the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

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What they are:

Back in the days of Alexander the Great, the man himself decided that it would be a good idea to increase trade and tourism, especially around the area of what was known as Greece1 - mainly because he wanted to become even richer than he already was.

In order to do this, he commisioned a list to be compiled of the seven wonders of the world2. Several of these lists already existed, and almost all of them agreed on six of the seven wonders.

It is interesting to note that not even at the time did all of these structures exist at once; most of them lasted only a couple of centuries. The notable exception, of course, is the great pyramid at Giza, which was not only built several hundred years before the rest of them, but is still standing to this day.

The final list - the one that is recognised today - is composed of the following structures:

The Great Pyramid at Giza

Also known as Cheop's pyramid3, after the king who was interred within it, this is the longest-lasting wonder of the seven, and is still standing today. The only structures comparable to it are the Great Wall of China, and Stonehenge. Unfortunately the realm of the ancient Greeks didn't extend to either of these creations, and so were never recognised by them.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesis

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Colossus of Rhodes

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

1At the time.2At the time.3Also sometimes spelt 'Kheops'.

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