The Seven Wonders of the ancient worldThe Lighthouse at Alexandria was built in 279 B.C. on the small island of Pharos by Sostratus of Cnidus for Ptolemy II. The lighthouse was over 400 feet high. The remains of this imposing structure could still be seen in 1480, when the Mamluk ruler Qa'it Bay constructed a fort on the exact site of the lighthouse.The Colossus of Rhodes stands over 100 feet tall, this statue of the Greek sun god was completed by the sculptor Chares in 280 B.C. The Colossus stood with one hand shielding its eyes looking over the harbor of the Greek island.The Mausoleum of Halikarnassos was built by the wife of the Carian ruler Mausolus in 353 B. C. This tomb was of such great size and, with its sculptured friezes, so beautiful, that fragments of it are preserved in Turkey and at the British Museum.The Statue of Zeus, though small in relation to some of the other wonders of the ancient world, this statue of Zeus, sculpted by the Greek Phidias about 430 B.C., won fame because of its beauty.Temple of Diana at Ephesus measured 300 by 150 feet, with columns 60 feet high. This great temple dedicated to the goddess Diana was begun about 555 B.C. by Croesus, king of Lydia. Avandal burned down the original temple in 356 B . C., but it was rebuilt by Alexander the Great.The Hanging Gardens of Babylon rises on terraces some 400 feet above the level of the plain. This hanging gardens were built by Nebuchadnezzar about 600 B.C. to console his queen, who missed the mountains, trees and flowers of her native Media.The great Pyramids at Giza, which date from the Old Kingdom (2700-2300 B. C. ), are the oldest and most famous of the Seven Wonders of the World.
