At Large  May 19, 2023  Megan D Robinson

The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World Revealed

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Author: anna
Photo by Nina Aldin Thune.

The Great Pyramid of Giza (Khufu Pyramid). 

The Seven Wonders of the World are legendary, ancient sculptural and architectural splendors as well as historic testaments to human ingenuity and accomplishment. According to some, the first century BCE Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote the first known list of wonders, starting the trend of creating lists of must-see places for Hellenistic tourists traveling through Greece, Egypt, Persia, and Babylonia.

Such lists generally contained The Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Great Pyramid of Giza.

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Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Nina Aldin Thune. 
Photo by Nina Aldin Thune. 
The Great Pyramid
The Great Pyramid of Giza (Khufu Pyramid) in 2005.

The only of the early Wonders that remains extant is the Great Pyramid—the oldest and largest of the Giza pyramids. Pharaoh Khufu’s tomb was constructed around 2550 BCE, over a period of twenty-seven years. An estimated 2.3 million stone blocks were used, weighing between 2.5 and 15 tons. At a towering 481 feet, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Originally encased in smooth white limestone, today’s tourists see its core structure.

About the Author

Megan D Robinson

Megan D Robinson writes for Art & Object and the Iowa Source.