Page 25 - 201212 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - December 2012

The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World THE ORIGIN OF THE “7 WONDERS Today we think nothing of 100-story skyscrapers. But in the earliest days of civilization, huge structures were considered superhuman accomplishments. The most impressive of these came to be known as “The Seven Wonders of the World.” How they got their name is a pretty interesting story itself. (After all, there were no intercontinental broadcasts to tell people abut them.) It turns out that in the time when Greece and Rome dominated the course of history in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, private fleets made money ferrying passengers to “exotic” lands. To tout these destinations, the world’s first tourist guidebooks were created. Among their most popular attractions were...The Seven Wonders of the World, The earliest list of them on record was compiled by Antipater of Sidonin in the Second Century B.C. THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS AT GIZA Built: Between 2600 and 2500 B.C. History: Three enormous pyramids were erected as burial tombs for Egyptian pharaohs thousands of years before the golden ages of Greece and Rome. The largest, called the Great Pyramid, stands 450 feet high at its peak; its THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS (DIANA) AT have been the ancient world’s most famous base takes up 13 acres. The Greeks and Romans EPHESUS statue. It stood 40 feet high and depicted Zeus - were impressed by their size, but, unaware of Built: Circa 550 B.C. a symbol of power, thrower of thunderbolts - on their religious significance, considered them History: One of the grandest and most his throne. His robe and ornaments were made extravagant. architecturally advanced of ancient temples, the of gold, his body of ivory. He wore a wreath on Fate: Still Standing. And they still attract temple of Artemis (whom the Romans called his head and held a figure of his messenger Nike millions of visitors from around the globe every Diana) was located in the Greek city of in his right hand, and a scepter in his left. year, Ephesus, across the Aegean from modern Fate: Destroyed (No one is sure how or when). Greece, on the wets coast of what is now THE HANGING GARDENS OF Turkey. According to Pliny, it took 120 years to THE MAUSOLEUM AT BABYLON build. It was made entirely of marble, except for HALICARNASSUS, IN ASIA MINOR its tile-covered wooden roof. It rested on a (Southwestern Turkey) Built: Sometime in the late Seventh or early foundation measuring 377 by 180 feet, and Sixth Century B.C. featured 106 columns - each represented by a Built: About 353 B.C. History: King Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled different king - about 40 feet high. History: Originally built as a burial tomb for Babylon (near the modern city of Baghdad) The Ephesians (the same ones St. Paul Mausolus, a local ruler in part of the Persian between 605 and 562 B.C., built the hanging preached to) used an especially clever technique Empire, this huge, white marble edifice stood gardens for his queen, the daughter of the 19; 641=482 =30 24,8= 7,;-60 <=980< D%30B ->46= ,8 about 135 feet high, and measured 440 feet Median king Cyaxares. She was supposedly inclined plane of sandbags up to the apex of the around its rectangular base. Above the base was uncomfortable on the hot Mesopotamian columns, and dragged the stones up the plane to a colonnade formed by 36 columns, and, above flatlands, and longed for the cool, lofty heights be laid atop the columns,and dragged the stones them, a stepped pyramid, which, historians of her mountainous homeland. So up the plane to be laid atop the columns. Then believe, held a statue of Mausolus in a chariot. Nebuchadnezzar had the enormous garden they slit the bags so the sand would empty out, Fate: The top part was destroyed by an structure designed and built with elevated leaving the marble slabs resting in place. earthquake. Only pieces of the building, and its terraces containing groves of trees, lush Fate: The original temple was destroyed by an decorations (called friezes) remain; the British vegetation, fountains and exotic birds. arsonist (who said he did to achieve immortality Museum holdings include some sculptures from According to contemporary accounts, the for his name) in 365 B.C. A replacement of the site. King Mausolus has been immportalized gardens were laid out on a brick terrace about similar design was erected on the same in the word used to name any large tomb. 400 feet square and 75 feet above the ground; foundation. The replacement was burned by the irrigation was provided by slaves turning screws 9=3< 48 D%9/,B 986B =30 19>8/,=498 (Continued on Page 27) to lift water from the nearby Euphrates River. and parts of the second temple remain. The stone used in the construction is not found Sculptures from the second temple can be found THE ORIGIN OF anywhere on the Mesopotamian plane; in the British Museum. historians believe it was ferried down the Tigris PRODUCT NAMES River from a far-off mountain quarry. THE STATUE OF ZEUS, OLYMPIA, Fate: Destroyed. Archeologists have been GREECE AVON PRODUCTS unable to discover and positively identify the remains of the gardens. Built: Circa 435 B.C. Founder D.H. McConnell lived in a The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show Pocasts are History: Built by the Greek sculptor Phidias, small New York town called Suffern on the available at for FREE at the depiction of the Greek king of the gods may Ramapo in the 1800s’ The name reminded him www.xzonepodcast.com of Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon.