R202 – Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Although most of us know that there exists a list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only few can name them. The first wonder to come to your mind is probably the Pyramids of Egypt, or even the Great Wall of China. However contrary to most impressions, the Great Wall was never in fact included in the list, despite being built around the third century BC.

The list was originally compiled around the second century BC by the Greek historians. Based on their limited knowledge at that time, only the greatest monuments built around the Europe Mediterranean region were considered.

The Seven Wonders are namely, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. These structures were selected for their remarkable architecture and classical beauty. Regrettably, only one out of the seven Ancient Wonders is still surviving in the present day.

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The Great Pyramid of Giza, built as a tomb for a Egyptian Pharaoh, is one of the oldest constructions in the world, withstanding over 5000 years. It took 20 years to complete and was the tallest man made structure for over 3800 years. One reason why it still stands today is probably its sturdiest structure among the other six, which focused on beautiful architecture rather than durability.

The pyramid amazes many professionals today by its precision and accuracy upon which it was built. The average error of the four sides of the base is only 58mm in length, and 1 minute in angle (60 minutes make 1 degree) off from a perfect square. The four sides are also closely aligned to the four cardinal points (North, South, East, West) within 3 arc minutes. More importantly, transporting and stacking tons of rocks vertically is indeed a wonder considering their level of technology at that period.



Located in Babylon (present-day Iraq), the Hanging Gardens was said to be built by a King to please his wife who missed the trees and plants of her homeland. The ‘Hanging’ Gardens did not actually hang or suspend, but was situated on the roofs and terraces of the royal palace. After about 500 years, it was destroyed after several earthquakes.

If you are wondering about the structure in the background, it is the mythical Tower of Babel which is believed to tower beyond the clouds (close to heaven). Its height was estimated within a range from 200 metres to 7 kilometres! (with an extremely wide base)



The Statue of Zeus was erected at a temple in Olympia, Greece. Sitting at 12 metres tall, it was once commented by a geographer that, “It seems that if Zeus were to stand up, he would unroof the temple”. The statue remained seated for about 800 years before it was destroyed by fire, as presumed by historians.



This Temple of Artemis was a Greek temple, located in present-day Turkey, built in dedication to the Greek goddess Artemis. The construction took a whopping 120 years. Throughout history, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt many times. The initial structure was burnt down by arson.



The Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus (what an incredible name) was located at present-day Turkey, built as a tomb for a provincial governor of the Persian Empire named Mausolus. Standing at 45 metres, it was erected on a hill overlooking the city. Its four sides were decorated by various impressive sculptures. This tomb was so famous that ‘mausoleum’ became an official word to describe magnificent tombs. Unfortunately it was damaged by an earthquake, and after which the European Crusaders extracted stones and marbles from the mausoleum for their new castle.



The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the tallest statues in the ancient world. The 30-metres tall statue of the Greek god Helios was constructed at the habour of a Greek island. It stood for only 56 years until a earthquake struck, which fractured its knees and made it topple on the land. There were recent plans to reconstruct the Colossus of Rhodes.



At about 130 metres tall, the Lighthouse of Alexandria is believed to be the third tallest building for its entire lifespan. Located at the island of Pharos in Egypt, it was initially built as a landmark to ships for easy navigation, and later served as a lighthouse. After standing for 1500 years, the tower perished in an earthquake.

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Many had urged poets, writers and historians to seek new ‘replacements’ for the fallen ancient wonders. Some had even proposed a new list for the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. However, no single list had ever won unanimous approval among historians, artists and architects.

It is a pity that not much information is known about the fallen wonders due to their short-lived existence. The illustrations in books are merely artists’ impressions and imaginations of what they were supposed to be. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still remains a mystery for historians today.