The world is full of many of mans’ accomplishments that both amaze us and are astounding. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are some of the most incredible works that have ever been created. They can be amazing for many different reasons. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are all judged by their artistry, engineering skill, construction and sheer scale (Berg, October 2, 2001). In the following paragraphs, I will examine four of the most remarkable man made creations in the ancient world. The Temple of Artemis is an amazing example of human ingenuity. The temple is a Greek building made up of 127 marble columns that are 60 feet tall each (Browne). It was designed by Chersiphron, and erected at the expense of Croesus, the fabulously wealthy king of Lydia in 550 B.C (Brown). I took nearly 120 years to complete because of its’ sheer size and details that were carved into many of the columns. It is the largest temple of the ancient world because of the competitive nature that the Greeks had with the rest of the world during that time. What is amazing however is that it has been rebuilt three times. Its’ final demise was in 262 A.D (The British Museum). Another amazing ancient wonder was the Statue of Zeus that was created in 432 B.C, very close to the time when the Temple of Artemis was built. It is a statue of Zeus that was made of the ivory and gold-plated bronze. It was erected at Olympia for the ancient Olympic Games that were said to start in 776 B.C. It was made by erecting a wooden frame on which sheets of metal and ivory were placed to provide the outer covering (Ashmawy, 2006). It is regarded for its’ detail and size. People often comment more on it’s’ throne than the actual statue due to the statue being so high above those looking at it (Ashmawy, 2006). Unfortunately, the statue no longer stands because it was destroyed by fires. The oldest wonder of the ancient world is The Lighthouse of Alexandria. It was built between 280 and 247 B.C on the ancient island of Pharos (McKenzie, 2007). For many years, it was the tallest building on earth towering almost 40 stories high. It was build of stone and was the only ancient wonder that also had a practical use of bring in sailors off the see safely (Ashmawy, 2006). Unfortunately, like 3 other of the ancient wonders of the world it was destroyed by an earthquake in 956 A.D and was never rebuilt (Ashmawy, 2006). The Greeks had five of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Of the seven wonders, the Colossus of Rhodes was the only other statue besides the Statue of Zeus. The project was commissioned by the Rhodian sculptor Chares of Lindos. To build the statue, his workers cast the outer bronze skin parts. The base was made of white marble, and the feet and ankle of the statue were first fixed. The structure was gradually erected as the bronze form was fortified with an iron and stone framework (Ashmawy, 2006). It was only fully erect for 57 years (Ashmawy, 2006). Even though it wasn’t in its full glory for that long, it is still amazing that the 110 foot sculpture was created so long ago. Unfortunately, only one of the ancient wonders of the world still stands today. That is the Great Pyramids of Giza. The sizes of many of these were astonishing for any time period. Surely, those who saw these wonders in their glory where amazed and that is what many of their creators wanted. They wanted to show their power and stature. Each of the wonders is unique in its’ own way and regardless of being in the ancient world or the modern world they still stand the test of time and still show how man can create amazing things.

Bibliography

Ashmawy, A. K. (2006, May 23). The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Retrieved September 07, 2011, from The Statue of Zeus at Olympia: http://www.authenticwonders.com/Wonders/zeus.html
Berg, C. (October 2, 2001). Amazeing Art: Wonders of the Ancient World. Harper Paperbacks. "British Museum - The Archaic Temple of Artemis at Ephesos." British Museum - Welcome to the British Museum. The British Museum. Web. 7 Sept. 2011. . "Temple of Artemis (Artemision)." Sir Thomas Browne. Web. 07 Sept. 2011. .
McKenzie, J. (2007). The architecture of Alexandria and Egypt. Hong Kong: World Print.