SEVEN WONDERS OF THE EARTH – VOLUME 1

A. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

We don’t exactly know how the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was built, but it is commonly assumed that it was built by King Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over Babylon from 605 B.C. until his death in 562 B.C. It is thought that the King hired sculptors and gardeners to design the gardens to make his homesick Queen feel more at home, because where she came from was greener and richer in plants while Babylon was the exact opposite.

B. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Statue of Zeus was built in honour of the Greek King of Gods, Zeus. Even in the ancient times, people from all over world travelled to Greece to compete in Olympic Games. When the Olympic Games were started in 776 B.C. there was a smaller monument to honour Zeus. As the Olympic Games grew it was decided that a new temple should be made. Architect Libon of Ellis completed the Temple of Zeus 456 B.C. Then, a statue of Zeus was built by sculptor Phidias to decorate the temple better.

C. The Great Lighthouse at Alexandria

This lighthouse was constructed during the time of Ptolemy in Egypt in the 3rd century BC. It helped to guide trade ships in the harbour and many tales have come about how the lighthouse was destroyed and then found on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea nearly 2000 years later.