The Great Pyramid is the oldest of the 7 Wonders of the World — and yet it's the only one still standing.
So what happened to the other six?
Here's what we know about them... (thread) 🧵
So what happened to the other six?
Here's what we know about them... (thread) 🧵
An "official" list of wonders was proposed by Greek writers like Antipater of Sidon over 2,000 years ago.
These lists survive to this day, and though they vary slightly, they tend to include the following seven...
These lists survive to this day, and though they vary slightly, they tend to include the following seven...
The youngest is the Lighthouse of Alexandria, built around 280 BC.
Back then, Alexandria was a crucial trade port — the gateway to the Mediterranean. Its lighthouse was 400 feet tall, the world's second tallest structure after the Great Pyramid...
Back then, Alexandria was a crucial trade port — the gateway to the Mediterranean. Its lighthouse was 400 feet tall, the world's second tallest structure after the Great Pyramid...
It survived over 1,400 years, but was gradually destroyed by medieval earthquakes and collapsed into the sea.
Amazingly, we still have fragments of it, rescued in 1996 from Alexandria's harbor seafloor.
Amazingly, we still have fragments of it, rescued in 1996 from Alexandria's harbor seafloor.
Then there's the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, a 350 BC tomb built for Mausolus, ruler of Caria (part of the Persian Empire).
Crowned by a four-horse marble chariot, it was so great that Mausolus's name stuck as the generic word for funeral monument buildings...
Crowned by a four-horse marble chariot, it was so great that Mausolus's name stuck as the generic word for funeral monument buildings...
Earthquakes destroyed it in the 13th century and some fragments were used to build Bodrum Castle.
You can still visit its foundations in Bodrum (Turkey) and many of its original statues and reliefs — some of which are now in the British Museum.
You can still visit its foundations in Bodrum (Turkey) and many of its original statues and reliefs — some of which are now in the British Museum.
The last wonder we have physical remains for is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (modern-day Turkey).
At first a Bronze Age shrine, twice destroyed and rebuilt. The third temple stood for 600 years, and was twice the size of the Parthenon...
At first a Bronze Age shrine, twice destroyed and rebuilt. The third temple stood for 600 years, and was twice the size of the Parthenon...
As Christianity swept the Roman Empire, Paganism was phased out and the temple closed in 391 AD by Emperor Theodosius.
In 401 AD, a mob tore it down. Only a single column now remains, and fragments at the British Museum.
In 401 AD, a mob tore it down. Only a single column now remains, and fragments at the British Museum.
The Colossus of Rhodes is one of the most famous — a war memorial the size of the Statue of Liberty, built in 282 BC on the island of Rhodes.
After a major siege on the city, Rhodians melted down the enemy's bronze and iron weaponry to erect a colossus of the sun god Helios...
After a major siege on the city, Rhodians melted down the enemy's bronze and iron weaponry to erect a colossus of the sun god Helios...
After 50 years it was toppled by an earthquake, then lay in ruin for centuries (we don't know exactly where) until the pieces were sold off.
People still came to see the fragments — Pliny the Elder said few could wrap their arms around its thumbs.
People still came to see the fragments — Pliny the Elder said few could wrap their arms around its thumbs.
Next is the statue of Zeus — a 41-foot ode to the greatest Greek god at the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
It was made in 435 BC from gold and ivory, decorated with precious stones, polished bone and ebony. Zeus's head was crowned with golden olive shoots...
It was made in 435 BC from gold and ivory, decorated with precious stones, polished bone and ebony. Zeus's head was crowned with golden olive shoots...
By the end of the 6th century AD it was lost. We don't know for sure what happened, but the temple closed in the 4th century (under Theodosius).
Some say the statue was taken to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in the fire of the Palace of Lausus.
Some say the statue was taken to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in the fire of the Palace of Lausus.
Last, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
The structure is said to date to 600 BC, built by Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. A priest named Berossus described a series of terraces supported by columns, irrigated by pumps from the Euphrates river...
The structure is said to date to 600 BC, built by Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. A priest named Berossus described a series of terraces supported by columns, irrigated by pumps from the Euphrates river...
It's the only wonder we haven't been able to locate — whether it existed at all has been debated for centuries.
The gardens were said to lie in the city of Babylon (present-day Iraq), but there's a competing theory...
The gardens were said to lie in the city of Babylon (present-day Iraq), but there's a competing theory...
Some think the ancient sources refer to the lush gardens at nearby Nineveh, built by Assyrian ruler Sennacherib.
A 7th century BC relief from Nineveh shows a sloped garden fed by water channels.
A 7th century BC relief from Nineveh shows a sloped garden fed by water channels.
That 6 of 7 are lost to time puts into perspective how unique the pyramids are. The Great Pyramid has already lasted 4,600 years — a feat that's echoed in an ancient proverb:
"Man fears time; time fears the pyramids."
"Man fears time; time fears the pyramids."
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And if you ever wondered about the Civil Courts Building in St. Louis — it was directly inspired by the great mausoleum at Halicarnassus...
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