Actually, it was a poet in Ancient Greece (which you know, may be the same as crazy man depending on your views on poets). The first reference to Seven Wonders of the World was actually written by Herodotus, a historian in the fifth century BC (Yes, I use BC and AD. Because I refuse to change to BCE and CE just for the sake of politeness or fearing backlash from the religious community. We've used this form for a few centuries people; I think you're safe.)
Sorry, where was I? Oh right, Herodotus. So, Herodotus wrote the first list of seven wonders, but the list we are most familiar with today (or supposed to be familiar with) was written by Antipater of Sidon, a poet from from the latter half of the second century (and I say he was a Greek poet, but he was actually from what is now Lebanon). He wrote short poems called elegiacs (don't ask me how to pronounce that because I have absolutely no idea) which are mournful funeral type poems.
He also was a lover of monuments and thus wrote a poem depicting those he believed to be the most impressive in the ancient world, as a way to show the might of the Greek Empire. Most of the places he had never even seen. But with only one change, this is the list we use to this day. (Antipater also has a Facebook page. And while there is nothing really on it, this amuses me to no end). So, on to the list!
1. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
These gardens were ordered built by King Nebuchadnezzer (Neb-i-kuh-nez-er) II in the sixth century as a gift for his wife, Amytis, who missed her homeland. However, even though they are considered one of the wonders, it is uncertain whether or not they actually existed. The only references to them are made by Greek and Roman poets, who would have never seen them and the Babylonian records have no mention of them at all. And archaeologists can find no evidence of them, although it is a wonder anything survives for archaeologists to find considering how much cannot be preserved.
There is also a theory that these gardens were actually confused over time with another site built in Nineveh by Sennacherib, king of Assyria in 705 BC. He too constructed an elaborate garden, but his was located near the entrance to his palace on the eastern bank of the Tigris River in Assyria.
2. Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece
In 450 BC, the people of Olympia built a temple to honor the top god, Zeus. But when construction was completed, they found the temple wasn't grand enough for the King of the Gods, so they asked one of the finest sculptors in Greece, Phidias of Athens, to create a statue of Zeus for the temple. The finished product was as tall as a four story building, made of ivory and gold, with the king seated on a throne of cedar wood with gold, ivory, and precious gems.
When the Roman Empire took over and changed the official religion of the day to Christianity, many of the wealthy Greeks in the area took the statue to the palace in Constantinople (No, Istanbul. No, Constantinople. No, Istanbul), where it stayed until a palace fire fifty years later destroyed it. I bet that trip probably scared the crap out of many people on the travel route:
"Hey what's that?"
"Oh dear Zeus, it's alive! Run for your lives! Wait...oh, people are just moving him to Constantinople."
"Well of course, why didn't we think of that earlier?"
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
This temple was dedicated to the virginal goddess of the hunt. It was built in 550 BC by a Cretan architect and his son. It is believed to be one of the first marble temples ever built.. In 356, a man named Herostratus set fire to the temple, hoping it would make him famous. Which I guess it kind of did, since we still know who he is. Alexander the Great offered to rebuild the temple for the city leaders, but they didn't want him putting his name on it, so they tactfully declined and paid for the reconstruction themselves. It took decades, but when they finished, the temple was as lovely as ever.
Aaaaaaaand then the Romans came through and destroyed it again in 262 AD. By this time, most of the citizens of Epheus had converted to Christianity and thus it wasn't a religious site the Romans destroy, but a heathen one that the Christian leaders ordered torn down. Only one of the 127 columns that originally made it up still remains. The marble was then repurposed for churches and roads.
4. The Great Pyramid at Giza
Of all the wonders, this is the one most people are able to remember. Pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs and the Great Pyramid was built for a pharaoh named Khufu nearly 5,000 years ago in 2580 BC. This pyramid was built over a 20 year period and consists of over two million stones, each weighing over two tons. The structure is forty-five stories tall, making it the tallest structure in the world for over 3,800 years (the spire of Lincoln Cathedral in England surpassed it in 1300 AD). Now I wonder how Vector stole it in Despicable Me.
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
This was the first mausoleum ever built (well, the first one to be called a mausoleum, since I suppose the pyramids hold the same purpose). It was built for a Persian satrap (a ruler in the Persian empire) named Mausolus and his sister wife Artemisia II of Caria (who was a strong and creepy woman. When Mausolus died, she ruled the land for two years. But during that time, she is also said to have drank a little bit of his ashes everyday and pined for him until her death).
Mausolus chose Halicarnassus as a new capital because he found it would be greatly sheltered from capture and invading armies (which is a big problem when you have empires trying to expand and running into each other). The couple built many expensive structures in their new capital and Artemisia planned this temple as a tribute that would forever stand as a testament to their riches.
On top of the Mausoleum is a twenty foot tall statue of a chariot that hold Artemisia and Mausolus, pulled by a four horse team. The entire building was the height of a fourteen story building and stood for more that 1,500 years, until an earthquake toppled part of it and human hand destroyed the rest.
6. Colossus of Rhodes
Now, before you start thinking this guy's name is Colossus, let me stop you right there. This statue, which guards the harbor of the city of Rhodes is actually of the sun god Helios. It was built to give thanks to their patron god after surviving a year long siege. The statue was paid for by the proceeds the people of Rhodes made when they sold the abandoned siege equipment for 300 talents (between thirty and forty thousand dollars today). It came to be known as the Colossus of Rhodes, most like because of it's huge size.
The statue took twelve years to complete and consisted of an iron framework, covered by sheets of bronze. It was as high as an 11 story building. About sixty years after its construction, an earthquake snapped the statue's knees and it fell to the ground, where it stayed until Arab armies raided Rhodes and took the statue apart. They then stole the pieces and sold them to a Syrian merchant who took them back to Syria and it was melted down.
7. Pharos of Alexandria
This is the one wonder that was originally different when Antipater wrote his list. He instead had the Ishtar Gate (which was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon, also built by King Nebuchadnezzer II). Obviously, this wonder was a lighthouse. It was built on the small island of Pharos to guide ships into the harbor in Alexandria, Egypt. It became so famous that over time, derivatives of the word pharos came to mean lighthouse in French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, and Portuguese.
No one is actually sure what the lighthouse really looked like, but it was forty stories tall and could be seen by ships 35 miles out at sea. It stood for more than 1500 years, but two large earthquakes in the early 14th century caused major damage to the lighthouse. Any remnant of the building was destroyed when a medieval fort was built on the ruin using some of the stone in 1480. It was the sixth wonder to crumble.
So there you have it, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Now you can go and win that final Jeopardy question and all will be awed by your knowledge of the ancient world.
*And yes, I realize this is posted kind of late, but it's still technically Monday! And it's extra long to make up for missing so many posts
Thank you - I love when history is interesting and that was definitely interesting.
ReplyDelete