Results tagged “wonders” from Big Big World

To celebrate the victory, rhodians decided to build a giant statue for their patron god Helios.
Demetrius left behaind many war machines and rhodians melted down all bronze from them in order to build the statue. The architect of the statue was Chares of Lindos, who also fought in defence of the city against Demetrius.

For fifty six years the statue stood proudly and looked over harbour of Rhodes. Then the earthquake destroed it, remained only one big peace which layed in harbour for centuries till arab conquistators broked it to small peaces and sold.

Mauseleum itself was constructed from bricks, but covered with Proconnesian marble, which should look really splendid. Tomb was copied in several occasions. It is likely that the architecture of the tomb of Alexander the Great in Alexandria and the Belevi Mausoleum was inspired by the building in Halicarnassus.

Verry little has remained from the tomb in our days, just stones located in the castle of Bodrum. Tomb suffered already in antichity, but still in Middle Ages it represented immpressive ruins. Unfortunately, also ruins were distroed by Rhodian knights in 1522.

Temple of Artemis was located at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey).

The first shrine to Artemis was distroed and rebuild several times. Chersiphron was engaged to build a new large temple. It didn't last either. King Croesus of Lydia conquered Ephesus and the other Greek cities of Asia Minor. During the fighting, the temple was destroyed. He provided him generose and ordered to build a new temple.

Architect Theodorus. build the 300 feet long and 150 feet wide temple. Four times in size that of previous one. Roof was supported by  more than hundrid stone columns.

The new temple was the pride of Ephesus until 356 B.C. Herostratus, young Ephesian, had only one ambition - to write his name in history. To fullfill this ambition he destroed the Temple of Arthemis. He burned the great temple to ground. The citizens was very angry and disgusted by his fullish act, they issued a decree that everybody who spoke to Herostratus was put to death. Very wise - I think.

Statua of Zeus is close related to Olympic games, as Olimpia was the place for these events when piece was declared for time of games and many people traveled long distances to reach the Olimpia. Temple of Zeus was located in Olympia, and firstly was very simple. But with time, games grow more important and neccessity for more imponent temple was great. Temple of Zeus was build by design of Libon of Elis and was completed in 456 B.C. Still the temple alone and empty did not satisfy and statue of zeus was commissioned.

At the site - stadium now has been reconstructed, but little is left from the temple, and Statue of Zeus is long gone.

Fabulous teraaced gardens were siatuated in Iraq, and were build by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. Exists also alternative and less-realible story about gardens build by Queen Semiramis during her five year reign starting in 810 BC. Story tells that Nebuchadnezzar II build the gardens to please and make less homesick his wife - Amyitis.

The gardens had exotic flourishing plants which Nebuchadnezzar imported from foreign lands. They could include cedar, cypress, myrtle, juniper, almond, date palm, ebony, olive and many more. Plants were hanging over terraces - it should be wonderous play of colors.

The Hanging Gardens was a piece of immpressive architecture. The gardens formed a quadrilateral shape. There were a lot of stairways leading to upper teracces, arches and fontains, and everywhere flowering plants leaping from countless terraces and balconies. The gardens were supported by an intricate structure of stone pillars, brick walls, and palm tree trunk beams. The gardens were as tall as the city walls, which Herodotus reported to be 320 feet high. Conflicting sources report that the walls were 80 feet high, a less remarkable, but still majestic height. The architecture of the Hanging Gardens demonstrates the majesty of Babylonian structural design under Nebuchadnezzar's rule.

Also from technological poin of view - gardens was a real wonder for their time. As it is rarely raining in Babilon, they needed to be irrigated. Streams of water emerged from elevated sources and flowed down the inclined channels. This kept the whole area moist and thus the grass was always green.

It is believed Giza complexs has been build as a tomb for pharaoh Khufu and constructed over 20 year period of time. People had been seeking answer to purpose of Great pyramid for more than 4000 years. So many alternative theories had been discuted: astronomical observatory, a place for religious rituals, sundeal, grtain storage facility, a water irrigation system, and list goes on.

The word pyramid derives from the Greek words pyramis and pyramidos, the meaning of the word pyramis in not known, but pyramidos in greek means "Fire in the Middle".

The temperature inside The Great Pyramid is at a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which is exactly the same at the earths internal temperature.

Above you see: Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Epheseus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum of Maussollos, Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria as depicted by 16th-century Dutch artist Marten Heemskerk
 (from right to left, from top to bottom).

This is very interesting project, which took the place last year. Everybody could choose they own new wonders to vote. Check out New 7 Wonders website for information on vinners. However I will review them also here.

Also the new project is available - The New 7 Wonders of Nature!