Chewy Explores: 7 Wonders of the World

Chewy

Credit:wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonders_of_the_World

The Seven Wonders

Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the World. Egyptologists generally agree the pyramid was constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. It is generally believed the Great Pyramid was built as the tomb of Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharoah Khufu (Cheops), after whom it is sometimes called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu. Khufu's vizier, Hemiunu, is credited as the architect of the Great Pyramid.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon


The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis) and the walls of Babylon (present-day Iraq) were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. They were both supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC .

The Hanging Gardens are extensively documented by Greek historians such as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus, but otherwise there is little evidence for their existence. In fact, there are no Babylonian records of any such gardens having existed. Some (circumstantial) evidence gathered at the excavation of the palace at Babylon has accrued, but does not completely substantiate what look like fanciful descriptions. Some schools of thought think that through the ages the location may have been confused with gardens that existed at Nineveh as tablets from there clearly showing gardens have been found. Writings on these tablets describe the possible use of something similar to an Archimedes' screw as a process of raising the water to the required height.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia


The Statue of Zeus at Olympia carved by the famed Classical sculptor Phidias (5th century BC) circa 435 BC, in present day Greece, is traditionally one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The seated statue occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it. According to a contemporary source, it was about 12 metres (~37 feet) tall. "It seems that if Zeus were to stand up," the geographer Strabo noted early in the 1st century BC, "he would unroof the temple." Zeus was carved from ivory (technically the ivory was soaked in a liquid that made it softer, so it was probably both carved and shaped as necessary) then covered with gold plating (thus chryselephantine) and was seated on a magnificent throne of cedarwood, inlaid with ivory, gold, ebony, and precious stones. In Zeus' right hand there was a small statue of Nike, the goddess of victory, and in his left hand, a shining sceptre on which an eagle perched Visitors like the Roman general Aemilius Paulus, the victor over Macedon, were moved to awe by the godlike majesty and splendor that Phidias had captured.

The circumstances of its eventual destruction are a source of debate: some scholars argue that it perished with the temple in the 5th century AD, others argue that it was carried off to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in the great fire of the Lauseion (Schobel 1965). According to Lucian of Samosata in the later second century, "they have laid hands on your person at Olympia, my lord High-Thunderer, and you had not the energy to wake the dogs or call in the neighbours; surely they might have come to the rescue and caught the fellows before they had finished packing up the swag",

Perhaps the greatest discovery in terms of finding out about this wonder came in 1958 with the excavation of the workshop used to create the statue. This has led archaeologists to be able to re-create the technique used to make the great work.

Temple of Artemis


The Temple of Artemis (Greek: Artemision; Latin: Artemisium), also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian Empire. Nothing remains of the original temple, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The temple was a 120-year project started by Croesus of Lydia. It was described by Antipater of Sidon, who compiled a list of the Seven Wonders:

I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught (anything) so grand." (Antipater, Greek Anthology)
The temple was also described by Philon of Byzantium:

I have seen the walls and Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon, the statue of Olympian Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the mighty work of the high Pyramids and the tomb of Mausolus. But when I saw the temple at Ephesus rising to the clouds, all these other wonders were put in the shade.

Mausoleum of Maussollos


The Mausoleum of Maussollos, the Persian satrap of Caria, built around 350 BC, at Halicarnassus (present Bodrum, Turkey), was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The word mausoleum came to be used generically for any grand tomb, though "Mausol-eum" originally meant "in honour of Mausol".

This enormous white marble tomb was built to hold the remains of Mausolus, a provincial king in the Persian Empire, and Artemisia, who was his wife and sister. Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius designed the approximately 45-metre-high tomb (135 feet), and four famous Grecian sculptors added an ornamental frieze (decorated band) around its exterior.

When the Persians expanded their ancient kingdom to include Mesopotamia, Northern India, Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor, the king could not control his vast empire without the help of local governors or rulers—the satraps. Like many other provinces, the kingdom of Caria in the western part of Asia Minor was so far from the Persian capital that it was practically autonomous. From 377 to 353 BC, king Mausolus of Caria reigned and moved his capital to Halicarnassus. Mausolus' life was unremarkable, except the construction of his tomb. The project was conceived by his wife and sister Artemisia, and the construction might have started during the king's lifetime. The Mausoleum was completed around 350 BC, three years after Mausolus' death, and one year after Artemisia's.

Colossus of Rhodes


Colossus of Rhodes was a giant statue of the god Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 BC and 280 BC. It was roughly the same size as the Statue of Liberty in New York, although it stood on a lower platform. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Lighthouse of Alexandria


The Pharos of Alexandria was a tower built in the 3rd century BC on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt to serve as that port's landmark, and later, lighthouse.

With a height variously estimated at between 117 and 134 metres (440ft) it was the tallest man-made structure on Earth for many centuries, and was identified as one of the Seven Wonders of the World by Antipater of Sidon.

It ceased operating and was largely destroyed as a result of two earthquakes in the 14th century AD; some of its remains were found on the floor of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour by divers in 1994. More of the remains have subsequently been revealed by satellite imaging.

Constructed from large blocks of light-coloured stone, the tower was made up of three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section, and, at the top, a circular section. At its apex was positioned a mirror which reflected sunlight during the day; a fire was lit at night. Extant Roman coins struck by the Alexandrian mint show that a statue of a triton was positioned on each of the building's 4 corners. A statue of Poseidon stood atop the tower during the Roman period.

The design of minarets in many early Islamic mosques many centuries later followed a similar three-stage design to that of the Pharos, attesting to the building's broader architectural influence.

Legends tell of the light from the Pharos being used to burn enemy ships before they could reach shore, however this is highly unlikely due to the relatively poor quality of optics and reflective technology in the time period in which the building existed. Only slightly less impressive - and probably more accurate - is the claim that the light from the lighthouse could be seen up to 35 miles (56 km) from shore.

Pharos later became the etymological origin of the word 'lighthouse' in many Romance languages, such as French (phare), Italian (faro), Portuguese (farol), Spanish (faro) and Romanian (far) .

Blitzkrieg

These things are just amazing.. It's amazing to me how they could build all these beautiful buildings, statues, etc.. without having the modern technolody that we possess today. I marvel at what they were able to accomplish.

Tyler Durden

By "Collosus of Rhodes" I was very disappointed you didn't put a pic of fat ol' Dusy. Maybe in that polka dot number he used to wear.

I expect humour from you Chewster, and all I got was an excellent post.

Cheers!!

Randy Orton

WC's Resident Alchoholic

Good stuff. I don't see how they build some of this stuff. i would have no idea where to even start.

Necro

Yeah keep this shit up. I've found both of the ones I read cool.

Necro

The Pyramids are the most insane creation ever

Randy Orton

WC's Resident Alchoholic

Yea, I don't see hwo they built those things. They can't figure it out now how they moved that stuff al the way to the top. It's prob something nobody will ever figure out.

Necro

They had super strong slaves who were related to Shawn Kemp.

Chewy

Ohhh DK, you sure know how to make a Wookie cry.

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Good to know that this is the kind of stuff you guys like, so I guess i'll post a few more just like this.

Randy Orton

WC's Resident Alchoholic

yea this is good stuff i enjoy it.