Learn

If you read last week’s edition the Tribune (which we know you did), you learned all about three of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: The Pyramids of Egypt, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and The Statue of Zeus at Olympia. It’s now time to learn about the other four.

These four structures are just as amazing and spectacular as the first three and they all have an interesting history. We mentioned last week that you might be familiar with some of the ancient wonders but you probably have not seen any of these structures since only one still stands today.

To the ancient cultures that built these structures they were a symbol of beauty, power, religion and mythology. Unfortunately, we only know about six of them through historical documents, letters, and the small fragments and pieces from these structures that have been left behind. We will never get the chance to view them as they were created, but we can learn about them and imagine them as they existed in the past.

The Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus -The Greek Goddess Artemis (also called Diana) is the goddess of the hunt, while the Ephesus Artemis was a goddess of fertility and was often pictured draped with eggs and other symbols of fertility. The first Temple of Artemis was constructed around 550 BC in the Greek city of Ephesus which is now on the west coast of modern Turkey. Referred to as the great marble temple, The Temple of Artemis had a marble sanctuary and a tile-covered wooden roof. The foundation of the temple was approximately 200 feet by 400 feet with over 120 columns in the interior, each believed to be about 60 feet high. The temple contained many beautiful works of art, golden pillars, silver statuettes and many beautiful and intricate paintings.

During this time, the city of Ephesus was a major port of trade with thousands of merchants, tourists and artists visiting the city and the great temple. The temple was both a place for religious worship and a marketplace. In 356 BC, a man named Herostratus burned the temple because he wanted everyone to remember his name. The people of Ephesus were so horrified at this event that they threatened to put to death anyone who mentioned his name.

A second temple was soon built on the same place only to be destroyed again in 262 AD. The only thing that remains from this great temple is its foundation and some debris. Philon of Byzantium once wrote about the great temple…”I have seen the walls and Hanging Gardens of ancient Babylon, the statue of Olympian Zeus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the mighty work of the high Pyramids and the tomb of Mausolus. But when I saw the temple at Ephesus rising to the clouds, all these other wonders were put in the shade.”

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - Around the 3rd century BC, the city of Halicarnassus was the capitol of a small kingdom along the Mediterranean coast. In 377 BC a man named Mausolus along with his wife Artemisia ruled over this small kingdom. During his reign which lasted 24 years, Mausolus extended the boundaries of his kingdom and ruled in the Greek democratic tradition. In 353 BC, Mausolus died leaving behind his devastated and heart-broken wife. In order to honor and remember her husband, Artemisia wanted to build the most beautiful and splendid tomb in the world.

This great tomb was built on a high hill overlooking the city, which is now southwestern Turkey. The structure was a rectangular shape, about 120 ft by 100 ft and 135 ft tall. Around the structure there were steps lined with statues of people, warriors, lions, horses and other animals. The tomb itself was in the center of the structure and was made mostly of marble. On top of the enormous and beautifully designed tomb was a statue of a chariot with images of Mausolus and Artemisia inside pulled by four horses. Artemisia died just two years after her husband and was also buried in the great tomb.

Unfortunately, the tomb was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 15th century. Only the foundation and a few pieces remain from this great structure. Because this tomb was so remarkable, the word “mausoleum” know means any large tomb.

The Colossus of Rhodes - We all know about the Statute of Liberty, the great statue that stands in New York Harbor and is a symbol of Freedom. But most of us do not know that this statue was built after another statue that existed hundreds of years ago that also symbolized freedom and stood in a busy harbor…this is the great Colossus of Rhodes.

Back in ancient Greece, the island of Rhodes (a Greek island in the Aegean Sea ) was an important economic center. Around 300 BC, the island of Rhodes won a war against its enemy. To celebrate their victory and freedom, the Rhodians decided to have a great statue of their patron god Helios built in their harbor. The construction of the Colossus took 12 years to build and was finished in 282 BC. The Rhodians melted down a lot of the old war equipment that was left behind from their enemy during the war and used the material to build the statue. The great structure was built on a 50 foot tall base made of white marble. The statue itself was 110 feet high and consisted of bronze plates over an iron and stone framework.

The statue must have been beautiful in the harbor, especially when the sun would shine on it. The statue stood in the harbor on the Island of Rhodes for 56 years until it fell to the ground by an earthquake in 226 BC. For centuries, the statue remained on the ground. Pliny the Elder once wrote “But even lying on the ground, it is a marvel”. Unfortunately, nothing remains of this great statue.

The Great Lighthouse at Alexandria - The last of the great wonders is the only one that had a practical use and was the last of the six great wonders to disappear. Built around 270 BC on the ancient island of Pharos in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt, the lighthouse was built to guide ships through the dangerous sailing conditions of the area. The lighthouse was completed around 270 BC by The Greek architect Sostratus and stood about 400 feet high thus making it one of the tallest structures on earth at the time. The great lighthouse had three stages…on the top stage was a large mirror which reflected sunlight during the day to guide ships. At night, fire was released from the top to guide ships.

The lighthouse guided sailors for over 1500 years until it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century AD. It was the last of the six great wonders (remember…the pyramids are still standing) to be destroyed. In 1996, some divers claimed to have found pieces of the lighthouse. Who knows…maybe in a few years we will be able to dive under the water and see pieces this amazing structure under water!

Are you impressed! We were when we began to research these amazing structures. Imagine actually living back when these structures were first created. Imagine what it was like to live back then…and imagine how they built these structures. Remember, back then people did not have the modern cranes and equipment that we use today to build structures. If you’re interested, research some other amazing structures built by ancient cultures such as Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China and the Sphinx. Many of these topics were written about in previous editions of the Tribune.