TOURISPHERE: Seven wonders of the ancient world

The fourth is the Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus. It was built around 550 BC; the temple was located in the Greek city of Ephesus, on the western coast of modern Turkey.

The city of Ephesus was chosen as the final site for one of the most complex and largest temples to be built in the ancient times. The Temple of Artemis had a tile-covered wooden roof and a marble sanctuary. The plan to build this temple was conceived by the ancient architect, Chersiphron and Metagenes, his son and the inner space feature a double row of about 106 columns, each being around 40 to 60 feet in height.

The foundation itself was about 200 feet by 400 feet. The original temple was burnt down in 356 BC. This was later rebuilt on the same foundation work. Sadly, a fire devastated the second temple in the year 262 AD, but some debris and remnants of the foundation still remain.

Fifth is the Statue of Zeus. This was built around 457 BC; this statue was located in the ancient Greek city of Olympia. In Olympia where the first ever-Olympic Games were held, a temple was built to honor the god Zeus. This Doric-style temple was considered by many to be too simple, so a lavish 40-foot statue of the god, Zeus then commissioned to be erected inside this temple. The ancient Athenian sculptor, Phidias, created an ivory structure of Zeus seated on a royal throne, draped in a magnificent gold robe.

Zeus also has a wreath wrapped around his head and held a figure of his trusted messenger, Nike, in his right hand and in his left hand was a scepter. Eventually, the statue was moved to a palace in Constantinople. This effort however, prolonged the life of the statue as a devastating fire later burned down the temple at Olympia. However, Constantinople didn’t prove to be a safer place for Zeus because a massive destroyed this statue in 462 AD. All that remains today are some of the fallen columns of the temple and the foundation of the structure.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is the sixth. It was built in 353 BC; this Mausoleum was located in what is now Southwestern Turkey. This massive tomb that was made of white marble was built to preserve the remains of Mausolus, a provincial king of the Persian Empire and his dear wife, Artemisia. The Greek architects, Pythius and Satyrus, designed this 135-foot high structure and four of the most famous Grecian sculptors added the ornamental frieze or decorative band around the exterior of the tomb.

Word of its grandeur soon spread throughout the ancient world and till date the word ‘mausoleum’ represents a large tomb. This wondrous monument was damaged by an earthquake in the 15th century and was eventually disassembled. Only a few pieces and the foundation still remain.     
                                                                                                                      
The seventh one is the Colossus of Rhodes – built somewhere in the early 200’s BC, this structure was located near the harbor of Rhodes, which is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. The ancient Greek sculptor, Chares, along with his crew worked for about 12 years to build this giant bronze statue in honor of Helios, the Sun god. This statute that celebrates the unity of the three Rhodes’ city-states was believed to have stood on a sort of promontory, overlooking the waters.

At roughly 120 feet, the Colossus stood as high as today’s Statue of Liberty. Interior iron bars and stone blocks supported this hollow statue. Only 56 years after it was built, it was destroyed in an earthquake.

These were the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. And, to think that the people on those days made such wondrous works of art and architecture without the help of technology and machinery, it’s just fascinating!