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Questions about Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The modern canonical list was established in the 1572 publication Octo Mundi Miracula. Two wonders were located in Greece, two in Turkey, two in Egypt, and one in Iraq.

Which of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still exists today?

Only the Great Pyramid of Giza still stands. It is also the oldest of the seven, built between approximately 2584 and 2561 BC. Its original white limestone casing was removed for building materials around 1300 AD.

Did the Hanging Gardens of Babylon actually exist?

The existence of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon has not been proven. Scholarly debate over their exact nature continues, and there is doubt as to whether they existed at all. They appeared on only five of the eighteen classical lists of wonders identified by scholar Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher.

Who wrote the earliest known list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?

The epigrammist Antipater of Sidon, who lived around or before 100 BC, wrote the oldest surviving list that closely resembles the modern canonical set. The first known list of seven wonders as a concept dates to the 2nd-1st century BC; at least eight full lists and ten partial lists survive from antiquity.

How long did all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World exist at the same time?

All seven wonders coexisted for fewer than sixty years. The Colossus of Rhodes, the last to be completed after 280 BC, was also the first to be destroyed, brought down by an earthquake in 226 or 225 BC.

Where can artifacts from the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World be seen today?

Sculptures from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Temple of Artemis are currently held in the British Museum in London. Remains of the Lighthouse of Alexandria were found underwater in 1994. Remains of the Temple of Artemis and the Mausoleum also exist in situ.