1. The 7 Wonders of the ancient world
“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 so grand.”
-Antipater Greek Anthology IX.58, Ca. 140 BCE
Can you identify all the wonders in this picture? Hint: Some are not mentioned in the poem above!

2. Did you know…
Many Greeks, such as Antipater, Herodotus, Strabo, Philo of Byzantium, and Diodorus of Siciliy, wrote about the supposed “wonders” of the world at their time. Many Greek tourists used their lists when planning trips. In a way, they provided guidebooks for travelers!
Using the following link, try to answer these questions:
What geographical location are all of the sites centered around?
What do you think the reason for this was?

3. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Year built: BCE Year destroyed: After the 1st C. BCE
Built by: Babylonians Cause of destruction: Earthquake
The Hanging Gardens were not literally hanging. See if you can find out why they earned that name here 
The gardens were built by a Babylonian ruler named Nebuchadnezzar II. Find out a little more about him, and why he built this massive structure.
Nebuchadnezzar

4. THE STATUE OF ZEUS AT OLYMPIA
Year Built: ca. 432 BCE
Built By: Greeks
Year Destroyed: 5th-6th C. CE
Destroyed By: Fire
Need to brush up on your Greek mythology? Read more about Zeus at these 2 sites:
See if you can find out how tall this massive statue was!
See if you can find out why the Olympics were held in the same city as this legendary temple! (Hint: Look under the FAQs) Olympia:

5. TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS AT EPHESUS
Year Built: ca. 550 BCE Year Destroyed: July 21st, 356 BCE
Built By: Lydians, Persians, & Greeks Destroyed by: Arson
Ephesus was home to a famous style of statuary called the Ephesian Artemis. Find out more about this style here.
Find out about the sacrifices performed at this temple, and its needless destruction.
Temple Documentary
Even though this was a Greek temple, it wasn’t actually in Greece. It was in Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor, which was colonized and ruled by Greeks at different times in history.
Interested in ancient architecture? Watch how they actually built such an enormous structure here.

6. MAUSOLEUM AT HALICARNASSUS
Date Built: BCE Date Destroyed: By 1494 AD
Built By: Carians, Persians, & Greeks Destroyed By: Earthquake & eventually disassembled by Crusaders
Who was the mausoleum actually built for? Find out here.
What is a mausoleum, and where does this unusual word come from? Find out here.
Halicarnassus was also the birthplace of the “father of history” Herodotus. Find out more about this ancient city here!

7. COLOSSUS OF RHODES Date Built: Ca. 290-280 BCE Date Destroyed: 226 BCE
Destroyed By; Earthquake
Built By: Greeks
Who was this massive figure, man or god?
Find out here:
Read about the “modern” colossus here. What is this modern colossus, and how does the poet contrast the purpose of each statue?
*Hint: Click on the link for the “historical document” for the complete poem*

8. LIGHTHOUSE OF ALEXANDRIA
Date Built: Ca. 280 BCE
Built By: Hellenistic Egypt
Date Destroyed: CE
Destroyed By: Earthquake
Why was this lighthouse so special? Read more here:
The lighthouse construction was begun by Ptolemy, a general of Alexander the Great and first ruler of Hellenistic Egypt, and completed by his son Ptolemy II. Find out more about the Ptolemaic dynasty here!
Did you know…
The lighthouse was built on the island of Pharos, just off the coast of Alexandria. Pharos became the word for lighthouse in Latin (pharos), Spanish (faro), and French (phare)!
Lighthouse Documentary

9. The Great Pyramid of Giza
Date Built: BCE
Built By: Egyptians
Date destroyed: Never!
How many blocks do you think were used to build this pyramid? Find out if you’re close here!
Go on a virtual tour of the Pyramid here!
How did the Egyptians build such a massive pyramid?! Learn about 3 different theories here.
To get an idea of how tall this pyramid really is, look at the people standing at the bottom.

10. Remember this picture? See how many monuments you can identify now!

11. What are the “official” 7 Wonders of the Ancient World?
Who decided which monuments were part of the “list”?
Why were these lists even made?
Where were the wonders generally located, and why? Also, consider physical geography and transportation during the ancient world.
What typically caused the destruction of these monuments? How would you describe these causes?
Which wonders are still standing today? Why do you think it/they were able to withstand destruction?