The Hanging Gardens of Babylon - the construction of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. Seven Wonders of the World: Hanging Gardens in Babylon Wonder of the World associated with Babylon

The ancient kings knew how to live beautifully. Huge palaces with fountains, majestic temples, marble sculptures in honor of themselves. But most of all, the rulers loved to create beautiful gardens, where birds of paradise delighted their ears with their singing, and delicate greenery caressed their eyes. The most famous of these gardens belonged, according to legend, to the Assyrian queen Semiramis, and was one of the 7 wonders of the world. Ekaterina Astafieva will tell you where the Hanging Gardens of Babylon really were, who built them, and what was so wonderful about them.

Whose gardens are they anyway?

Let's start with the main thing - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon never belonged to Babylon. The name of this legendary queen is often found in Akkadian and ancient Armenian mythologies. Under the guise of Semiramis hides the Assyrian queen Shammuramat. She became famous due to the fact that for some time she ruled alone, which rarely happened to women in those days. She lived at the beginning of the 9th century BC, that is, according to scientists, two centuries before the creation of the famous wonder of the world.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were actually built by Nebuchadnezzar II

The second, more correct name for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the gardens of Amitis or Amanis. This was the name of the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II, who created the wonder of the world as a gift to his beloved. This gift has a beautiful story that could give a head start to many romantic ballads. In the 6th century BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II entered into an alliance with the king of Media Cyaxares. They united against a common enemy - powerful Assyria. The allies managed to win, and they divided the territory of the defeated among themselves. In honor of the successful union, Nebuchadnezzar married the Median princess Amytis. But the girl, who grew up in fertile Media, was bored in dusty and deserted Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar ordered hanging gardens to be built for his young wife, which would brighten up her homesickness. And so the second wonder of the world appeared.

The Mystery of Babylon

The place where the Hanging Gardens were supposed to be located was excavated in 1899 by the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey. He discovered some unusual structure on the territory of ancient Babylon. He suggested that it was used as a special water lift for a continuous supply of water. In addition, the structure was lined with stone, not brick. Ancient sources reported two places where stone was used in construction. One of them has already been discovered, and the second, legendary, turned out to be the hanging gardens of Amytis.

The correct name for the hanging gardens is Amitis Gardens

True, there is another version where it is worth looking for the wonder of the world. Some scholars agree that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were located in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, which after the war went to Babylon.

It is interesting that there are almost no direct indications of the existence of the Hanging Gardens of Amytis among those who could directly visit the palace of Babylon. Herodotus, for example, in his descriptions mentions a part of the palace that can be correlated with a wonder of the world. But he already considered the creation of the gardens to be the work of Queen Shammuramat.

The Hanging Gardens were excavated by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey

Did the gardens hang?

What did the famous gardens look like? Were they really hanging? The Hanging Gardens were built in the form of a large stepped pyramid, with four floors rising above each other. The platforms were connected by stairs made of white and pink slabs. Each platform was installed on columns 25 meters high. This distance allowed the plants to receive the right amount of sunlight.

The surface of each tier, as scientists suggest, consisted of several layers. First, a layer of reed mixed with resin was laid on the platform, then two layers of brick held together with gypsum mortar. Lead slabs were laid on top of all this, and a layer of fertile soil was poured on them, sufficient for tall trees to take root. Flowers and herbs were also planted nearby.

For some time, the Gardens of Babylon belonged to Alexander the Great

Irrigation of hanging gardens deserves special attention. In the middle of one of the columns there was a pipe through which water entered the garden. Every day the slaves turned the wheel, along the perimeter of which buckets hung. They scooped up water from the river or, as some researchers believe, from underground wells. The water first entered the upper tier of the pyramid, from where it flowed through channels to the lower floors. Of course, such a complex system required careful care and continuous work of slaves. That is why the Hanging Gardens of Babylon fell into disrepair soon after the death of Nebuchadnezzar II. After Alexander the Great captured Babylon, made the king’s palace his own residence and died here directly, the artificial irrigation system stopped functioning and the beautiful plants died. Soon, due to floods from a nearby river, the foundation was washed away, the slabs fell, and only memories remained of the hanging gardens.

Seven Wonders of the World, photos and descriptions of unique architectural structures show the greatness of ancient history.

The ancient era, with its greatest cultural and historical monuments, laid the foundation for the outstanding creations of mankind, which continue the legacy with new discoveries and genuine miracles.

What are the wonders of the world, how many of them exist, what are they, why is the word “miracle” used in relation to them, what significance do these objects have for world history and culture - we will try to answer these questions, as well as give a definition , a brief description and provide photographs of those that exist in the 21st century.

Since the times of Ancient Hellas, it has been customary to call a wonder of the world an ancient work of architecture and art, which has no equal in beauty, majestic size, precious decoration and originality.

There were 7 such miracles in the ancient world. Who hasn’t heard about the Eighth Wonder of the World? Probably everything. Can you name him? List them and you will see that there are only seven of them in our time. Not a single list or table in the textbook contains it. And all because the 8th wonder of the world does not officially exist - it is just an expression designed to evaluate something truly amazing and grandiose, or... to emphasize the extraordinary curiosity of some phenomenon or incident.

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7 wonders of the world - list

So what's included in the list:

- the age is about 4.5 thousand years, every day crowds of tourists visit this attraction of Egypt.
- an amazing and unusual gift made by a husband for his beloved wife. Beautiful, green gardens full of exotic plants, birds and animals grew among the dusty Babylon.
Zeus statue in Olympia- only this miracle was located on the territory of continental Europe. The Olympic Games had been held for 300 years, and only then did the construction of the majestic and main temple begin.
Temple of Artemis of Ephesus- a beautiful building, burned to “glorify” the name.
mausoleum in Halicarnassus- stood in its place for quite a long time - nineteen centuries.
The Colossus of Rhodes- a huge statue of the sun god, whom the people worshiped.
Alexandrian lighthouse- not just a lighthouse, but a fortress city, on the top of which a fire burned day and night. Firewood was transported by mullahs along a winding road inside the structure.

Detailed description of the seven wonders

The Pyramid of Cheops

The first wonder of the world is the Pyramid of Cheops. The ancient heritage of Egypt is located in the northwestern part of Cairo. The location points to 4 parts of the world and shows the unique precision of the structure. The greatest Egyptian wonder of the world took 20 years to build. The labor of about a million slaves was used for its construction, whose work continued even after the death of Pharaoh Cheops.

The base area of the pyramid reaches 53,000 square meters. m, and the height at the end of construction reached 147 m. You can get inside the tomb of the pharaoh only through one entrance, which is located above the ground at a level of 15.5 m.

It is worth noting: Caliph Abdullah Al-Mamun decided to disturb the chambers of the pharaoh, who dug a tunnel into the pyramid with the intention of profit, but in the end did not find any treasures.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The second wonder of the world is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. They present a luxurious gift from Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian ruler, for his beloved wife. Subsequently, the wealth and splendor of the city were destroyed by flood. The structures and buildings where the gardens grew were washed away and broken under the influence of a powerful water flow.

The attraction confuses contemporaries about its location. Many archaeological scientists have made repeated attempts to find traces of this ancient phenomenon.

Zeus statue in Olympia

The third wonder of the world - the majestic Zeus was a masterpiece of jewelers. The author is the great master of that time - Phidias. Wonders of the World, described on Wikipedia, say that the author spent about 10 years creating his creation. To date, the exact dimensions of the statue have not been determined; it is believed that the approximate height was 12-18 m.

The pedestal for the throne was of impressive size and was decorated with fragments from the Olympic Games and the lives of the gods.

On it sat a bare-chested Thunderer, supported at his feet by two lions. On the body there is a golden cloak with images of animals and plants. There is a wreath on his head, the Thunderer holds a scepter in one hand, and a golden statue of the Goddess of Victory in the other.

Temple of Artemis of Ephesus

The fourth wonder of the world is the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus. The ancient pilgrimage center is located in Turkey. It was built by the forces of the Amazons, who were considered the founders of the city. Soon the city was burned by Herostratus. In the 6th century, a new building project led by Hersiphron included white marble columns.

Its construction lasted 120 years and was carried out according to the same project, with the preliminary collection of funds and jewelry from the townspeople. Good to know:

On the day of the fire of the temple, Alexander III the Great was born, and the phrase “Gerostratus’s glory” turned into a symbol of a bad deed.

mausoleum in Halicarnassus

The fifth wonder of the world is the mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Governor Mavsol built his tomb under his personal supervision. The three-level mausoleum rose 46 meters. The lower level was faced with marble. It contained the tomb of the king. The next level featured a colonnade supporting the roof, creating a pyramidal shape.

The top was personified by the figures of King Mausolus with Artemisia, in a chariot with 4 horses.

The Colossus of Rhodes

The sixth wonder of the world is the Colossus of Rhodes. The islanders of Rhodes erected a monument to their patron Helios in gratitude for the victory against the invaders. The monument is the personification of the freedom and independence of the island’s inhabitants. The construction of the statue took 12 years. According to numerous descriptions of contemporaries, the Colossus was located on an embankment, which was a kind of gateway to the city. In one hand the young man held the flaming fire of Helios. The height of the statue reached 36 m.

It is worth noting: The supporting pillars of the structure turned out to be unreliable and, just 65 years later, collapsed as a result of an earthquake. The statue of the Colossus of Rhodes is a wonder of the world that lasted less than all the others.

the fragile structures later became known as the “Colossus with Feet of Clay.”

Alexandrian lighthouse

Consisting of several tiers, the lighthouse served as housing for sailors and port workers. At the top of the octagonal tower there was a light source - a large fire. The unique creation lasted until the 15th century, when an earthquake completely destroyed it.

Note: The second name of the lighthouse is Zeus the Savior.

Who first described the 7 wonders of the world

The founder of the work “On the Seven Wonders of the World” was Philo of Byzantium. His short 12-page essay consists of eyewitness accounts of unique buildings.

Philo of Byzantium did not see any of the described miracles with his own eyes, and wrote about them from the stories of others

Information about the life and work of the great engineer and poet consists of small facts that are famous for their great discoveries. The wonders of the world were described by many talented authors: Herodotus, Strabo, Pausanias, Sequester, Cassiodorus, etc. However, they did not have a single idea and uniquely defined unique monuments.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The famous wonders of the world that have come into our lives constitute the wonders of the ancient world. Why are there not five or six wonders of the world... but 7?

"7" is a number associated with the sacred god Apollo, signifying completeness and perfection in the minds of ancient civilization.

Compiles a list of venerable rulers of the ancient century. Based on their significance, grandiose monuments of that time were created.

Each monument on the list is the embodiment of architectural art. From the beginning of the Hellenic era, writings about unique monuments were distributed on papyri by Greek authors. They were widely studied at school and served as a teaching aid.

How many wonders of the world have survived to this day?

Only one Cheops pyramid has been completely preserved to this day. The Egyptian miracle of antiquity still holds the secrets of its great ancestors. At the moment, this is the largest architectural structure made of stone, reaching 137 m. During its existence, it decreased by almost 10 m.

Architectural sights, interesting to many researchers in the world and constituting the wonders of the ancient world, have been preserved partially or in the form of a copy:

The lighthouse of Alexandria was destroyed by an earthquake and could not be restored. To date, only the fortress has survived.
A copy of Zeus is on display in the Hermitage. This is the tallest ancient sculpture of our time with a height of 3.5 m.
Having existed for 19 centuries, the mausoleum in Halicarnassus was destroyed by an earthquake. The tombs of Artemisia and Mausolus are in the British Museum.
Only the German historian Robert Koldewey managed to discover the Gardens of Babylon over 18 years of excavations. The buildings of Ancient Babylon and the structures surrounding the gardens were found.

Seven Wonders of the World of Our Time

On July 7, 2007, a list of 7 modern wonders of the world was compiled. We will give a description and present a photo of each object that is included in the list, which was called the UNESCO World Heritage List.

the great Wall of China

The construction of the greatest defensive structure began in the 3rd century BC, and now it is still fraught with many legends. During construction, the main goals were pursued: protecting the territory from the Mongol invasion and creating a guarantee of the protection of one state from another. Lack of attention to the great structure gradually destroyed it in some places. Since the end of the twentieth century, a large-scale restoration of architecture began.

The year 1997 was marked by inclusion in the status of a miracle of the modern world. The architectural structure extends for almost 9 thousand km and has a height of 6 to 10 meters.

Do you know that: the construction of the wall led to tens of thousands of deaths due to hard labor and epidemics.

Statue of Christ the Redeemer

The famous symbol of the Brazilian people is located at the very top of Mount Corcovado. Rising above the city with outstretched arms, Christ the Redeemer, with his 38-meter height, seems to embrace all the inhabitants of the metropolis, and at the same time, he warmly welcomes guests from afar.

The construction of the monument is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of independence. All residents of the country collected funds for the construction. The detailed production of the statue took place in France.

Taj Mahal

The pinnacle of the Mongolian architectural style is the snow-white palace, located on the banks of the Jumna. Construction took two decades and it was built by the middle of the 17th century.

The mausoleum contains the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan, a descendant of Tamerlane. The presence of four minarets along the edges of the palace helps protect the tombs from tremors and destruction.

Coliseum

The largest amphitheater of the ancient era seats more than 50 thousand people. The beginning of construction during the Flavian dynasty lasted 8 years. In the 8th century, due to its impressive size, it began to be called.

At the beginning of their existence, gladiators practiced their art in the arena of the amphitheater. After the plunder by barbarians and the earthquake of the 14th century, the Colosseum was literally taken away brick by brick. Only since the 18th century has the building been protected as an important architectural mega-object.

Machu Picchu

This is the nickname for the city in the sky, which is located at an altitude of about 2500 m above the sea. Previously it was the residence of the emperor. The almost untouched ancient city architecture did not suffer from the attacks of the Spanish conquerors.

The clear structure of the city is a delightful architectural design. However, little is known about the urban population and the city.

Petra

Jordanian Petra is a city in the rock, located above the sea at a level of 900 meters. The road to it is laid through a natural gorge, which serves as city walls.

The remaining ruins of houses built using the traditional stone method stretch for kilometers. Ed-Deir is a 45-meter monastery carved into the rock. The main attraction - the El-Khazneh mausoleum - still preserves the legend of countless treasures. Previously, the city served as a trade route, connecting Damascus and the Red Sea regions.

Note: the Indiana Jones adventure film was filmed in Petra.

Chichen Itza

Mexico is famous for the legendary city with a name reminiscent of legumes, which, among other things, are loved by the locals. Chichen Itza - a Mayan civilization, has a 24-meter pyramid, the Temple of Kukulcan, which has 365 steps.

There are as many days in a year as there are steps. The natural well located is the Sacred Cenote. Its depth is “deadly” - 50 m. Previously it was used for the ritual of sacrifice. It is known that living people were thrown into the cenote. Now tourists swim in it.

The change of civilizations leaves behind a grandiose heritage of architecture, which has been partially preserved to this day. The question - how many wonders of the world there are in the world and what they are - can now be answered definitely. The appearance of new wonders is evidence that there are still many mysterious places in the world to study and recognize their significance for all humanity.

We bring to your attention an interesting film about the seven wonders of the ancient world:

The term “The Hanging Gardens of Babylon” is familiar to any schoolchild, mainly as the second most important structure of the Seven Wonders of the World. According to legends and mentions of ancient historians, they were built for his wife by the ruler of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II, in the 6th century BC. Nowadays, the gardens and the palace have been completely destroyed by both man and the elements. Due to the lack of direct evidence of existence, there is always no official version about their location and date of construction.

Description and hypothetical history of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

A detailed description is found in the ancient Greek historians Diodorus and Stabo, clear details were presented by the Babylonian historian Berossus (3rd century BC). According to them, in 614 BC. e. Nebuchadnezzar II makes peace with the Medes and marries their princess Amytis. Growing up in the mountains full of greenery, she perceived the dusty and stone Babylon with horror. To prove his love and console her, the king orders the construction of a grandiose palace with terraces for trees and flowers to begin. Simultaneously with the start of construction, traders and warriors from campaigns began delivering seedlings and seeds to the capital.

The four-tiered structure was located at an altitude of 40 m, so it was visible far beyond the city walls. The area indicated by the historian Diodorus is amazing: according to his data, the length of one side was about 1300 m, the second - slightly less. The height of each terrace was 27.5 m, the walls were supported by stone columns. The architecture was unremarkable, with the main interest being the green spaces on each level. To care for them, water was supplied upstairs by slaves, flowing in the form of waterfalls to the lower terraces. The irrigation process was continuous, otherwise the gardens would not have survived in that climate.

It is still unclear why they were named after Queen Semiramis, and not Amytis. Semiramis, the legendary ruler of Assyria, lived two centuries earlier, her image was practically deified. Perhaps this was reflected in the works of historians. Despite many contradictions, the existence of gardens is beyond doubt. Mention of this place is found among contemporaries of Alexander the Great. It is believed that he died in this place, which captured his imagination and reminded him of his native country. After his death, the gardens and the city itself fell into decay.

Where are the gardens now?

In our time, there are no significant traces left of this unique building. The ruins indicated by R. Koldewey (a researcher of ancient Babylon) differ from other ruins only in the stone slabs in the basement and are of interest only to archaeologists. To visit this place you need to go to Iraq. Travel agencies organize excursions to ancient ruins located 90 km from Baghdad near the modern city of Hill. Photos from today show only clay hills covered with brown debris.

An alternative version is offered by Oxford researcher S. Dalli. She claims that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built in Nineveh (modern Mosul in northern Iraq) and shifts the date of construction two centuries earlier. Currently, the version is based only on deciphering cuneiform tables. To find out in which country the gardens were located - the Babylonian kingdom or Assyria, additional excavations and studies of the mounds of Mosul are required.

Interesting facts about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

According to the descriptions of ancient historians, stone that was not found in the vicinity of Babylon was used to build the bases of the terraces and columns. It and fertile land for trees were brought from afar.
It is not known for certain who created the gardens. Historians mention the joint work of hundreds of scientists and architects. In any case, the irrigation system surpassed all technologies known at that time.
Plants were brought from all over the world, but were planted taking into account their growth in natural conditions: on the lower terraces - ground, on the upper terraces - mountain. Plants from her homeland were planted on the queen’s favorite upper platform.
The location and time of creation are constantly disputed, in particular, archaeologists have found pictures on the walls with images of gardens dating back to the 8th century BC. e. To this day, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the unsolved mysteries of Babylon.

The classic list of the Seven Wonders of the World has been known to us since our school days, when we studied Ancient History. Only the pyramids of Egypt have survived to our times, which can be seen by anyone who visits this country. The Pyramid of Cheops at Giza is the only surviving wonder of the world. The rest of the wonders - the Colossus of Rhodes, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria - were destroyed over the centuries, some by fires and earthquakes, others by floods.

The classic list of wonders of the world includes:

Pyramid of Cheops (burial place of the Pharaoh of Egypt) - created by the Egyptians in 2540 BC. e. ;
Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Babylon - created by the Babylonians in 605 BC. e. ;
Statue of Zeus at Olympia - created by the Greeks in 435 BC. e.;
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (built in honor of the goddess Artemis in Turkey) - created by the Greeks and Persians in 550 BC. e.;
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - created by the Carians, Greeks and Persians in 351 BC. e.;
The Colossus of Rhodes was established by the Greeks between 292 and 280. BC e.;
Lighthouse of Alexandria - built in the 4th century BC. e. by the Greeks a lighthouse, and named in honor of Alexander the Great.

All the photographs presented below with the wonders of the world are either models of what the majestic structures used to look like, or what remains of them at the present time. It's a pity that they couldn't withstand natural disasters.

Some time later, cultural figures began to add additional attractions to this list, “miracles” that still surprise and inspire. So, at the end of the 1st century, the Roman poet Martial added only the rebuilt Colosseum to the list. After a while, in the 6th century, Christian theologian Gregory of Tours added Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple to the list.

Different sources mention different combinations of wonders of the world, for example, English and French writers and historians equated the Alexandria Catacombs, the Leaning Tower in Pisa, the Porcelain Tower in Nanjing, and the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul as wonders of the world.

New list of wonders of the world

In 2007, a UN organization organized a vote to approve a new list of modern wonders of the world. They voted by phone, Internet and SMS messages. And this is the final list:

Colosseum in Italy;
The great Wall of China;
Machu Picchu – ancient Inca city in Peru;
Taj Mahal in India is a magnificent mausoleum-mosque in India;
Petra is an ancient city, the capital of the Nabataean kingdom, located in modern Jordan;
Christ the Redeemer statue flying over Rio de Janeiro in Brazil;
pyramids of Giza in Egypt;
Chichen Itza in Mexico, an ancient city of the Mayan civilization.

All of them have been preserved from ancient times, except for the statue of Christ the Redeemer, which was finally built in 1931 of the last century and has since become a symbol of Brazil and one of its largest cities - Rio de Janeiro.

How to see them?

The new list of wonders has been officially approved by the UN, and now everyone who travels to the country can see them. No excursion route will avoid visiting these attractions. They try to carefully preserve them for future generations, but also use them for modern needs.

For example, the Colosseum is known for its excellent acoustics. Famous singers and musicians from all over the world often perform there, and operas are staged in the open air.

The Taj Mahal is also open to tourists, but this is the tomb of the padishah’s beloved wife, so people only inspect it and admire the beauty of its architectural forms and interior paintings.

It is considered simply indecent to be in China and not visit the Great Wall. There are many excursions to it, but you cannot climb it: it is a huge obstacle course and walking on it is dangerous. That's why everyone takes pictures near her plots in the most picturesque places.

The Pyramids of Giza can be viewed from the outside and inside, and nearby you can see the grandiose statues of ancient sphinxes.

Excursions to the ancient cities of Machu Picchu, Petra and Chichen Itza are extremely interesting, but physically difficult - you will have to walk for a long time through the ruins. However, tourist holidays in these countries are well organized, and you will not regret if you spend a day or two visiting these magnificent places.

Chichen Itza - ancient Mayan city

Why exactly 7 wonders of the world, and not 10 or 15?

As you have probably already noticed, people used to have a special attitude towards the magical number seven. Everyone knows that there are 7 holes on the human head - 2 eyes, 2 nostrils, 2 ears and a mouth. When a person sees seven objects at the same time, he can immediately count them with his eyes, without even thinking, however, if there are more of them, he will have to count them in his mind.

Thus, due to seemingly such primitive conclusions, people began to strive to reduce the number of something to seven. For example, highlight 7 days in a week, seven colors in a rainbow, 7 tones in a sound series, and so on.

It is not at all surprising that the ancient Greeks identified the Seven Wonders of the World, because the number 7 was the sacred number of Apollo, the god who patronized art.

Nowadays, it is customary to call unique artistic and technical creations a wonder of the world, which, for their level of performance, evoke the admiration of most specialists. But in fairness, this erroneous approach should be corrected - the wonders of the world include specific objects created by people in ancient times.

Below is a list of 7 wonders of the ancient world...

1. Pyramids of Cheops (Giza)

The Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu (in the Greek version of Cheops), or the Great Pyramid, is the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids, the oldest of the seven wonders of the world of antiquity and the only one of them that has survived to our time. For over four thousand years, the pyramid was the largest building in the world.

The Pyramid of Cheops is located in the far suburb of Cairo, Giza. Nearby there are two more pyramids of the pharaohs Khafre and Menkaure (Khefre and Mikerin), according to ancient historians, the sons and successors of Khufu. These are the three largest pyramids in Egypt.

Following ancient authors, most modern historians consider the pyramids to be funerary structures of ancient Egyptian monarchs. Some scientists believe that these were astronomical observatories. There is no direct evidence that pharaohs were buried in the pyramids, but other versions of their purpose are less convincing.

Based on ancient “royal lists”, it has been established that Cheops reigned around 2585-2566. BC. Construction of the "Sacred Height" lasted 20 years and ended after the death of Khufu, around 2560 BC.

Other versions of the construction dates, based on astronomical methods, give dates from 2720 to 2577. BC. Radiocarbon dating shows a scatter of 170 years, from 2850 to 2680. BC.

There are also exotic opinions expressed by supporters of theories of aliens visiting the Earth, the existence of ancient civilizations, or adherents of occult movements. They determine the age of the Cheops pyramid from 6-7 to tens of thousands of years.

2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon)

The existence of one of the wonders of the world, many scientists question and claim that this is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of an ancient chronicler, whose idea was picked up by his colleagues and began to be carefully copied from chronicle to chronicle. They justify their assertion by the fact that the Gardens of Babylon are most carefully described by those who have never seen them, while historians who have visited ancient Babylon are silent about the miracle erected there.

Archaeological excavations have shown that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon still existed.

Naturally, they did not hang on ropes, but were a four-story building, built in the shape of a pyramid with a huge amount of vegetation, and were part of the palace building. This unique structure received its name due to an incorrect translation of the Greek word “kremastos”, which actually means “hanging” (for example, from a terrace).

The unique gardens were erected by order of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II, who lived in the 7th century. BC. He built them especially for his wife Amytis, daughter of Cyaxares, king of Media (it was with him that the Babylonian ruler entered into an alliance against the common enemy, Assyria, and won the final victory over this state).

Amitis, who grew up among the mountains of green and fertile Media, did not like dusty and noisy Babylon, located on a sandy plain. The Babylonian ruler was faced with a choice - to move the capital closer to his wife’s homeland or to make her stay in Babylon more comfortable. They decided to build hanging gardens that would remind the queen of her homeland. Where exactly they are located, history is silent, and therefore there are several hypotheses:

The main version says that this wonder of the world is located near the modern city of Hilla, which is located on the Ephrat River in the center of Iraq.
An alternative version, based on re-decipherment of cuneiform tablets, states that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are located in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria (located in the north of modern Iraq), which after its fall was transferred to the Babylonian state.

The very idea of creating hanging gardens in the middle of a dry plain seemed simply fantastic at that time. The local architects and engineers of the ancient world were able to accomplish this task - and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were later included in the list of the Seven Wonders of the World, were built, became part of the palace and were located on its north-eastern side.

They say that the statue of Zeus at Olympia turned out to be so majestic that when Phidias, having created it, asked his creation: “Are you satisfied, Zeus?” - thunder struck, and the black marble floor at the god’s feet cracked. The Thunderer was pleased.

Despite the fact that only memories of one of the most majestic statues of this scale have reached us, the mere description of the monument, which was in its own way a real masterpiece of jewelry, cannot but shake the imagination. Both before and after the creation of the statue of Olympian Zeus, people have not created a monument of such a scale - and it is not a fact that they ever will: this wonder of the world turned out to be too expensive in cost and huge in scale.

The uniqueness of this monument also lies in the fact that the statue of Olympian Zeus, the only one of all the wonders of the ancient world, was located on the territory of continental Europe, in the Greek city of Olympia, which is located on the Balkan Peninsula.

The statue of Zeus in Olympia took quite a long time to create: Phidias spent about ten years on it. When she appeared before the residents and guests of Olympia in 435 BC, she was a real wonder of the world.

The exact dimensions of the statue have not yet been determined, but apparently its height ranged from 12 to 17 meters. Zeus, naked to the waist, sat on a throne, his feet were on a bench supported by two lions. The pedestal on which the throne was located was quite huge: its dimensions were 9.5 by 6.5 m. Ebony, gold, ivory and jewelry were used to make it.

The throne itself was decorated with images of scenes from the life of the Greek celestials, the goddesses of victory danced on its legs, and the battles of the Greeks with the Amazons were depicted on the crossbars and, naturally, the Olympic Games were not absent (Panen did the painting). The Thunderer was made from ebony wood, and his entire body was covered with plates of ivory of the highest quality. The master selected materials for his statue extremely meticulously.

On the head of the supreme god there was a wreath, and in one hand he held the golden Nike, the goddess of Victory, in the other - a scepter decorated with an eagle, symbolizing supreme power. The god's clothes were made of gold sheets (in total, about two hundred kilograms of gold were needed to make the sculpture). The Thunderer's cloak was decorated with images of representatives of the animal and plant world.

Nowadays, a marble copy of one of the wonders of the world can be seen in the Hermitage, where it was brought from Italy in 1861. Apparently, this statue of Zeus was created by a Roman author in the first century BC, and it was found during archaeological excavations in the vicinity of Rome in the late 18th century. It is notable for the fact that today it is one of the largest antique sculptures that are in museums in the world - the height of the monument is 3.5 meters and weighs 16 tons.

The sculpture was acquired at the beginning of the 19th century by one of the Italian collectors, Marquis D. Campana.

He did not have it for long, because after some time he went bankrupt, his property was confiscated and sold at auction. Before the auction, the director of the Hermitage managed to persuade the Italian authorities to give him the opportunity to purchase some things before the sale, thus, the best exhibits from the collection of the bankrupt marquis, including the statue of the Thunderer, ended up in the Hermitage.

4. Temple of Artemis of Ephesus (Ephesus)

According to ancient Greek belief, Artemis was the goddess of hunting and fertility, the patroness of all life on earth. She looked after the animals in the forest, herds of domestic animals, and plants. Artemis provided a happy marriage and assistance during childbirth.

In honor of Artemis, a temple was built in Ephesus on the site of the former sanctuary of the Carian goddess, also responsible for fertility. The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was so large that it was immediately included in the list of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The construction was financed by the Lydian king Croesus, and the construction work was led by the architect from Knossos, Kharsifron. During his time they managed to erect walls and columns. After his death, his son Metagenes took over the post of chief architect. The last stage of construction was led by Peonitus and Demetrius.

The Temple of Artemis of Ephesus was completed in 550 BC. A delightful spectacle opened before the local residents; nothing like this had ever been built here. And although it is currently impossible to recreate the former decoration of the temple, you can be sure that the best craftsmen of their time, working here, could not have made a mistake. The statue of the culprit of the construction itself was made of ivory and gold.

It was possible to recreate the image of the former majestic temple of the goddess Artemis in Ephesus only after archaeological excavations. The temple measured 105 by 51 meters. The roof of the structure was supported by 127 columns, each 18 meters high. According to legend, each column was donated by one of the 127 Greek rulers.

In addition to religious services, the temple was in full swing with financial and business life. It was the center of Ephesus, independent from the authorities, subordinate to the local college of priests.

In 356 BC, when the famous Alexander the Great was born, the temple of Artemis was burned by the Ephesian resident Herostratus. The motive of this feat is to remain in history in memory of posterity. After being caught, the arsonist faced capital punishment. In addition to this, it was also decided to eradicate the name of this person from history. But what is forbidden sits even more firmly in people’s memories, and the name of Herostratus is now a household name.

By the 3rd century BC, the wonder of the world, the Temple of Artemis in Greece, was restored on the initiative of the aforementioned Alexander the Great, but with the arrival of the Goths, it was again destroyed. Later, with the ban on pagan cults, the Byzantine authorities closed the temple. Then they begin to gradually dismantle it for building materials, as a result of which the temple fades into oblivion. A Christian church was built in its place, but it also faced the fate of destruction.

On October 31, 1869, the English archaeologist Wood manages to find the location of the former Temple of Artemis in Turkey, and excavations begin. Now in its place stands one column restored from the rubble. Despite this, the place still attracts thousands of tourists.

5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Let's move to the ancient city of Halicarnassus. It was the capital of Caria and, as befits the capital of a state, it was famous for its beauty and grandeur. Temples, theaters, palaces, gardens, fountains, and a living harbor guaranteed the city honor and respect. But the tomb of King Mausolus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, occupied special attention here. So, the wonder of the world is the mausoleum in Halicarnassus.

King Mausolus, ruling Caria in the 4th century BC. (377-353), according to the experience of the Egyptian pharaohs, began the construction of his tomb during his lifetime. It was supposed to be a unique structure. Located in the center of the city, among palaces and temples, it symbolizes the power and wealth of the king. And to worship the late king, it must combine both a tomb and a temple. The best architects and sculptors were allocated for the construction - Pythias, Satyr, Leochares, Scopas, Briaxides, Timothy. After the death of the king, his wife, Queen Artemisia, approached the construction of an eternal monument to her great husband even more intensively.

The construction was completed in 350 BC. Its appearance combined several architectural styles of that time. The mausoleum had three levels with a total height of 46 meters. The first tier was a massive base made of brick, lined with marble. Next on it stood a temple with 36 columns. The columns supported the roof in the form of a pyramid with 24 steps. At the top of the roof there was a sculpture of King Mausolus and Artemisia in a chariot drawn by 4 horses. Around the building there were statues of horsemen and lions. The beauty of the structure was mesmerizing; it is no coincidence that the mausoleum in Halicarnassus quickly became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The tomb of Mausolus and his wife itself was located in the lower tier. An upper room with columns and a statue of Mausolus was built to worship the king. The statue has survived to this day, and fully reflects the image of the despot king. The sculptor subtly conveyed the character of Mavsol in his facial features - evil, cruel, capable of getting everything he needs. It is no coincidence that he was a very rich man. Next to the statue of Mausolus there was a statue of Queen Artemisia. The sculptor embellished it, presented it in a stately, soft image. The famous sculptor of that time, Skopas, worked on it. Both of these statues are now considered among the finest in Greek culture from the 4th century BC. Separately, it is worth mentioning the upper part of the mausoleum’s base. The sculptors decorated it with scenes from the Greek epic - the battle with the Amazons, hunting, the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs.

Mausoleum - a word derived from the name of King Mavsol, is currently a common noun among all peoples.

After 18 centuries, the mausoleum was destroyed by an earthquake. Later, its ruins were used to build St. Peter's Castle by the Knights of St. John. When the Turks arrived, the castle became the Budrun Fortress, currently called Bodrum. Excavations here were carried out in 1857. Relief slabs, statues of Mausolus and Artemisia, and a statue of a chariot were found. They are currently on display in the British Museum.

6. Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes)

The Colossus of Rhodes is a huge statue that has become one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The grateful inhabitants of the island of Rhodes decided to build it in honor of the sun god Helios, who helped them survive the unequal struggle with the invaders. The siege of the beautiful island lasted almost a year and the likelihood of victory was negligible, but the patron helped the islanders win. For this, Helios was immortalized in the guise of a huge statue. For the people of Rhodes, the statue represented independence and freedom, just like the Statue of Liberty in New York for the Americans.

The island of Rhodes had an advantageous geographical location; its inhabitants traded freely with many countries, which ensured the wealth of the city as a whole and each citizen individually. From its foundation until the 3rd century. BC. Rhodes was ruled in turn by the famous king Mausolus, the Persian rulers and Alexander the Great. None of them oppressed the city or prevented it from developing. However, after the death of Alexander the Great, his heirs began to divide the inherited lands in a bloody struggle.

The island of Rhodes went to Ptolemy, but the other heir (Antigonus) considered this unfair and sent his son to destroy the city. This would help to equalize the power of Ptolemy. Demetrius, the son of Antigonus, assembled a huge army that outnumbered the islanders. Only impregnable walls prevented the soldiers from immediately entering the capital and destroying it. The enemies used siege towers - huge wooden catapults that were installed on ships. The inhabitants of Rhodes managed to delay their enemies until the arrival of Ptolemy's army and defend their homeland.

Having sold the siege engines and the remaining ships of the invaders, the inhabitants of Rhodes decided to erect a huge statue of the god Helios, their patron. Until then, any statues were called colossi, but after the Colossus of Rhodes, only the largest of them began to be called this way.

Construction of the Colossus began in 302 BC. and finished only after 12 years (according to other sources after 20 years). They installed the statue on an artificial embankment that blocked the entrance to the harbor. Behind this hill, for a long time, individual parts of the sculpture were hidden from prying eyes. The mound with the statue turned into a kind of gateway to the city. Some poets described the Colossus as standing on two hills. The ships had to sail between Helios' legs. However, this version is considered doubtful. The stability of such a sculpture would be too low, and large ships would not be able to dock in the port.

The statue has not survived to this day, but numerous descriptions from contemporaries indicate that the Colossus stood on one of the banks, and not at all in the form of an arch, as artists depict it. In the giant's hand was a bowl of blazing fire. At the base there were three pillars that served as support. The builders inlaid two of them with bronze parts to disguise Helios at the feet. The third pillar was in the place where the cloak or part of the sheet of the majestic Colossus fell.

Residents wanted the statue to point its hand into the distance, but the sculptor understood that this would reduce the stability of the structure, so the statue seemed to cover its eyes from the sun with its palm. The torso and main elements were made of sheets of iron and bronze. They were secured to support posts. The space inside was filled with large stones and clay to increase stability. The free space was covered with earth so that workers could move freely along the surface and secure the following parts. In total, the production of the Colossus required 8 tons of iron and 13 tons of bronze. The resulting statue reached a height of 34 m.

The statue of the Colossus of Rhodes was so huge that it could be seen from ships sailing in the distance. According to the descriptions of contemporaries, she was a tall young man with a radiant crown on her head. One hand of the young man covered his eyes, and the other caught his falling robe.

Another poet, Philo, described the Colossus differently. He claimed that the statue was on a marble pedestal and was striking in the size of its feet. Each of them was the size of a small statue itself. There was a working torch at arm's length. It was lit at night to illuminate the way for sailors.

Scientists are still trying to discover where the Colossus of Rhodes is located or where exactly it was installed. At the end of the 20th century, huge boulders were discovered off the coast of the island of Rhodes, which resembled the fragments of a statue in shape. However, the theory that these are elements of an ancient sculpture was not confirmed. But researcher Ursula Vedder suggested that the Colossus did not stand near the shore at all, but on Monte Smith Hill. The ruins of the Temple of Helios remain here, and its foundations have a suitable platform on which the Colossus could have stood.

7. Lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos)

Only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world had a practical purpose - the Lighthouse of Alexandria. It performed several functions at once: it allowed ships to approach the harbor without any problems, and the observation post located at the top of the unique structure made it possible to monitor the expanses of water and notice the enemy in time.

Locals claimed that the light of the Alexandria lighthouse burned enemy ships even before they approached the shore, and if they managed to approach the coast, the statue of Poseidon, located on the dome of an amazing design, emitted a piercing warning cry.

The height of the ancient lighthouse was 140 meters - much higher than the surrounding buildings. In ancient times, the buildings did not exceed three floors, and against their background the Faros Lighthouse seemed huge. Moreover, at the time of completion of construction it turned out to be the tallest building of the ancient world and remained so for an extremely long time.

The Alexandria Lighthouse was built on the east coast of the small island of Pharos, located near Alexandria - the main seaport of Egypt, built by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. It is also known in history as the Faros Lighthouse.

The great commander chose the location for the construction of the city extremely carefully: he initially planned to build a port in this region, which would be an important trading center.

It was extremely important that it be located at the intersection of both water and land routes of three parts of the world - Africa, Europe and Asia. For the same reason, it was necessary to build at least two harbors here: one for ships arriving from the Mediterranean Sea, and the other for those sailing along the Nile.

Therefore, Alexandria was not built in the Nile Delta, but a little to the side, twenty miles to the south. When choosing a location for the city, Alexander took into account the location of future harbors, paying special attention to their strengthening and protection: it was very important to do everything to ensure that the waters of the Nile did not clog them with sand and silt (a dam was subsequently built specifically for this purpose, connecting the continent with an island).

After the death of Alexander the Great (who, according to legend, was born on the day of the destruction of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus), after some time the city came under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter - and as a result of skillful management it turned into a successful and prosperous port city, and the construction of one of the seven wonders of the world was significant increased his wealth.

The Alexandria lighthouse made it possible for ships to sail into the port without any problems, successfully avoiding underwater rocks, shoals and other obstacles in the bay. Thanks to this, after the construction of one of the seven wonders, the volume of light trade increased sharply.

The lighthouse also served as an additional reference point for sailors: the landscape of the Egyptian coast is quite diverse - mostly just lowlands and plains. Therefore, signal lights before entering the harbor were very useful.

A lower structure could have successfully fulfilled this role, so the engineers assigned another important function to the Lighthouse of Alexandria - the role of an observation post: enemies usually attacked from the sea, since the country was well defended on the land side by the desert.

It was also necessary to install such an observation post at the lighthouse because there were no natural hills near the city where this could be done.

The lighthouse of Alexandria has served since 283 BC. until the 15th century, when a fortress was erected instead. Thus, he experienced more than one dynasty of Egyptian rulers and saw Roman legionnaires. This did not particularly affect its fate: no matter who ruled Alexandria, everyone made sure that the unique structure stood for as long as possible - they restored parts of the building that had been destroyed due to frequent earthquakes, and updated the facade, which was negatively affected by wind and salty sea water.

Time has done its work: the lighthouse stopped working in 365, when one of the strongest earthquakes in the Mediterranean Sea caused a tsunami that flooded part of the city, and the number of dead Egyptians, according to chroniclers, exceeded 50 thousand inhabitants.

After this event, the lighthouse significantly decreased in size, but stood for quite a long time - until the 14th century, until another strong earthquake wiped it off the face of the earth (a hundred years later, Sultan Qait Bey built a fortress on its foundation, which can be seen Nowadays). After this, the pyramids at Giza remained the only ancient wonder of the world that has survived to this day.

In the mid-90s. the remains of the Alexandria lighthouse were discovered at the bottom of the bay with the help of a satellite, and after some time, scientists, using computer modeling, were able to more or less restore the image of the unique structure.

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