1. Colossus of Rhodes
There are many wonders of the ancient world, but few were as impressive as the great Colossus of Rhodes.
Let’s check out some fun facts of this long forgotten structure:
The Colossus of Rhodes is considered to be on of the “7 wonders of the ancient world,” being erected in 280 BC by Charles of Lindos.
The statue is of the Greek titan-god of the sun, Helios, and was constructed to celebrate a victory against the ruler Cyrus.
The statue was approximately 98 feet high and was considered one of the tallest structures in the ancient world.
The statue itself sat atop a white marble pedestal which was 49 feet high.
It took 12 years to complete building the statue, and it stood for 54 years.
In 226 BC, a massive earthquake ravaged the land, which caused he Colossus of Rhodes to snap at the knees and come tumbling down.
For 800 years, the statue lay on the ground until it was robbed of its bronze by an Arab force. The bronze was sold to a Jewish merchant and took 900 camels to carry it all away.
Portrayals of Colossus straddling a harbor were made up from tales told in the middle ages.
2. Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a tomb for the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. It took approximately 20 years to build and has three burial chambers inside. When it was originally built (in approximately 2550 BC) it was almost 147 meters tall. Today, because of erosion, it is only about 139 meters tall. If you visit Egypt today you can enter the Great Pyramid through the Robbers’ Tunnel.
Interesting Facts:
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of all Seven Wonders of the World.
This pyramid is the largest of all three pyramids that border El Giza, Egypt and it is also the largest pyramid ever built.
The pyramid was built with about 2.3 million stone blocks and it is thought to weigh 5.9 million tonnes.
The ancient name of the Great Pyramid of Giza was Khufu's Horizon.
This pyramid is the only one in Egypt known to have passages inside that go up and go down. If you wanted to visit the king’s chamber you would have to walk down, all the way, bent over.
The Great Pyramid of Giza once had a swivel door at the entrance. It weighed about 20 tonnes and could easily be pushed open from the inside. On the outside it was very hard to find because it fit perfectly. There are only two other pyramids known to have had swivel doors. One was Khufu’s father’s pyramid and the other was his grandfather’s pyramid.
The mortar that was used to build the pyramid cannot be reproduced today. Even though it has been analyzed they still can’t make it. It is stronger than the stone that was used to build the pyramid and is still in place today.
There has been no writing or hieroglyphics found inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.
This pyramid is the only one to have been built with concave sides. This means that all four side curve in slightly.
If we tried to build an exact replica of this pyramid it would not be possible. We do not have the precise technology that the ancient Egyptians had that was necessary to build this pyramid.
There were three burial chambers inside. One of the chambers was built into the bedrock underground. The queen’s chamber was higher and the king’s chamber was the highest. Khufu didn’t intend to use the queen’s chamber for any of his wives. It is thought that he intended to use it for a statue of himself.
3. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are thought to have been built in the ancient city of Babylon. Even though there is no proof that they actually existed, they are considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is called the Hanging Gardens because the gardens were built high above the ground on multi-level stone terraces. The plants weren't rooted in the earth like a traditional garden. If it existed it was likely the most beautiful man-made gardens ever created.
Interesting Facts:
The Hanging Gardens are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world that may not even have existed.
There is no documentation in Babylonian sources that the gardens ever existed. There is also no solid archaeological evidence that they existed.
Several ancient Roman and Greek writers wrote about the gardens. They wrote about why they were built, how they were built, and the size of the gardens. They even described how the gardens were watered. They didn't all agree on why they were built or who they were built for.
The most popular theory is that the gardens were built by king Nebuchadnezzar II to make his wife happy. She was homesick for the plants and gardens of her homeland.
King Nebuchadnezzar II ruled Babylon from 605BC, for a period of 43 years. It was during this time that he is said to have had the Hanging Gardens built.
If the gardens actually existed, it would have taken 8,200 gallons of water each day to keep the plants watered.
The gardens were thought to be about 75 feet high. The water would have had to have been carried up or transported to the top of the gardens by a primitive water irrigation system.
There are many clay tablets that exist from the time period when the Hanging Gardens would have existed. None of these ancient tablets mention the Hanging Gardens.
Many believe that if the gardens did exist they would have been located south of Bagdad in Iraq.
Some historians and archaeologists believe that the gardens did exist and were destroyed by war and erosion. Some believe it was earthquakes that eventually devastated and destroyed the gardens.
In the ‘Hanging Gardens', the plants did not actually hang. They grew from many different levels of terraces (similar to balconies).
The word ‘hanging' comes from the Latin word ‘pensilis' or the translation of the Greek word ‘kremastos'. It actually means overhanging instead of just hanging.
A Greek historian named Diordorus Siculus described the gardens as being 400 feet wide by 400 feet long. He also said that the walls were more than 80 feet high.
Between 1899 and 1917 a German archaeologist Robert Koldewey may have unearthed the Hanging Gardens. What he unearthed resembled what Diordorus Siculus had described. In the bottom of the ‘hanging gardens' there were three strange holes in the floor that would have worked well for a chain pump irrigation system. This would have made it possible to irrigate the plants.
Recent excavations have found traces of aqueducts near Nineveh, which would have supported such a garden. Nineveh is 300 miles away from Babylon.
4. Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the first lighthouse in the world. Construction began in 290 BC and took twenty years to complete. When it was done it was the tallest building in the world at the time, except for the Great Pyramid. It was built on the island of Pharos, to help guide trade ships into its busy harbor at Alexandria, Egypt. The lighthouse was damaged by several earthquakes and eventually became an abandoned ruin. In 1994 some of the remains of the lighthouse were discovered by French archaeologists in Alexandria's Eastern Harbor.
Interesting Facts:
The Lighthouse at Alexandria is also known as the Pharos of Alexandria.
The city Alexandria was named by Alexander the Great. It was one of 17 cities that he named after himself, but Alexandria was one of the few to survive. It is still a prosperous city today.
Alexander the Great Died in 323 BC. The Lighthouse at Alexandria was built beginning in 290 BC, many years after Alexander the Great's death.
Ptolemy Soter was the ruler of Egypt who decided to build the lighthouse to guide sailors into the port.
In today's money it would have cost about three million dollars to build. In 290 BC it cost 800 talents (the form of money in this time).
It is thought to have been constructed of limestone blocks.
The lowest level of the lighthouse was 100 feet square and 240 feet high. The second level had eight sides and was about 115 feet tall. The third level was a 60 foot high cylinder that had an opening at the top to allow a space where the fire burned to light the way for sailors in the night. On top of this was a statue in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
The Lighthouse at Alexandria was approximately 450 feet tall.
Inside the lighthouse there were stairs that allowed people to climb to the beacon chamber.
It was reported that there was a large mirror inside, possibly made of polished bronze. The purpose of the mirror was to project a beam of light from the reflection of the fire.
It was damaged by three earthquakes. After the last earthquake it was abandoned and fell to ruins. This allowed sailors to see the beam at night. The smoke from the fire was important during the day as it guided sailors during the day. Both the beam of light and the smoke could be seen as far as 100 miles away.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the longest surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The second is the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the third longest to survive.
In 1480 the last the lighthouse's remaining stone was used to build the Citadel of Qaitbay by the sultan of Egypt Qaitbay. The citadel was built on the same island where the lighthouse once stood.
Julius Caesar mentions the Lighthouse of Alexandria in his writings.
Today the city of Alexandria uses the symbol of the lighthouse on the flag of the Alexandria Governorate as well as on their seal. It also appears on the seal of Alexandria University.
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was built by Artemisia after her husband Mausolus died. Mausolus and Artemisia had ruled over Halicarnassus and the region surrounding it for 24 years. When Mausolus died in 353 BC, Artemisia was reported to have been so broken-hearted she hired the most talented artists to create the most magnificent tomb in the world. The finished tomb was 147 feet tall and sat on a hill overlooking Halicarnassus.
Interesting Facts:
The city of Halicarnassus where Mausolus and Artemisia ruled is now known as Bodrum, Turkey.
The word mausoleum originates from the name Mausolus. The term mausoleum became the name used for tombs built above ground from that time on.
Mausolus' wife Artemisia was also his sister. It was common in those days for rulers to marry their sisters.
Artemisia hired famous Greek artists to build the tomb. Two Greek architects Pytheos and Satyros designed the shape of the tomb. There were also a variety of artists who contributed various cultural influences to the tomb, including Greek, Lycian and Egyptian.
Artemisia died two years after Mausolus, before the tomb was completed.
At the top of the tomb there was a sculpture created by Pytheos. The carving depicted Mausolus and Artemisia in a chariot being pulled by four massive horses.
Other Greek artists that worked on the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus include Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros, Timotheus and Leochares.
Most of the mausoleum was made of marble. It was surrounded by a courtyard.
A staircase was built leading up the platform where the mausoleum stood. There were stone lions flanking the staircase.
There were scenes of Greek and Amazon warriors and their battles in scriptural relief (very similar to the images in coins - slightly raised) on the walls of the mausoleum.
Alexander the Great took over the city in 334 BC but the Mausoleum was left untouched.
When pirates attacked the city in 58 and 62 BC, the Mausoleum was again left undamaged.
In the 13th century, earthquakes toppled the columns of the Mausoleum and the stone chariot was destroyed
In the 13th century crusaders took over the city. They used many parts of the Mausoleum to construct their buildings. If you visit the castle at Halicarnassus you can still see pieces of the tomb that were used to strengthen the castle walls.
By 1401 AD, all that was left was the base of the tomb.
In the 1800s an archaeologist names Charles Newton discovered the remnants of the mausoleum. He found the statues of Mausolus and Artemisia and a piece of the wheel of the chariot. They can be seen at the Mausoleum Room in the British Museum.
The mausoleum was raided by crusaders in approximately 1522 and any treasures or the bodies of Mausolus and Artemisia were gone.
Some people think that Mausolus and Artemisia were cremated and placed in urns in the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Some think they were buried in coffins. There is no proof for either theory.
The Antipater of Sidon, who was in charge of listing the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, chose to include the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. His reason was that he considered it to be an aesthetic triumph.
6. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was created by a sculptor named Phidias. It took him 12 years, from 430 to 422 BC, to complete the statue. Zeus was considered the king of the Greek gods and this magnificent statue was created to honor him. It was placed in the Temple at Olympia, a shrine to Zeus where Olympic Games took place every four years. The statue was destroyed by fire in the fifth century A.D.
Interesting Facts:
The Olympic Games were held every four years in honor of Zeus. Zeus was considered to be the ‘Father of gods and men'. He was the king of all the other gods.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was about 42 feet tall.
The statue was made of a wooden frame and covered in ivory and gold panels.
The sculptor Phidias had previously created a similar sized statue of the goddess Athena. The sculpture of Athena was made for the Parthenon in Athens.
Phidias set up a workshop west of the Temple at Olympia where he would complete most of the work on the Statue of Zeus.
The size of the Statue of Zeus was so large that if Zeus stood up he would have put his head through the roof of the temple.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was destroyed by fire in the fifth century A.D. and there were no copies ever found. All the details of the statue today are taken from depictions on coins and ancient Greek descriptions.
The frame of the statue was made of wood. The statue required special care because the Olympia was a very damp place and humidity could damage the statue. Olive oil was applied to the statue regularly to keep the wood from deteriorating.
A visitor to the Statue of Zeus in 97 A.D., Dio Crysostomos described the statue as being made of gold, ebony, ivory and precious stones. He also said that there were images of animals (such as the half lion/half man sphinx) and Greek gods carved into the chair. In Zeus' right hand was a figure of the goddess of victory Nike. In his left hand he held a scepter topped with an eagle.
The statue was damaged by an earthquake in 170 BC but it was repaired.
When the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the early fourth century A.D., he ordered that all gold be stripped from any pagan shrines, including the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
The Olympics were abolished in 392 A.D. by Emperor Theodosius I of Rome. He also felt that the games were a pagan ritual.
One theory states that a Greek art collector named Lausus moved the statue to Constantinople. It became part of his private collection. In 475 A.D. a fire swept through Constantinople and the statue was destroyed.
Another theory states that the statue was still in its original place in the Olympic Temple in 425 A.D. when it burned down.
Archaeologists discovered Phidias' workshop in the 1950s. During their excavation they found the tools that he used to create the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
7. Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis, regarded as one of the Seven Wonders around the globe by ancient writers, was situated through the marshes to the southwest of Ayasuluk Hill.
The Temple of Artemis, regarded as one of the Seven Wonders around the globe by ancient writers, was situated through the marshes to the southwest of Ayasuluk Hill. Its first construction was through the seaside. However this temple that stood through the seashore is today 5 km inland, because of the alluvial infilling of the bay. It was built-in the sixth century B.C. It had been sponsored by the Croesus, the Lydian king. The bronze statues that dotted it were sculpted through the most skilled artists of time. The temple itself is made of marble, with 127 60-foot-high columns. The temple was 425 feet high and 225 feet wide.
The Shrine towards the Goddess Artemis:
The first shrine to the Goddess Artemis was probably built around 800 B.C. on the marshy strip near the river at Ephesus. The Ephesus goddess Artemis, sometimes called Diana, isn’t quite the same figure as was worshiped in Greece. The Greek Artemis was the goddess from the hunt. The Ephesus Artemis was a goddess of love and fertility and was often pictured as draped with eggs or multiple breasts, indicating fertility, from her waist to her shoulders.
This temple would be a tourist attraction in its heyday drawing travelers from afar. A nearby cottage industry produced souvenirs and religious items including miniature statues of Artemis. Hawkers sold these to visitors, which helped the neighborhood economy. Seafaring ships once docked within the riverside harbor of Ephesus a bustling ancient city, in which the Temple of Artemis was located. Eventually, silt clogged the harbor and it is entrance, preventing ships from again reaching the harbor.
Interesting Facts:
The 2nd temple was approximately 4 times larger in area compared to previous one.
The Temple of Artemis can also be known as the Temple of Diana.Temple Of Artemis
Artemis was an Olympian God, the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was the goddess from the moon, and the goddess of the hunt. She seemed to be the twin sister of Apollo.
The very first temple was built in approximately 800 BC.
Every time the temple was rebuilt it had been on the same site.
The Antipater of Sidon, who originally made their email list of the Seven Wonders around the globe, described the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus to be more marvelous than the other six wonders.
The temple was finally rebuilt after Alexander the truly amazing died.
The second time the temple was destroyed it had been burned to the ground by Herostratus. He set the fireplace to make himself famous. It backfired because anybody who spoke his name ended up being sentenced to death.
The fire that Herostratus set happened on the same day that Alexander the Great had been born.
Years later, Alexander the truly amazing visited the town and provided to help pay the cost of rebuilding it when they would put his name onto it. The townspeople did not want to put his name onto it so his name wasn’t engraved anywhere on or perhaps in the temple.
The first temple was destroyed within the 7th century. Reconstruction began in 550 BC. It took about Ten years to rebuild it. Some historians express it was destroyed due to a flood. Others accept is as true was due to war.
There are many wonders of the ancient world, but few were as impressive as the great Colossus of Rhodes.
Let’s check out some fun facts of this long forgotten structure:
The Colossus of Rhodes is considered to be on of the “7 wonders of the ancient world,” being erected in 280 BC by Charles of Lindos.
The statue is of the Greek titan-god of the sun, Helios, and was constructed to celebrate a victory against the ruler Cyrus.
The statue was approximately 98 feet high and was considered one of the tallest structures in the ancient world.
The statue itself sat atop a white marble pedestal which was 49 feet high.
It took 12 years to complete building the statue, and it stood for 54 years.
In 226 BC, a massive earthquake ravaged the land, which caused he Colossus of Rhodes to snap at the knees and come tumbling down.
For 800 years, the statue lay on the ground until it was robbed of its bronze by an Arab force. The bronze was sold to a Jewish merchant and took 900 camels to carry it all away.
Portrayals of Colossus straddling a harbor were made up from tales told in the middle ages.
2. Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a tomb for the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. It took approximately 20 years to build and has three burial chambers inside. When it was originally built (in approximately 2550 BC) it was almost 147 meters tall. Today, because of erosion, it is only about 139 meters tall. If you visit Egypt today you can enter the Great Pyramid through the Robbers’ Tunnel.
Interesting Facts:
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of all Seven Wonders of the World.
This pyramid is the largest of all three pyramids that border El Giza, Egypt and it is also the largest pyramid ever built.
The pyramid was built with about 2.3 million stone blocks and it is thought to weigh 5.9 million tonnes.
The ancient name of the Great Pyramid of Giza was Khufu's Horizon.
This pyramid is the only one in Egypt known to have passages inside that go up and go down. If you wanted to visit the king’s chamber you would have to walk down, all the way, bent over.
The Great Pyramid of Giza once had a swivel door at the entrance. It weighed about 20 tonnes and could easily be pushed open from the inside. On the outside it was very hard to find because it fit perfectly. There are only two other pyramids known to have had swivel doors. One was Khufu’s father’s pyramid and the other was his grandfather’s pyramid.
The mortar that was used to build the pyramid cannot be reproduced today. Even though it has been analyzed they still can’t make it. It is stronger than the stone that was used to build the pyramid and is still in place today.
There has been no writing or hieroglyphics found inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.
This pyramid is the only one to have been built with concave sides. This means that all four side curve in slightly.
If we tried to build an exact replica of this pyramid it would not be possible. We do not have the precise technology that the ancient Egyptians had that was necessary to build this pyramid.
There were three burial chambers inside. One of the chambers was built into the bedrock underground. The queen’s chamber was higher and the king’s chamber was the highest. Khufu didn’t intend to use the queen’s chamber for any of his wives. It is thought that he intended to use it for a statue of himself.
3. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are thought to have been built in the ancient city of Babylon. Even though there is no proof that they actually existed, they are considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is called the Hanging Gardens because the gardens were built high above the ground on multi-level stone terraces. The plants weren't rooted in the earth like a traditional garden. If it existed it was likely the most beautiful man-made gardens ever created.
Interesting Facts:
The Hanging Gardens are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world that may not even have existed.
There is no documentation in Babylonian sources that the gardens ever existed. There is also no solid archaeological evidence that they existed.
Several ancient Roman and Greek writers wrote about the gardens. They wrote about why they were built, how they were built, and the size of the gardens. They even described how the gardens were watered. They didn't all agree on why they were built or who they were built for.
The most popular theory is that the gardens were built by king Nebuchadnezzar II to make his wife happy. She was homesick for the plants and gardens of her homeland.
King Nebuchadnezzar II ruled Babylon from 605BC, for a period of 43 years. It was during this time that he is said to have had the Hanging Gardens built.
If the gardens actually existed, it would have taken 8,200 gallons of water each day to keep the plants watered.
The gardens were thought to be about 75 feet high. The water would have had to have been carried up or transported to the top of the gardens by a primitive water irrigation system.
There are many clay tablets that exist from the time period when the Hanging Gardens would have existed. None of these ancient tablets mention the Hanging Gardens.
Many believe that if the gardens did exist they would have been located south of Bagdad in Iraq.
Some historians and archaeologists believe that the gardens did exist and were destroyed by war and erosion. Some believe it was earthquakes that eventually devastated and destroyed the gardens.
In the ‘Hanging Gardens', the plants did not actually hang. They grew from many different levels of terraces (similar to balconies).
The word ‘hanging' comes from the Latin word ‘pensilis' or the translation of the Greek word ‘kremastos'. It actually means overhanging instead of just hanging.
A Greek historian named Diordorus Siculus described the gardens as being 400 feet wide by 400 feet long. He also said that the walls were more than 80 feet high.
Between 1899 and 1917 a German archaeologist Robert Koldewey may have unearthed the Hanging Gardens. What he unearthed resembled what Diordorus Siculus had described. In the bottom of the ‘hanging gardens' there were three strange holes in the floor that would have worked well for a chain pump irrigation system. This would have made it possible to irrigate the plants.
Recent excavations have found traces of aqueducts near Nineveh, which would have supported such a garden. Nineveh is 300 miles away from Babylon.
4. Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the first lighthouse in the world. Construction began in 290 BC and took twenty years to complete. When it was done it was the tallest building in the world at the time, except for the Great Pyramid. It was built on the island of Pharos, to help guide trade ships into its busy harbor at Alexandria, Egypt. The lighthouse was damaged by several earthquakes and eventually became an abandoned ruin. In 1994 some of the remains of the lighthouse were discovered by French archaeologists in Alexandria's Eastern Harbor.
Interesting Facts:
The Lighthouse at Alexandria is also known as the Pharos of Alexandria.
The city Alexandria was named by Alexander the Great. It was one of 17 cities that he named after himself, but Alexandria was one of the few to survive. It is still a prosperous city today.
Alexander the Great Died in 323 BC. The Lighthouse at Alexandria was built beginning in 290 BC, many years after Alexander the Great's death.
Ptolemy Soter was the ruler of Egypt who decided to build the lighthouse to guide sailors into the port.
In today's money it would have cost about three million dollars to build. In 290 BC it cost 800 talents (the form of money in this time).
It is thought to have been constructed of limestone blocks.
The lowest level of the lighthouse was 100 feet square and 240 feet high. The second level had eight sides and was about 115 feet tall. The third level was a 60 foot high cylinder that had an opening at the top to allow a space where the fire burned to light the way for sailors in the night. On top of this was a statue in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
The Lighthouse at Alexandria was approximately 450 feet tall.
Inside the lighthouse there were stairs that allowed people to climb to the beacon chamber.
It was reported that there was a large mirror inside, possibly made of polished bronze. The purpose of the mirror was to project a beam of light from the reflection of the fire.
It was damaged by three earthquakes. After the last earthquake it was abandoned and fell to ruins. This allowed sailors to see the beam at night. The smoke from the fire was important during the day as it guided sailors during the day. Both the beam of light and the smoke could be seen as far as 100 miles away.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the longest surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The second is the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the third longest to survive.
In 1480 the last the lighthouse's remaining stone was used to build the Citadel of Qaitbay by the sultan of Egypt Qaitbay. The citadel was built on the same island where the lighthouse once stood.
Julius Caesar mentions the Lighthouse of Alexandria in his writings.
Today the city of Alexandria uses the symbol of the lighthouse on the flag of the Alexandria Governorate as well as on their seal. It also appears on the seal of Alexandria University.
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was built by Artemisia after her husband Mausolus died. Mausolus and Artemisia had ruled over Halicarnassus and the region surrounding it for 24 years. When Mausolus died in 353 BC, Artemisia was reported to have been so broken-hearted she hired the most talented artists to create the most magnificent tomb in the world. The finished tomb was 147 feet tall and sat on a hill overlooking Halicarnassus.
Interesting Facts:
The city of Halicarnassus where Mausolus and Artemisia ruled is now known as Bodrum, Turkey.
The word mausoleum originates from the name Mausolus. The term mausoleum became the name used for tombs built above ground from that time on.
Mausolus' wife Artemisia was also his sister. It was common in those days for rulers to marry their sisters.
Artemisia hired famous Greek artists to build the tomb. Two Greek architects Pytheos and Satyros designed the shape of the tomb. There were also a variety of artists who contributed various cultural influences to the tomb, including Greek, Lycian and Egyptian.
Artemisia died two years after Mausolus, before the tomb was completed.
At the top of the tomb there was a sculpture created by Pytheos. The carving depicted Mausolus and Artemisia in a chariot being pulled by four massive horses.
Other Greek artists that worked on the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus include Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros, Timotheus and Leochares.
Most of the mausoleum was made of marble. It was surrounded by a courtyard.
A staircase was built leading up the platform where the mausoleum stood. There were stone lions flanking the staircase.
There were scenes of Greek and Amazon warriors and their battles in scriptural relief (very similar to the images in coins - slightly raised) on the walls of the mausoleum.
Alexander the Great took over the city in 334 BC but the Mausoleum was left untouched.
When pirates attacked the city in 58 and 62 BC, the Mausoleum was again left undamaged.
In the 13th century, earthquakes toppled the columns of the Mausoleum and the stone chariot was destroyed
In the 13th century crusaders took over the city. They used many parts of the Mausoleum to construct their buildings. If you visit the castle at Halicarnassus you can still see pieces of the tomb that were used to strengthen the castle walls.
By 1401 AD, all that was left was the base of the tomb.
In the 1800s an archaeologist names Charles Newton discovered the remnants of the mausoleum. He found the statues of Mausolus and Artemisia and a piece of the wheel of the chariot. They can be seen at the Mausoleum Room in the British Museum.
The mausoleum was raided by crusaders in approximately 1522 and any treasures or the bodies of Mausolus and Artemisia were gone.
Some people think that Mausolus and Artemisia were cremated and placed in urns in the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Some think they were buried in coffins. There is no proof for either theory.
The Antipater of Sidon, who was in charge of listing the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, chose to include the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. His reason was that he considered it to be an aesthetic triumph.
6. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was created by a sculptor named Phidias. It took him 12 years, from 430 to 422 BC, to complete the statue. Zeus was considered the king of the Greek gods and this magnificent statue was created to honor him. It was placed in the Temple at Olympia, a shrine to Zeus where Olympic Games took place every four years. The statue was destroyed by fire in the fifth century A.D.
Interesting Facts:
The Olympic Games were held every four years in honor of Zeus. Zeus was considered to be the ‘Father of gods and men'. He was the king of all the other gods.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was about 42 feet tall.
The statue was made of a wooden frame and covered in ivory and gold panels.
The sculptor Phidias had previously created a similar sized statue of the goddess Athena. The sculpture of Athena was made for the Parthenon in Athens.
Phidias set up a workshop west of the Temple at Olympia where he would complete most of the work on the Statue of Zeus.
The size of the Statue of Zeus was so large that if Zeus stood up he would have put his head through the roof of the temple.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was destroyed by fire in the fifth century A.D. and there were no copies ever found. All the details of the statue today are taken from depictions on coins and ancient Greek descriptions.
The frame of the statue was made of wood. The statue required special care because the Olympia was a very damp place and humidity could damage the statue. Olive oil was applied to the statue regularly to keep the wood from deteriorating.
A visitor to the Statue of Zeus in 97 A.D., Dio Crysostomos described the statue as being made of gold, ebony, ivory and precious stones. He also said that there were images of animals (such as the half lion/half man sphinx) and Greek gods carved into the chair. In Zeus' right hand was a figure of the goddess of victory Nike. In his left hand he held a scepter topped with an eagle.
The statue was damaged by an earthquake in 170 BC but it was repaired.
When the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the early fourth century A.D., he ordered that all gold be stripped from any pagan shrines, including the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
The Olympics were abolished in 392 A.D. by Emperor Theodosius I of Rome. He also felt that the games were a pagan ritual.
One theory states that a Greek art collector named Lausus moved the statue to Constantinople. It became part of his private collection. In 475 A.D. a fire swept through Constantinople and the statue was destroyed.
Another theory states that the statue was still in its original place in the Olympic Temple in 425 A.D. when it burned down.
Archaeologists discovered Phidias' workshop in the 1950s. During their excavation they found the tools that he used to create the Statue of Zeus at Olympia.
7. Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis, regarded as one of the Seven Wonders around the globe by ancient writers, was situated through the marshes to the southwest of Ayasuluk Hill.
The Temple of Artemis, regarded as one of the Seven Wonders around the globe by ancient writers, was situated through the marshes to the southwest of Ayasuluk Hill. Its first construction was through the seaside. However this temple that stood through the seashore is today 5 km inland, because of the alluvial infilling of the bay. It was built-in the sixth century B.C. It had been sponsored by the Croesus, the Lydian king. The bronze statues that dotted it were sculpted through the most skilled artists of time. The temple itself is made of marble, with 127 60-foot-high columns. The temple was 425 feet high and 225 feet wide.
The Shrine towards the Goddess Artemis:
The first shrine to the Goddess Artemis was probably built around 800 B.C. on the marshy strip near the river at Ephesus. The Ephesus goddess Artemis, sometimes called Diana, isn’t quite the same figure as was worshiped in Greece. The Greek Artemis was the goddess from the hunt. The Ephesus Artemis was a goddess of love and fertility and was often pictured as draped with eggs or multiple breasts, indicating fertility, from her waist to her shoulders.
This temple would be a tourist attraction in its heyday drawing travelers from afar. A nearby cottage industry produced souvenirs and religious items including miniature statues of Artemis. Hawkers sold these to visitors, which helped the neighborhood economy. Seafaring ships once docked within the riverside harbor of Ephesus a bustling ancient city, in which the Temple of Artemis was located. Eventually, silt clogged the harbor and it is entrance, preventing ships from again reaching the harbor.
Interesting Facts:
The 2nd temple was approximately 4 times larger in area compared to previous one.
The Temple of Artemis can also be known as the Temple of Diana.Temple Of Artemis
Artemis was an Olympian God, the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was the goddess from the moon, and the goddess of the hunt. She seemed to be the twin sister of Apollo.
The very first temple was built in approximately 800 BC.
Every time the temple was rebuilt it had been on the same site.
The Antipater of Sidon, who originally made their email list of the Seven Wonders around the globe, described the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus to be more marvelous than the other six wonders.
The temple was finally rebuilt after Alexander the truly amazing died.
The second time the temple was destroyed it had been burned to the ground by Herostratus. He set the fireplace to make himself famous. It backfired because anybody who spoke his name ended up being sentenced to death.
The fire that Herostratus set happened on the same day that Alexander the Great had been born.
Years later, Alexander the truly amazing visited the town and provided to help pay the cost of rebuilding it when they would put his name onto it. The townspeople did not want to put his name onto it so his name wasn’t engraved anywhere on or perhaps in the temple.
The first temple was destroyed within the 7th century. Reconstruction began in 550 BC. It took about Ten years to rebuild it. Some historians express it was destroyed due to a flood. Others accept is as true was due to war.
Goto: Education Class Study online l World informations l Poetry l Quotes lWord of wisdom l Back to dictionary
WHAT DO YOU THINK? - We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgement, and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Yes, today, I'm deciding to follow Jesus
Yes, I'm already the follower of Jesus.
GET BUY YOUR BIBLE, Books, Dictionary, and Others for yourself, your, children, and family @YKAMAZINGWORLD NIGERIA ENTERPRISES LIBRARY on visiting or with delivery to your location.
If you would like to donate to Ykamazingworld please click here.
Check for more updates on Ykamazingworld Business List.
Click to view Director's Profile
To meet your needs with Ykamazingworld click on: http://metyourneeds.blogspot.com/
[Home Page] [Met your needs] [About Ykamazingworld Nigeria Enterprises][Footwear and Leather Production][Computer & Businesses] [Media and Communication Studios] [Films and Theatre Production Studios] [Vegetable Oil Dealer] [Home Planning & Building Engineer] (Farm FoodProduction) (Fashion, Wears and Printing Production) (Home-made and Cosmetics) (Ice-block Depot, Drinks, Provision and Business Ventures) [Ykamazingworld Search][Carrier and Opportunity] [Company Overview] [Our Objectives] [Our Vision] [Our Goals] [Our Products] [Our Services] [Networking & Communications] [Consultancy] [Sales of Footwear and Leather Suppliers][Computer Industrial Training (I.C.T)] [Footwear Industrial Training (F.I.T)] [Payment Rules and Regulation] [Sponsors or Fund Raising] [Ykamazingworld Proposals(for Partnerships)] [Ykamazingworld Banks & Accounts] [Social Media] [Our Address] [Our Contacts] [Ykamazingworld Weblinks][GOto Blog] [GOto WebChatrooms] [GOto Books and Publishing] [GOto Word of Wisdom] [GOto Answers.com] [Notice for all our Clients]
Together, we rise to the future. . .
WHAT DO YOU THINK? - We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgement, and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Yes, today, I'm deciding to follow Jesus
Yes, I'm already the follower of Jesus.
GET BUY YOUR BIBLE, Books, Dictionary, and Others for yourself, your, children, and family @YKAMAZINGWORLD NIGERIA ENTERPRISES LIBRARY on visiting or with delivery to your location.
If you would like to donate to Ykamazingworld please click here.
Check for more updates on Ykamazingworld Business List.
Click to view Director's Profile
To meet your needs with Ykamazingworld click on: http://metyourneeds.blogspot.com/
[Home Page] [Met your needs] [About Ykamazingworld Nigeria Enterprises][Footwear and Leather Production][Computer & Businesses] [Media and Communication Studios] [Films and Theatre Production Studios] [Vegetable Oil Dealer] [Home Planning & Building Engineer] (Farm FoodProduction) (Fashion, Wears and Printing Production) (Home-made and Cosmetics) (Ice-block Depot, Drinks, Provision and Business Ventures) [Ykamazingworld Search][Carrier and Opportunity] [Company Overview] [Our Objectives] [Our Vision] [Our Goals] [Our Products] [Our Services] [Networking & Communications] [Consultancy] [Sales of Footwear and Leather Suppliers][Computer Industrial Training (I.C.T)] [Footwear Industrial Training (F.I.T)] [Payment Rules and Regulation] [Sponsors or Fund Raising] [Ykamazingworld Proposals(for Partnerships)] [Ykamazingworld Banks & Accounts] [Social Media] [Our Address] [Our Contacts] [Ykamazingworld Weblinks][GOto Blog] [GOto WebChatrooms] [GOto Books and Publishing] [GOto Word of Wisdom] [GOto Answers.com] [Notice for all our Clients]
Together, we rise to the future. . .
No comments:
Post a Comment