The Seven Ancient Wonders

The only surviving monument from the originallist is the Great Pyramid of Khufu, located in Giza, Egypt. It was built as atomb for the pharaoh Khufu. Scholars believe it took twenty years tocomplete the project. Originally 480 feet high (over time it has sunk to 450feet), it consists of over two million stone blocks, each weighing in excess oftwo tons.It is quite possible that the Pyramids consumed moredressed stone blocks than any structure ever built, an estimated 2,300,000 ofthem, averaging 2.5 tons each. It is generally thought that the blocks weremoved on log rollers and sledges and then ramped into place.The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were a lush,mythical place rumored to have been built by Nebuchadnezzar II as a gift for hiswife. Located on the east bank of the River Euphrates, about 50 kmsouth of Baghdad, modern archeologists recently discovered ruins of a palace inthe ancient city of Babylon, Iraq. Although they believe it to be apart of the Gardens, ancient Greek writings place the Gardens about thirty milessouth, along the Euphrates River.The Statue of Zeus at Olympia is just a pile ofrocks today, but it once stood forty feet high on a twenty-foot high pedestal.At first, the building was only a temple, but it was deemedinsufficient for honoring Zeus. Pheidias, an Athenian sculptor, was commissionedto create the magnificent statue inside the monument. The site waschosen because of its spiritual significance - Olympia was home to the earlyOlympic games, which were held in honour of the Greek god Zeus.The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was abreathtaking structure, built in honor of its namesake - the goddess of nature,hunting and fertility. Her temple was constructed of marble anddecorated with bronze statues by famous sculptors of the time. It was a busyplace, frequented by tourists, kings and tradesmen alike.Archeologists have excavated numerous artifacts that indicate peoplecame from India to worship Artemis. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt severaltimes before being left to ruin in 400 AD.Although King Mausollos of Caria''s castle stillstands in Bodrum, Turkey, his massive tomb has been reduced to a few polishedstones. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassas was the pet project of theking''s wife and her sister, and was completed three years after his death,around 350 BC. The Mausoleum stood 140 feet, and was comprised of a60-foot stepped podium, a 38-foot colonnade, a 22-foot pyramid and a 20-footchariot statue at the top. Life-size statues of people and wildlife adorned thestructure.The people of ancient Rhodes, Greece, celebratedthe end of war by building a tribute to their sun god, Helios. Ittook twelve years to erect the Colossus of Rhodes, which stood 110 feet high. Anearthquake several decades later broke the knee of the statue, and it tumbled tothe ground. Several hundred years passed before the Arabs invadedand sold the remains of the colossus to a man from Syria. Legend has it he used900 camels to transport the fragments home.The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built as abeacon to sailors navigating the treacherous harbors of Alexandria and theisland of Pharos. Not only was it the tallest building on Earth, butthe reflection of its mirror could be seen more than 35 miles offshore.The lighthouse was conceived in 290 BC and stood until two powerfulearthquakes, in 1303 and 1323 AD, seriously damaged it. An Egyptian sultan builta fortress with the rubble in 1480 AD.