A message on the topic of the wonder of the world. Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Whose gardens are they anyway?
BABYLON AND ITS WONDERS
The abstract was completed by a student of the 135th group, Borodin Yu.Yu.
Astrakhan State Pedagogical University
Astrakhan 1998
There is hardly another ancient city that has captivated the imagination of people for centuries as much as Babylon. It attracts people with its uniqueness, mystery and unknown.
Among the most interesting and mysterious seven wonders of the world is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were located in Babylon.
Semiramis is usually represented as either the queen of Babylon or the wife of King Nebuchadnezzar. In reality, everything was different. In 605 BC. the kings of Media and Babylon - Cyaxares and Nabopolassar - defeated Assyria and subsequently sought to strengthen their military alliance as much as possible and make it stronger, more stable and lasting. For this purpose, both kings decided to tie their political, military and diplomatic relations with the marriage bonds of their children - the daughter of Cyaxares Amita and the son of Nabopolassar Nebuchadnezzar. After her marriage, Amita left for Babylon. She was very homesick for her homeland. For its sonorous, cool rivers, mountains, shady forests. Nebuchadnezzar, who became the king of Babylon after the death of his father, knew about his wife’s nostalgia and tried to entertain her gifts, hunting, receptions. One day the idea came to him to create a landscape similar to that in Amita’s homeland. He ordered the chief architect and engineer of his kingdom to be brought in and demanded that they begin the construction of “Media Minor” in Babylon.
Soon, work began on the construction of Little Media, which became known in history as one of the seven wonders of the world under the name of the Gardens of Babylon.
The total area of the gardens was approximately 200 square meters. The gardens consisted of four terraces, which were supported by supports - pillars, each of them was 70 cm in circumference, and they were 2 meters apart from each other.
The terraces were located on a large artificial hill. A layer of fertile soil was applied to each terrace and trees of various varieties were planted. They created coolness and fragrance.
At the very top of this structure, a special dwelling was built - a pavilion, where Amita could relax and enjoy the surrounding landscape.
On the upper terrace of the gardens there was a tower where there were water pumps for watering plants, flowers and trees. Water was supplied from the Euphrates River. To prevent it from spreading, lead sheets were placed under the plant layer.
The gardens were not an isolated structure to which you had to go specially. They were part of palace complex and therefore should be considered as a continuation architectural ensemble the entire royal palace
Centuries have passed. Memory of a place hanging gardens continued to call for researchers: the search was successful, and archaeologists managed to discover one of the seven wonders of the world.
The powerful building of the architectural complex turned out to be under the large Babil hill, which was considered the temple of Marduk. A layer of earth was removed and underneath there was solid brickwork, smoothly descending on both sides to the bank of the Euphrates. The back of the brick structure turned out to be a sheer wall.
And although we now know who built them and for whom, the question remains about the reasons for the connection of these gardens with the name of Semiramis. There are two supposed answers to this question: first, Semiramis was a Babylonian by birth, married the Assyrian king Shamshi-Adad 5 and remained the favorite of the people; the second - Semiramis, having become queen and then regent of her son, was engaged in construction activities. It is quite possible that the memory of her was preserved in the name of the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis.
Another miracle of Babylon is the Tower of Babel. This is the most mysterious and unknown structure, about which there are many myths.
“One day people gathered together and said to each other: “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower, its height reaching to heaven, and we will make a name for ourselves before we are scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
Having become proud and deciding to glorify themselves, the people zealously began building. But the Lord did not like this. He looked at the city and the tower that they were building and said:
“Behold, there is one people and they all have one language... and they will not deviate from what they are planning to do. Let us go down and confuse their language so that one does not understand the speech of another.” The Lord confused the language of the people so that they did not understand each other and could not continue building the tower. Therefore, that place began to be called Babylon, that is, “confusion.” Then God scattered the people from there throughout the whole earth.”
The Tower of Babel was not, as previously thought, a unique structure, one of a kind. Rather, it is the completion of a long process of development.
Attempted great amount attempts to find the ruins of the Tower of Babel, finally established the exact location. However, the ruins turned out to be very inconspicuous. Instead of a high-rising tower like those that can still be seen in Birs-Nimrud and Akarkuf, one could see a stretching south direction a wide ditch filled with water. In the middle of it was a massive block of bricks and debris, square at the base. Wood was rare and therefore all buildings were made of clay and reeds, of which there was no shortage.
Local residents who had free access to the ruins of the tower destroyed most architectural ensemble, taking everything brick by brick for his own needs.
A big difficulty in the excavations was also the soil waters, which only receded after a drought and the dam broke.
Taking into account the shell of the core of the ziggurat made of burnt brick, which once had a thickness of about 14 meters, and has now been broken off, it turned out that the length of the sides of the building was 91 meters. Upon further advancement from the southwestern corner of the building, a staircase 8.2 meters wide was discovered on its southern side, from which 18 steps have been partially preserved. The ditch in front south side The tower, about 50 meters long and 10 meters wide, corresponded to the monumental external staircase that once existed here.
Its masonry itself has disappeared almost completely, only the imprints of the bricks remain.
The core of the structure, made of mud brick, had a square cross-section with a side length of 61 meters. This block, surrounded by a ditch filled with water, rested on an almost waterproof bed of tightly compacted clay.
Queen Nitocris, who ruled in Babylon, changed the course of the Euphrates, which used to flow right through the middle of the city. To do this, she ordered a canal to be dug above the city, and thus the river became so winding that, for example, it passed by one village in Assyria three times.
Even to this day, when traveling from the Lower Sea to Babylon down the Euphrates, one has to pass by this village three times within 3 days. Then she ordered a dam of amazing size and height to be built on both sides of the river. Then, at a considerable distance above Babylon, she ordered the digging of a reservoir for a lake not far from the river of the same depth so that soil waters appeared everywhere. The diameter of this reservoir reached 420 stadia. The queen ordered the earth dug from the pit to be used for a river dam. When the pool was ready, she ordered a stone to be brought and to line the edges of the reservoir with it. She took advantage with these works in order to divide the city into two parts by the river. Then, approximately in the center of the city, she ordered the construction of a bridge of stones fastened with iron and lead. During the day, quadrangular boards were laid across the bridge, on which the Babylonians crossed the river. At night, the boards were removed in order to so that people do not wander here and there and rob each other.
The queen ordered to erect a tomb for herself above the gate in the very center of the city (the tomb was located directly above the gate) and to carve the inscription on it: “If any of the Babylonian kings after me needs money, then let him open this tomb and take as much money as he wants.” “However, let him not open it unnecessarily, but it would be better not to open the tomb at all.”
This tomb remained untouched until the Babylonian kingdom passed to Darius. He opened the tomb. But he did not find any treasures there, but only the dead man and the inscription: “If you were not so greedy, you would not have plundered the tomb of the dead!”
Is it always New Year celebrated in January?
In the northern Mesopotamia the beginning of the New Year was celebrated in autumn, in September, in the beginning of the harvest.
The tradition of celebrating the New Year dates back to the 3rd millennium BC and began to be celebrated in Ancient Mesopotamia.
This holiday in Babylonia lasted 12 days, it was celebrated in the month of Nisan (March-April), the 21st. It began during the spring equinox, at the beginning of field work, during the entry into the reign of, as the Babylonians believed, the venerable god of the sky - Marduk. It was a time of victories of new creative forces and gods over the forces of death and destruction. All days of the New Year celebration were considered bright, during which it was impossible to punish children, slaves, carry out work, or carry out justice.
The celebration of the New Year in Babylonia did not begin immediately. 4 of the 12 days were a kind of general preparation. On these days, city squares, in In the temples they read poems, performed plays, told myths and played mysteries.
On the morning of the 5th day, a festive procession left the temple of E-Zid to celebrate the installation of the great god Marduk and pay respect to him.
It is from this moment that it is believed that the daughters of the bright world (bright days) move to heavenly peace, with With the equinox, the light half of the year gains predominance.
On the 6th day, noble Lyuli and common people came from all over the country to big cities and especially to Nineveh and Babylon, they were accommodated with relatives, in inns.
The 7th day is the day of the rescue of the god Marduk and his release from the dungeon. This was done with the help of other gods. On this day, a huge number of pigs were slaughtered, which were considered a symbol of hostility to the gods. On the night of the 8th day they usually wondered about their fate in the future year. Fortune tellers, fortune tellers, magicians, and magicians were invited to every home. On the morning of the 8th day, the priests of the E-Sagila temple, where the golden statue of Marduk and his throne was located in a hiding place, were taken out into the street. Along with this statue, they also brought out statues of other gods who lived in E-Sagila. And all the gods and goddesses were transferred to another temple - the “Chamber of Fates”.
The ancient kings knew how to live beautifully. Huge palaces with fountains, majestic temples, marble sculptures in honor of themselves. But most of all, the rulers loved to create beautiful gardens, where birds of paradise delighted their ears with their singing, and delicate greenery caressed their eyes. The most famous of these gardens belonged, according to legend, to the Assyrian queen Semiramis, and was one of the 7 wonders of the world. Where were they actually located? hanging gardens Ekaterina Astafieva will tell you who built them and what is so wonderful about them.
Whose gardens are they anyway?
Let's start with the main thing - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon never belonged to Babylon. The name of this legendary queen is often found in Akkadian and ancient Armenian mythologies. Under the guise of Semiramis hides the Assyrian queen Shammuramat. She became famous due to the fact that for some time she ruled alone, which rarely happened to women in those days. She lived at the beginning of the 9th century BC, that is, according to scientists, two centuries before the creation of the famous wonder of the world.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were actually built by Nebuchadnezzar II
The second, more correct name for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the gardens of Amitis or Amanis. This was the name of the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II, who created the wonder of the world as a gift to his beloved. This gift has beautiful story, which could give a head start to many romantic ballads. In the 6th century BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II entered into an alliance with the king of Media, Cyaxares. They united against a common enemy - powerful Assyria. The allies managed to win, and they divided the territory of the defeated among themselves. In honor of the successful union, Nebuchadnezzar married the Median princess Amytis. But the girl, who grew up in fertile Media, was bored in dusty and deserted Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar ordered hanging gardens to be built for his young wife, which would brighten up her homesickness. And so the second wonder of the world appeared.
The Mystery of Babylon
The place where the Hanging Gardens were supposed to be located was excavated in 1899 by the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey. He discovered some unusual structure on the territory of ancient Babylon. He suggested that it was used as a special water lift for a continuous supply of water. In addition, the structure was lined with stone, not brick. Ancient sources reported two places where stone was used in construction. One of them has already been discovered, and the second, legendary, turned out to be the hanging gardens of Amytis.
The correct name for the hanging gardens is Amitis Gardens
True, there is another version where it is worth looking for the wonder of the world. Some scholars agree that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were located in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, which after the war went to Babylon.
It is interesting that there are almost no direct indications of the existence of the Hanging Gardens of Amytis among those who could directly visit the palace of Babylon. Herodotus, for example, in his descriptions mentions a part of the palace that can be correlated with a wonder of the world. But he already considered the creation of the gardens to be the work of Queen Shammuramat.
The Hanging Gardens were excavated by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey
Did the gardens hang?
What did the famous gardens look like? Were they really hanging? The Hanging Gardens were built in the form of a large stepped pyramid, with four floors rising above each other. The platforms were connected by stairs made of white and pink slabs. Each platform was installed on columns 25 meters high. This distance allowed the plants to receive the right amount of sunlight.
The surface of each tier, as scientists suggest, consisted of several layers. First, a layer of reed mixed with resin was laid on the platform, then two layers of brick held together with gypsum mortar. Lead slabs were laid on top of all this, and a layer of fertile soil was poured on them, sufficient to tall trees could take root. Flowers and herbs were also planted nearby.
For some time, the Gardens of Babylon belonged to Alexander the Great
Irrigation of hanging gardens deserves special attention. In the middle of one of the columns there was a pipe through which water entered the garden. Every day the slaves turned the wheel, along the perimeter of which buckets hung. They scooped up water from the river or, as some researchers believe, from underground wells. Water first entered the upper tier of the pyramid, from where it flowed through channels to lower floors. Of course, such a complex system required careful care and continuous work of slaves. That is why the Hanging Gardens of Babylon fell into disrepair shortly after the death of Nebuchadnezzar II. After Alexander the Great captured Babylon, made the king’s palace his own residence and died here directly, the artificial irrigation system ceased to function, and beautiful plants died. Soon, due to floods from a nearby river, the foundation was washed away, the slabs fell, and only memories remained of the hanging gardens.
The seven wonders of the world are ancient monuments architecture that is rightfully considered the greatest creations of human hands. The number 7 was chosen for a reason. It belonged to Apollo and was a symbol of completeness, completeness and perfection. At the same time, the traditional genre of Hellenistic poetry was the glorification of a list of the most famous cultural figures - poets, philosophers, kings, generals, etc., or outstanding architectural monuments.
The first mentions of the Wonders of the World are found precisely in this era, when the victorious troops of Alexander the Great had already marched across Europe. The widespread dissemination of Greek culture in the territories that were part of the states that the great commander conquered ensured that individual monuments and architectural structures. But it should be noted that the “selection” of miracles occurred gradually. Some names replaced others, and today the list of the most majestic works of art and architecture includes:
Briefly about everything
Historians and scientists believe that the most ancient is the first attraction - Egyptian pyramids. A distinctive feature of this Wonder of the World is that it is the only one that has survived to this day in almost its original form. The construction of the Pyramids of Giza dates back to approximately 1983 BC, and the largest structure of the complex is the tomb of Cheops.
The rest of the Wonders of the World were not so lucky, and only the ruins of some of them have survived to this day. Eg, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were created in the 6th century BC, were destroyed by floods in the 2nd century. But even the dilapidated remains of this majestic structure are breathtaking.
Statue of Zeus from Olympia, created around 435 BC. famous ancient sculptor Phidiem, burned down almost a thousand years later in Constantinople. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was erected in 550 BC, but after two centuries it was also destroyed by a severe fire.
Halicarnassus Mausoleum created by the architect Pytheas in 351 BC. In 1494, earthquakes occurred in southwestern Turkey, after which only the foundations and architectural fragments of the structure were preserved. Concerning Colossus of Rhodes, built at the beginning of the 3rd century BC. Greeks, it fell as a result of a series of powerful earthquakes somewhere between 224 and 225 BC.
Alexandrian lighthouse, built in the 3rd century BC. at the direction of the ruling Ptolemaic dynasty, it is the pinnacle of engineering and technical thought of that time. The structure lasted until 1480, providing reliable lighting to the coastal waters. In the 15th century, the lighthouse was partially destroyed by an earthquake.
We can talk endlessly about each of the Seven Wonders of the World. Any schoolchild knows about them. Ancient epics and ancient legends are associated with them. Each of them is covered in a shadow of mystery and uncertainty. But one thing can be said with all confidence - these are the most significant monuments of civilization of all that humanity has managed to create.
Seven wonders of the world.
Our world is full of unusual and wonderful places that everyone should visit! Think for yourself, what do we live for, for new gadgets and financial well-being? Isn't it better to see the world, travel and discover more and more new horizons of the unknown? We begin a review of the best and most beautiful places of our planet!
Undoubtedly, the greatest interest among the whole world is caused by the seven wonders of the world, which every person, young and old, should know about! In this article we will briefly describe each of the 7 wonders of the world, and by clicking on the title and following the link, you can get acquainted in more detail with the place that interests you most.
After the victory over the Macedonian king Demetrius II, the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes decided to perpetuate the significant event with a giant statue of the sun god Helios, who was considered the patron saint of the island. The construction was undertaken by the sculptor Hares, a student of Lysippos from the city of Lindus. A forty-meter statue was created from bronze by casting. This required more than thirteen tons of bronze and eight tons of iron. Helios, depicted in full height, stood on a pedestal of stone blocks fastened with iron. Construction lasted twelve years, and what a shame it was for the island’s residents about 60 years later when the statue was destroyed by a powerful earthquake. Find out more about the magnificent statue on Rhodes by reading the detailed material -.
The architect Libo from the city of Elis erected a temple that was entirely dedicated to the sky god Zeus. Built from limestone blocks measuring 30x65 meters, the temple was decorated with pediments depicting battles and metopes with paintings depicting the labors of Hercules. Inside the building there was a huge statue of Zeus seated on a throne, about fifteen meters high. The sculpture, made of wood, was attached to plates of ivory and gold. The sandals, clothes and wreath on the head were completely gold. In 476, the statue was transported to Constantinople, where it burned down in a fire. Read more about the construction and fate of the statue in the material -
Alexandria, founded in 332 BC, was a unique cultural center. Great architects, mathematicians, scientists, poets, and astronomers were here. To ensure the safety of ships approaching from the sea, a lighthouse 125 meters high was erected! The first floor was made in the shape of a rectangle oriented to the cardinal points. The length of each side was more than thirty meters. The second floor, lined with marble, had eight sides and was oriented in the direction of the eight winds. There were also bronze statues, some of which served as weather vanes to determine the direction of the wind. The third floor was round and carried a huge lantern, above which there was a dome with a seven-meter figure of Poseidon. Fire Alexandria lighthouse was maintained for almost 1000 years until the lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in 797. Nowadays, on the remains of the lighthouse there is a fortress built by Qait Bey at the end of the fifteenth century. You can find out even more about this grandiose building, after reading the detailed material -
Nowadays, it is customary to call unique artistic and technical creations a wonder of the world, which, due to their level of performance, evoke the admiration of most specialists. But in fairness, this erroneous approach should be corrected - the wonders of the world include specific objects created by people in ancient times.
The earliest information about the seven wonders of the world was found in the works of the ancient philosopher and scientist Herodotus. Five thousand years BC, Herodotus tried to classify these wonderful and mysterious objects. The work of Herodotus, in which he described in detail the unique architectural masterpieces ancient world, burned in a fire in the Library of Alexandria, like many other unique manuscripts. Only isolated entries in surviving manuscripts and fragments of structures related to the Seven Wonders of the World, which were found as a result of archaeological excavations, have survived to this day.
In a small work by Philo of Byzantium, entitled “On the Seven Wonders of the World,” seven objects of antiquity are described on twelve pages. But the author wrote his work based on the stories he heard from others, but he himself never saw them.
In Europe, they learned about the Seven Wonders of the World after the publication of the book “Sketches on the History of Architecture.” In it, the author, Fischer von Erlach, meticulously described seven unique objects of antiquity.
In Rus', the very first mention of the seven wonders of the world was found in the works of Simeon of Polotsk, who in his notes refers to a certain Byzantine source.
The list of the most famous monuments of the ancient world includes: egyptian pyramid in El Giza, statue of Olympian Zeus, Faros lighthouse, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes and Temple of Artemis of Ephesus.
Pyramids of Giza.
Today, of all the listed seven wonders of the ancient world, only Great Pyramid Cheops, located in El Giza.
For about four thousand years, the Cheops pyramid was the tallest structure. It was designed and built as the tomb of the most famous pharaoh - Khufu (Cheops). Construction of the pyramid was completed in 2580 BC. Then more pyramids were built here for the grandson and son of Cheops, as well as pyramids for the queens. But the Great Pyramid of Cheops is the largest of them. Archaeologists suggest that the construction of this pyramid took about 20 years and at least one hundred thousand people took part in its construction. The construction required 2 million stone blocks, each weighing at least 2.5 tons. Workers used levers, blocks and ramps to lay them without mortar and fit each block together. When completed, the pyramid was a stepped structure. The steps were then covered with polished snow-white limestone blocks. The blocks fit so tightly together that you couldn’t even insert a knife blade between them. The Great Pyramid rose 147 meters high! The length of one of the sides of the base of the Cheops pyramid is 230 meters. The pyramid covers an area larger than nine football fields. The ancient Egyptians believed that if the body of a pharaoh was preserved, his spirit would live on after death, so they mummified the body of Pharaoh Khufu and placed it in a burial chamber located in the center of the pyramid.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
In the sixth century B.C. The New Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the construction of marvelous gardens for his wife Amytis. Being a Median princess, she missed her homeland in dusty and noisy Babylon, which was famous for the aromas of numerous gardens and green flowering hills. The king wanted not only to please Amytis, but also to create a masterpiece that could glorify him.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are considered the second wonder of the world. There are chronicles that describe in great detail the gardens of the Babylonian king. According to the records found, the gardens were built around 600 BC. Ancient Babylon was located on the banks of the Euphrates River, south of modern Baghdad. Despite the fact that the idea of creating flowering gardens and green hills among the arid Babylonian plain was considered a pipe dream, the project of Nebuchadnezzar II nevertheless came to life.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were a four-tiered pyramid, the tiers of which were both terraces and balconies. The tiers were supported by powerful columns. Each of them was planted with unique plants (flowers, trees, grass and shrubs). Seeds and seedlings for gardens were brought from all over the world. Outwardly, the pyramid resembled a constantly blooming hill. A unique irrigation system was designed for the gardens. Around the clock, several hundred slaves turned wheels with buckets to supply the plants with water.
The Babylonian Gardens were truly an oasis in hot and stuffy Babylon. For some unknown reason, Queen Amytis began to be called by the name of the Assyrian queen, Semiramis, and therefore the amazing gardens of Babylon were also called the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis.
In the 9th century BC, Alexander the Great was so captivated by the splendor of the gardens of Babylon that he placed his residence in the palace. He loved to relax in the shade of the gardens and remember his native Macedonia. When the city fell into decay, there was no one to supply water to the gardens, all the plants died, and numerous earthquakes completely destroyed the palace. Babylon disappeared along with one of the most beautiful objects antiquity - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.
The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was created on the initiative and financing of Alexander the Great. Interior decoration The temple was magnificent: beautiful statues and stunning paintings created by the best artists and architects of that time. But the history of this temple began long before that. In 560 BC. King Croesus of Lydia (considered the richest ruler of that time) built a majestic temple in the city of Ephesus in honor of the moon goddess Artemis, who was considered the patroness of young girls and animals. The temple was built from local building materials - marble and limestone, mined in the nearby mountains. The main feature of the temple was the giant marble columns in the amount of 120 pieces. In the center of the temple stood a statue of the goddess Artemis. This temple was larger than the then famous Athenian temple, the Parthenon. It stood for two hundred years and in 356 BC. the temple was completely burned. According to history, Herostat set it on fire, thus dreaming of becoming famous for centuries. An interesting coincidence - the temple was burned on the day when Alexander the Great was born. Years have passed. Alexander the Great visited Ephesus and ordered the temple to be restored. The temple built by Alexander lasted until the 3rd century AD. The city was dying, the bay of Ephesus was covered with silt. The temple was plundered by the Goths and was inundated by numerous floods. Today, only a few blocks and one restored column can be seen on the site of the temple.
Halicarnassus Mausoleum.
Mausolus, the ruler of Caria, managed to achieve power and acquire significant wealth. Caria was then part of the Persian Empire, and the city of Halicarnassus became its capital. He decided to build a tomb for himself and his queen. But, as he dreamed, the tomb should be unusual - it should become a monument to his wealth and power. Mavsol himself did not live to see the completion of this majestic object, but his widow continued to supervise the construction. The tomb was completed in 350 BC. and they named it after the king - Mausoleum. Later, this name began to be given to majestic and impressive tombs.
The mausoleum in Halicarnassus was a rectangle measuring 75x66 meters and 46 meters high. The ashes of the reigning couple were kept in golden urns located in the tomb of the Mausoleum. Several stone lions guarded this room. Above the tomb itself stood a majestic temple, surrounded by statues and columns. A step pyramid was erected on top of the building. And the whole complex was crowned with a sculptural image of a chariot, which was ruled by the reigning couple. After 18 centuries powerful earthquake destroyed the Mausoleum to the ground. In 1489, the ruins of the majestic tomb were used by Christian knights to build their castle. The tomb itself was mercilessly plundered by looters. Currently, parts of the foundation of the Mausoleum, reliefs and statues that were found during excavations are in the British Museum in London.
The Colossus of Rhodes.
The fifth wonder of the ancient world is the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes. Giant statue stood in port city on the island of Rhodes. The inhabitants of Rhodes considered themselves independent traders and tried not to interfere in other people's military conflicts, but they could not avoid the fact that they themselves were repeatedly conquered. In the 4th century, the people of Rhodes managed to defend their city from the invasion of the warlike Greeks. To commemorate this victory, they decided to build a statue of the sun god Helios. The exact location and type of the statue remained unknown to us; from the chronicles it only follows that it was made of bronze and reached a height of thirty-three meters. To make it stable, its hollow shell was filled with stones during construction. It took 12 years to build! In 280 BC. The colossus rose to its full height over the bay of Rhodes. After 50 years, a strong earthquake occurred, and the Colossus collapsed, breaking at the knee level. The local oracle demanded that the statue not be restored. For 900 years, every visitor to Rhodes could look at the statue of the defeated god. In 654 AD. The Syrian prince, who captured the island, removed all the bronze plates from the statue and took them to Syria.
Alexandrian lighthouse.
In the 3rd century BC. On the island of Foros, not far from the shore of the Alexandrian bay, a lighthouse was built to help ships passing through the reefs on the way to the port of Alexandria. The lighthouse was 117 meters high and consisted of three massive marble towers. At the top of one of the towers stood a statue of Zeus. At night the lighthouse reflected the flames, and during the day a column of smoke rose above it. The lighthouse required a large amount of fuel to operate. The tree was brought to the lighthouse by numerous mules and horses. Bronze plates were used instead of mirrors to direct light into the sea. The Foros lighthouse stood for 1500 years and was destroyed by an earthquake. The Muslims built their military fort on the ruins of the lighthouse. This military facility still stands on the site of the Faros lighthouse.
Olympic statue of Zeus.
Three thousand years ago, Olympia was the religious center of Greece. At that time, the most revered Greek deity was the king of the gods - Zeus. Celebrations were held regularly, including sports competitions. It is believed that the first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. After this, competitions were held every four years for 1100 years. During the games, all wars were stopped to allow the participants to arrive at the competition site. The citizens of Olympia decided to build a majestic temple dedicated to Zeus in the city. It took ten years to build it. There was supposed to be a statue of Zeus in the temple. The sculptor Phidias and his assistants first created a wooden frame for the sculpture, then covered it with ivory plates, while the god’s clothes were made of gold sheets. Despite the huge number of details that made up the sculpture, it looked like a monolithic figure. Zeus sat majestically on a throne decorated precious stones and inlaid with ebony. The statue reached a height of 13 meters, reaching the ceiling of the temple. For 800 years after its creation, the statue of Zeus at Olympia was the seventh wonder of the world. The Roman Emperor Caligula wanted the statue to be moved to Rome. According to legend, when the workers sent by the emperor arrived, the statue burst into loud laughter and the workers fled in fear. In 391 AD the Romans banned Olympic Games and closed all the Greek temples. A few years later, the statue of Zeus was transported to Constantinople. In 462 AD. the palace where the statue was located burned down. The Temple at Olympia was destroyed by an earthquake. Humanity has lost one of its wonders - the statue of Zeus at Olympia.
We can only hope that someday world technology will reach such a level that it will be able to recreate the seven wonders of the ancient world. And this will truly be a tribute to the memory of generations of talented architects of antiquity, who created architectural masterpieces that have no equal in the modern world.