Buzz about the man-made and natural wonders of the world led us to do a little digging and we were amazed to find that there are so many lists claiming to have named “wonders of the world.” Believe it or not, though, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is known as being the first list ever created. With that in mind, we thought the sights on the list would be worth exploring, despite the fact that most of them no longer really exist.

7. Great Pyramid of Giza

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The Great Pyramid of Giza lies on the border of Cairo, Egypt and is one of three pyramids contained within the Giza Necropolis. It is also the only subject on the list of ancient wonders that still exists today.

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It was, for over 3,800 years, the tallest man-made creation in the world but has since been surpassed by skyscrapers. Inside the pyramid there are three chambers, one of which was never fully completed.

6. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

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The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built during 600 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II. Legend has it that the gardens were built because he wanted to do something to please his wife because she missed the plants and trees she grew up with in Persia.

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Sadly, the Hanging Gardens were destroyed by earthquakes in the 2^nd century BC. The only proof of their existence is noted in the extensive documentation left behind by Greek historians.

5. Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was created during 432 BC when the temple of Zeus was erected in Olympia, Greece. The statue was said to be so large that if Zeus had stood up he would have taken the roof off of the temple itself.

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The original statue did not survive, nor did any of its replicas. What we do have, however, is a detailed description of the statue as it was recorded by Pausanias, a traveling historian. The date of the original sculpture was unknown until archaeologists unearthed Phidias’ workshop and determined he created it sometime during the third quarter of the fifth century BC.

4. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

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Also known as the Temple of Diana, the Temple of Artemis was completed during 550 BC in what is now Turkey during the Persian Empire. Built in honor of the Greek goddess, there is nothing left of the temple and other temples have since been built on the same site. The only depictions of its existence are artists renditions based on historians descriptions.

3. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus was built around 350 BC for Mausolus, his wife, and his sister. The mausoleum itself stood over 135 feet high and each side was decorated by a different Greek sculptor.

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Today the term mausoleum refers to any tomb, but originally the prefix “Mausol” referred to any building dedicated to Mausolus. Today there are only ruins where the mausoleum once stood.

2. Colossus of Rhodos

Colossus of Rhodos, before its destruction, was a depiction of the Greek god known as Helios. The statue stood on the island of Rhodos and was completed around 280 BC by Chares of Lindos.

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The statue stood over 107 feet high and was considered the tallest statue in the world at the time. The statue was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC when it reportedly snapped at the knees. It was not rebuilt or repaired because the people feared they had offended the god.

1. Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built between 285 and 247 BC and stood proudly on Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt. It was originally built to serve as a landmark for the port and was later converted to a working lighthouse.

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The building stood between 380 and 660 feet depending on what part of the building you were looking at. It was believed to be the third tallest building in the world, second only to the two Great Pyramids.

The lighthouse did last into modern times, where it was damaged by earthquakes in 956, 1303, and 1323. The latter two earthquakes made it impossible to enter the ruins and eventually the Sultan of Egypt built a new fortress on the site.

While most of the wonders of the ancient world do not exist today, they still played a significant role on the formation of the history of the world. If any of these sites remained today it is quite possible that we would have seen a significantly different outcome when the new wonders of the world were chosen!