Here at Rest Less, we enjoy writing travel lists. Whether about the world’s most beautiful airports or the cheapest countries to visit in Europe, we hope our ideas can inspire your next adventure.
But lists of must-visit destinations are nothing new. Did you know that people have been compiling them for thousands of years? And one of the earliest and most famous is the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Because they were chosen by Greeks like Herodotus (who’s considered the world’s first historian), the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World don’t include marvels from every corner of the globe. Still, they’re excellent examples of humankind’s ingenuity and imagination, and provide us with a unique glimpse into civilisations like the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians.
Plus, while many of these spectacles have been destroyed – either by the forces of nature or humankind – we can still visit the traces they left behind. Here, we’ll take a look at each one and reveal how you can see what’s left of them.
And if you’re looking to book a holiday, why not browse thousands of exciting and varied holiday deals on Rest Less?
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1. The Lighthouse of Alexandria
Founded by (and named after) Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, the former Egyptian capital of Alexandria was a centre for science and learning in the ancient world. Though, it was also famous for its exquisite works of engineering – such as the ill-fated lighthouse.
Upon Alexander’s death in 323 BCE, the rule of Egypt passed to one of his generals, Ptolemy I Soter. He established a dynasty that would last for centuries until it was toppled by the Romans in 30 BCE.
In addition to his royal lineage (which includes the famous Cleopatra), Ptolemy I’s legacy includes the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which he commissioned around 300 BCE. But the 110m tower wasn’t finished until some decades later, during the rule of his son, Ptolemy II.
Standing on the small islet of Pharos in Alexandria’s harbour, sources say the lighthouse was made of three distinct sections that grew narrower as they went higher. At night, a fire burned at the top, the light of which was magnified by a polished bronze mirror. People could reach it by climbing a ramp that wound around the structure.
Like many of the wonders on this list, the lighthouse is thought to have been destroyed by an earthquake sometime in the 14th century. However, some of the building’s remains were discovered underwater in 1994, which you can visit today.
While lost, the youngest of all the ancient wonders has had a lasting impact on architecture, with the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum describing it as “the archetype of all subsequent lighthouses.”
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2. The Colossus of Rhodes
In 305 BCE, the Macedonian king Demetrius I Poliorcetes began a siege of the Greek island of Rhodes, one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean. But after a year of fighting, the ‘besieger of cities’, as he was known, called things off.
To mark the end of the conflict, a Greek sculptor named Charles of Lyndus created the Colossus of Rhodes. This was a giant, bronze statue of the island’s patron god, Helios, which was said to have been 32m tall and made from the weapons Demetrius left behind.
In Greek mythology, Helios is the god who rides a golden chariot across the sky each day, pulling the sun from the eastern horizon to the west.
However, like most ancient wonders, the Colossus of Rhodes wasn’t destined to stand the test of time. After towering proudly over Mandraki harbour for around 60 years, it was shaken down by an earthquake towards the end of the third century BCE. For almost a millennium, the gigantic idol was left where it fell, but in the 7th century, it was melted down and sold for scrap. Unfortunately, nothing remains of the statue today.
The Colossus is often depicted as straddling the harbour, with a foot on either side of the water. Although, experts now say it’s much more likely that it stood beside it. There’s also controversy over the Colossus’s pose. Some historians believe it held a torch, much like the Statue of Liberty in New York, while others suggest it shielded its eyes as if looking into the sun.
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3. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Nowadays, the word ‘mausoleum’ refers to any magnificent tomb. However, it was first used to describe the grand burial building of Mausolus, a Persian ruler from the fourth century BCE.
Though Mausolus was only a governor (or satrap), he enjoyed a monarch-like status in his native kingdom of Caria (in what’s now western Turkey), which was part of the Achaemenid Empire. So, before he died, he began plans for a resting place that would befit a king in his capital city of Halicarnassus.
When Mausolus died, Artemisia II, his sister-wife (a common practice in ancient Caria), oversaw the construction of the great Mausoleum, which was designed by two Greek architects called Satyros and Pythius. It’s also rumoured that Artemisia mixed Mausolus’s ashes with liquid and drank them every day after his death.
Squarish in shape, The Mausoleum was said to be set on a large podium and adorned with columns and sculptures. Four prominent Greek artists were commissioned to decorate it, each responsible for a single face.
Some of these marvellous works of art still survive today – for example, at the British Museum in London. While the building itself is thought to have crumbled during an earthquake, you can visit its ruins at the Bodrum Mausoleum Museum in Turkey.
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4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Sometime between 550 and 560 BCE, Ephesus – a Greek colony on the East Coast of Turkey – was conquered by their neighbours, the Lydians. Soon afterwards, the Lydian king, Croesus, erected a giant temple dedicated to the worship of the goddess Artemis, who locals believed was born nearby.
Described as having “[no] equal outside Olympus” by a writer of the time, the Artemisium (as it’s often called) was renowned for its colossal size. At around 55x110m, it was twice as big as the famous Parthenon in Athens. But it was also famous for the sculptures that decorated its walls – and as a place where refugees and fugitives could seek asylum.
Tragically, this renown turned out to be its downfall when, in 356 BCE, a man named Herostratus burned it down simply to achieve notoriety. According to the Greek philosopher and historian Plutarch, the crime was committed on the same night that Alexander the Great was born. Plutarch even suggested that Artemis, who the Ephesians worshipped as a goddess of fertility, was unable to save her sanctuary because she was busy attending the future conqueror’s birth.
When Alexander captured Ephesus in 334 BCE, experts say he even offered to fund the rebuilding of the temple. But the townspeople replied that they’d rather do it themselves, saying that it would be inappropriate for one god to help build the temple of another. However, it was destroyed again by Goths, nomadic people from modern-day Germany, in 262 CE.
Though only ruins of the Artemisium remain (including a single standing column), you can still visit them today. You can also head to the British Museum in London to see some of the sculptures that adorned the sanctuary walls.
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5. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
After master sculptor and builder Phidias finished constructing the iconic Parthenon in Athens in the middle of the 5th century BCE, he was soon called to Olympia in the Western Peloponnese. Here, he was ordered to create another wonder: a mighty statue of Zeus to sit inside a new temple.
Standing around 12m, the statue showed the king of the gods seated. In one outstretched palm, he held Nike, the goddess of victory (after whom the sportswear brand is named). His other hand grasped a sceptre topped with an eagle, one of his sacred symbols.
Though the statue itself was mainly made of dazzling gold and ivory, the throne was embellished with all sorts of precious metals, gems, and glass, as well as depictions of various figures and stories from Greek mythology – including the labours of his son, Heracles.
For centuries, the statue attracted many visitors, including worshippers and tourists who came to Olympia for the famous Olympic Games. However, it was eventually taken to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 395 CE. Here, experts believe it was eventually destroyed in a fire.
The temple itself unfortunately fell into disrepair when the newly Christian Romans banned pagan festivals. Earthquakes finally destroyed it in the sixth century BCE, but you can still visit its ruins today.
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6. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Babylon was one of the most famous cities of the ancient world. Founded over 4,000 years ago in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), it was home to many marvels of architecture – including the dazzling Ishtar Gate and, most famously, the enigmatic Hanging Gardens.
Like any captivating puzzle piece of antiquity, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are shrouded in mystery.
For starters, there’s plenty of debate over what they actually looked like. Many sources agree that they were impressively large, used an ingenious irrigation system, and were laid out on terraces (to give the appearance of ‘hanging’). But some experts suggest they were exterior rooftop gardens, while others propose they were inside the royal palace.
Who built them is also a source of uncertainty. Some scholars say they were commissioned by one of Babylon’s most famous rulers, King Nebuchadnezzar II, who reigned from approximately 605 to 561 BCE. Stories say that he wanted to bring the plant life of his wife’s homeland of Media to the city as a gift for her.
However, while others attribute the Hanging Gardens to the earlier queen Shammuramat, later theories suggest that they weren’t even in Babylon but 300 miles away in Nineveh. Some even say they never existed at all.
Whether the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are fact or fiction, they’ve captivated our imaginations for millennia. And who’s to say that archaeologists won’t still uncover their secrets? After all, as our final wonder shows, we’re still making all kinds of discoveries about the ancient world.
7. The Great Pyramid of Giza
What’s wonderful and ironic about the Great Pyramid of Giza is that not only is it the oldest of all the ancient wonders, but it’s the only one left intact – standing strong for 4,500 years.
The largest of the three Pyramids of Giza, it was commissioned by the Egyptian king Khufu as a burial tomb and completed in the early 25th century BCE. The Greek historian Herodotus writes that it took 100,000 men 20 years to construct (though this figure is challenged by archaeologists).
When they were first erected, the pyramids didn’t look matte, sandy, and beige. Instead, they were encased in shiny limestone, which made them glow white and brilliant in the desert light. You can see one of these original casing stones at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
The Great Pyramid was also originally 147 m tall, which made it the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years until the Lincoln Cathedral surpassed it in the 1300s. But, over time, the Great Pyramid has eroded, and most of the outer limestone blocks have been removed and used for other building projects, so it now stands at 137m.
Like all ancient wonders, the Great Pyramid still has plenty of mystery surrounding it – in fact, modern engineers and scientists can’t be certain as to how it was built. However, we’re unlocking more and more of its secrets every year – with a hidden corridor being discovered in 2023.
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Final thoughts…
From the enigmatic Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World have enchanted lovers of history and travel for thousands of years. And, while some have been lost to the centuries, there are still those that you can visit today. So why not head over to the travel section of our website to book your next adventure?
And if you’re looking for more time-travelling content, why not check out our new history section? Here, you’ll find all kinds of articles, from 11 inspiring women throughout history to 6 key moments in the lead-up to the American Revolution.
We also run a huge variety of history events on Rest Less Events.
Have you visited any of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? If so, which ones? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.