It’s a little smaller than the pyramids at Giza, granted. But, as far as ancient tombs go, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus takes a back seat to no other monument. In fact, one might even concede that the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus brought its occupant more fame than any pyramid. It is, after all, Mausolus’s name that […]
Tag: Pyramids of Giza
The Temple of Artemis – Greatest Enigma of the Seven Wonders?
When he visited the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Antipater of Sidon described it as follows. He wrote: “I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the […]
The Lighthouse of Alexandria – More Costly Than the Parthenon?
“It can be seen for more than seventy miles, and is of great antiquity. It is most strongly built in all directions and competes with the skies in height. Description of it falls short, the eyes fail to comprehend it, and words are inadequate, so vast is the spectacle.” Thus wrote the Muslim pilgrim Ibn […]
The Colossus of Rhodes – The First Ancient Wonder Destroyed?
If you blinked, you might have missed it. Well, not quite. But the lifetime of the Colossus of Rhodes as a Wonder of the Ancient World was fleeting compared to some of the other six wonders. It’s reputation must’ve been very great, then, if 56 years was enough to earn everlasting fame. The Colossus is […]
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia – Power & Art Perfected?
A second of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was the statue of Zeus at Olympia. Like six of the seven wonders, sadly, it is not extant. You cannot travel to see it today like you can visit the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. And unlike some of the other great statues of antiquity, […]
Pyramids of Giza – The Greatest Wonder of the Ancient World?
It’s probable that no structures ever built by humans command more wonder than the pyramids of Giza. Everything about these funeral monuments beggars description. Their size is monumental. The pyramids of Giza also stand out from the landscape around them in a way that few other structures do. They give the appearance of awesome power […]