beautiful sculptures and paintings.
Unfortunately, the temple was plundered, including a raid in 268 in which the Goths set it on fire. The temple site was discovered in 1869 by John Turtle WoodAfter a long expedition funded by the British Museum. The site is now marked with a single column consisting of the parts found on the site.
Statue of Zeus in Olympia
It was a giant sitting figure Greek god ZeusWhich was said to be 12.5 meters long. It was created by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC. C- It was held in the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, Greece. The statue was commissioned by the Eleatic people, the custodians of the Olympic Games. It was an attempt to outdo the rival Athenians with their great statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon.
It is believed that the statue of Zeus was made from Ivory panels and gold panels It is placed on a wooden frame, with a cedar throne painted and decorated with precious materials. In the year 391 AD. C., The Roman Emperor Theodoscu I – who was a Christian – banned pagan worship. The sanctuary at Olympia fell into neglect, and one report indicates that the statue was reassembled in Constantinople, where it was destroyed by fire in 475 AD. C.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Hanging Gardens of Babylon These wonders are perhaps the most mysterious of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This is because we are not entirely sure that it existed, or at least that it existed in Babylon. It is designed as a series of terraced gardens with a variety of trees and vines. It was supposed to be built in the lost ancient city of Babylon near Hilla in Iraq. Unfortunately, we do not know exactly where the Hanging Gardens are located.
One theory claims it never existed, while another suggests it was in Babylon but was destroyed in the early 1st century AD. Another theory suggests that the marvel is actually a beautiful garden that was owned by the Assyrian king Sennacherib, whose capital Nineveh was built on the banks of the Nile River. Tigris RiverNear the current city of Mosul.
The pyramid in Giza
Although it was built long before other wonders of the ancient world, The Great Pyramid of Giza Ironically, it is the only one still standing. It is the largest Egyptian pyramid and served as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu. It took nearly a quarter of a century to build the pyramid, around 2600 BC. C.
When built, it was 147 meters high, and remains the largest man-made structure in the world. For about 3800 years.
It was originally Dressed in white limestoneWhich was removed over time, leaving the pyramid at a lower height of 138 metres. About 2.3 million pieces with an estimated weight of six million tons were needed to build it. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a very popular tourist destination.
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