The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, also called the Seven Wonders of the World, is a list of seven important buildings from ancient times. This list was first created in a book published in 1572, called Octo Mundi Miracula, which combined information from many historical sources.

The seven wonders from this list include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes (a large statue), the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (a large tomb), the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Using modern countries, two wonders were in Greece, two in Turkey, two in Egypt, and one in Iraq. Of the seven, only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains today. It is also the oldest of the wonders. The other six have been destroyed over time. Some parts of the Lighthouse, Temple of Artemis, and Mausoleum still exist, either where they were built or in museums. Scholars are unsure if the Hanging Gardens of Babylon ever existed.

Other ancient lists of wonders differ from the Octo Mundi Miracula version. The first known list of seven wonders dates to the 2nd–1st century BC. At least eight complete lists and ten incomplete lists are known. Three other structures appear more than twice across these lists: the Walls of Babylon, the Palace of Cyrus the Great, and the Pergamon Altar.

Background

Alexander the Great's conquest of much of the western world in the 4th century BC allowed Hellenistic travelers to visit the civilizations of the Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians. These travelers were impressed by the landmarks and wonders they saw, so they began writing lists to remember what they had seen.

The ancient Greeks did not use the word "wonders" for these sights. Instead, they used the word "theamata," which means "sights" or "things to be seen" (Tà heptà theámata tēs oikoumenēs [gēs]). Later, the term "thaumata" (θαύματα), meaning "wonders," was used for the same idea. This list became similar to a travel guidebook for the ancient world.

Known lists

The first mention of a list of seven monuments was made by Diodorus Siculus. He did not write the full list, but he named two examples: the Walls of Babylon and the Pyramids. A poet named Antipater of Sidon, who lived around or before 100 BC, created a list of seven "wonders." His list included six of the monuments later known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but he replaced the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Walls of Babylon. His description of the wonders includes:

"I have seen the mighty walls of Babylon, where chariots can race, and the statue of Zeus near the Alpheus River. I have viewed the Hanging Gardens, the Colossus of the Sun, the towering pyramids, and the grand tomb of Mausolus. Yet, when I saw the Temple of Artemis, which reaches high into the sky, all others seemed small, for even the sun has never seen its equal outside of Olympus."

— Greek Anthology IX.58

Another writer, possibly named Philo of Byzantium, wrote a short work called The Seven Sights of the World. The surviving text is incomplete, missing its final pages. However, the introduction mentions the location of Halicarnassus, and it may have described the Mausoleum as the seventh wonder. Earlier lists by the historian Herodotus (around 484–425 BC) and the poet Callimachus of Cyrene (around 305–240 BC) are only known through references, as their works no longer exist in full.

The tradition of listing seven remarkable human achievements continued through the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and into modern times. The Roman poet Martial and the Christian bishop Gregory of Tours each created their own lists. As time passed and natural forces or human actions damaged the original wonders, new sites were added, such as the Colosseum, Noah’s Ark, and Solomon’s Temple. In the 6th century, St. Gregory of Tours listed seven wonders, including the Temple of Solomon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and Noah’s Ark.

In 1906, German scholar Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher studied 18 ancient lists of wonders, both complete and incomplete. He found that only two of these lists were identical, with one likely being a copy of the other. None of the 18 lists matched the modern "canonical" list of seven wonders. Together, the lists included 82 names, representing 22 distinct buildings or places.

Modern historians believe the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World focused on a specific geographic area. Over time, new lists were created to include sites beyond the ancient Greek world, such as the "Seven Wonders of the World." The term "seven wonders" has been used in many ways by different groups and individuals, including lists of natural wonders, engineering feats, and medieval constructions. The purpose of these lists has also changed, from being travel guides to tools for protecting and preserving important sites.

Canonical seven wonders

The modern official list of wonders was first created in the 1572 book Octo Mundi Miracula, which combined information from historical records.

This list included only the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern areas, which were considered the known world by the Greeks at that time. The main descriptions of the wonders came from ancient Greek writers, who greatly influenced which places were included. Five of the seven wonders celebrate Greek achievements in building, while the Pyramids of Giza and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are exceptions.

The Colossus of Rhodes was the last of the seven wonders to be completed, after 280 BC. It was the first to be destroyed, falling in an earthquake in 226/225 BC. Because of this, it was already in ruins when the list was created. All seven wonders existed at the same time for less than 60 years.

Of the seven wonders, only the Great Pyramid of Giza remains today. Its white stone covering stayed intact until about 1300 AD, when local people took most of the stones for building materials. The existence of the Hanging Gardens has not been confirmed, though many theories exist. Evidence from records and archaeology shows that the other five wonders were real. The Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus were destroyed by fire, while the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus, and the tomb of Mausolus were destroyed by earthquakes. Some artifacts, such as sculptures from the tomb of Mausolus and the Temple of Artemis, are now in the British Museum in London.

The renewed interest in Greco-Roman art styles inspired European artists and travelers. Paintings and sculptures that reference the wonders were created, and many people traveled to see the actual sites. Stories and legends about the wonders spread widely, adding to their fame.