The Seven Wonders of the World a History of the Modern Imagination

Plot

This volume presents a list of the most remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. This book tells of the combination of legends and facts associated with these wonders; the story of their various images through the ages, and the reality of the objects themselves. These classic seven wonders were: the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This list was based on guidebooks popular among sightseers of ancient Greece and only includes works located around the Mediterranean rim. The Greek influence in Roman culture, and the revival of Greco-Roman artistic styles during the Renaissance caught the imagination of European artists and travelers. Paintings and sculptures alluding to this list were made, while adventurers flocked to the actual sites to personally witness the wonders. Legends circulated to further complement the superlatives of the wonders.