Tuesday, April 25, 2006
THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
The Great Pyramid of Giza
It is the one and only Ancient Wonder which does not require a description by early historians and poets.
It is the one and only Ancient Wonder that does not need speculations concerning its appearance,
size,
and shape.
It is the oldest,
yet it is the only surviving of the Seven Ancient Wonders.
It is the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Some stories indicate the Hanging Gardens towered hundreds of feet into the air,
but archaeological explorations indicate a more modest,
but still impressive,
height.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
This is a statue of the God in whose honor the Ancient Olympic games were held.
It was located on the land that gave its very name to the Olympics.
At the time of the games, wars stopped,
and athletes came from Asia Minor,
Syria,
Egypt,
and Sicily to celebrate the Olympics and to worship their king of Gods: Zeus.
The Colossus of Rhodes
The island of Rhodes was an important economic centre in the ancient world.
It is located off the southwestern tip of Asia Minor where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean.
The capitol city,
also named Rhodes,
was built in 408 B.C
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Eight hundred years after its destruction,
the magnificent Temple of Artemis at Ephesus,
one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,
had been completely forgotten by the people of the town that had once held it in such pride.
The original temple burned in 356 B.C. and was rebuilt on the same foundation.
Fire devastated the second temple in 262 A.D.,
but its foundation and some debris have survived.
The British Museum in London counts some of the second temple's sculptures among its treasures.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is the burial place of an ancient king.
Yet the Mausoleum is different,
so different from the Pyramid that it earned its reputation.
And a spot within the list,
for other reasons.
Geographically,
it is closer to the Temple of Artemis.
And it was the beauty of the tomb rather than its size that fascinated its visitors for years.
The Pharos of Alexandria (The Lighthouse of Alexandria)
Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,
only one had a practical use in addition to its architectural elegance: The Lighthouse of Alexandria.
For sailors,
it ensured a safe return to the Great Harbor.
For architects,
it meant even more: it was the tallest building on Earth.
And for scientists,
it was the mysterious mirror that fascinated them most.
The mirror which reflection could be seen more than 50 km (35 miles) off-shore.
DONE BY : Farhana and xinhua
Written by 4E @ 8:59 PM;