The Seven Ancient Wonders

Today I just watched a show called..... at National Geography Channel. The show is about The Seven Wonders of the World.

The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a well known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. It was based on guide-books popular among Hellinic(Greek) tourists and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. Later lists include those for the Medieval World and the Modern World. The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be magical.

The Greek category was not "Wonders" but theamata, which translates closer to "things to be seen". The seven as we know them could only have been seen after 280 BC, when the Colossus of Rhodes was completed. Earlier lists included things like the Walls of Babylon. The list is at its core, a celebration of Greek accomplishments. Only two of the final seven were non-Greek. Interestingly enough, since the Colossus of Rhodes fell down after a mere 50 years (it fell in a massive earthquake in 226 BC), few historians could have seen it standing (Philo amongst them) and so the exact form of the statue is unknown. It is known however that the Colossus could not have straddled the harbour entrance as it is often depicted in romantic medieval pictures. The Statue of Liberty was partly inspired by what the Colossus may have looked like.[citation needed]
Antipater's first list replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Ishtar Gate. Of these wonders, the only one that has survived to the present day is the Great Pyramid of Giza. The existence of the Hanging Gardens has not been proven, though theories abound. Records and archaeology confirm that the other five wonders used to exist. The Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus were destroyed by fire, while the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Colossus, and tomb of Maussollos were destroyed by earthquakes. There are sculptures from the tomb of Maussollos and the Temple of Artemis in the British Museum in London.

Great Pyramid of Giza
2584-2561 BC
Egyptians
Built as the tomb of fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu.
Still standing

Hanging Gardens of Babylon
605-562 BC
Babylonians
Diodorus Siculus described multi-levelled gardens reaching 22 metres (75 feet) high, complete with machinery for circulating water. Large trees grew on the roof. Built by Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife Amytis of Media.
After 1st century BC
Destroy by earthquake

Statue of Zeus at Olympia
466-456 BC (Temple) 435 BC (Statue)
Greeks
Occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple that was built to house it, and was 12 meters (40 feet) tall.
5th-6th centuries AD
Destroy by huge earthquake

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
c. 550 BC
Lydians, Persians, Greeks
Dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis, it took 120 years to build. Herostratus burned it down in an attempt to achieve lasting fame. Rebuilt by Alexander the Great only to be destroyed again by the Goths.
356 BC (by Herostratus)AD 409 (by the Goths)
Destroy by Arson, Plundering

Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
351 BC
Carians, Persians, Greeks
Stood approximately 45 meters (135 feet) tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum, a tomb built for Mausolus, a satrap in the Persian Empire
by AD 1494
Damaged by an earthquake and eventually disassembled by European Crusaders.

Colossus of Rhodes
292-280 BC
Greeks
A giant statue of the Greek god Helios, c. 35m (110 ft) tall.
Toppled by an earthquake in 226 BC, with the bronze scrap removed in AD 654.
Destroy by Earthquake

Lighthouse of Alexandria
c. 280 BC
Hellenistic Egypt
Between 115 and 135 meters (383 - 440 ft) tall it was among the tallest structures on Earth for many centuries.
AD 1303-1480
Destroy by Earthquake