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 Forums Science, History and the Unknown Ancient Civilizations The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
   
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TOPIC: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World | |
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Listing 1 to 5 of 5 Replies PAGES: 1 | |
| Shallandra |  The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
   Member Since: January 2005  RK: 11 MP: 4,650    | Sunday December 18, 2005 2:45 PM It seems to me there aren't many Wonders left in this world - things that just make us stand in awe at their beauty, construction, form, or the fact that they even exist. Below is a list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancinet World (you can click on the link and see an image as well as more detailed information on each).If you were given the opportunity to choose one of the wonders to see, which would you choose? Would you want to see it while it was being contstructed? Or after it was completed? The Great Pyramid of Giza It is the one and only Wonder which does not require a description by early historians and poets. It is the one and only Wonder that does not need speculations concerning its appearance, size, and shape. It is the oldest, yet it is the only surviving of the Seven Ancient Wonders. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon Fruits and flowers... Waterfalls... Gardens hanging from the palace terraces... Exotic animals... This is the picture of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in most people's minds. It may be surprising to know that they might have never existed except in the minds of Greek poets and historians! The Statue of Zeus at Olympia This is the statue of the god in whose honor the Ancient Olympic games were held. It was located on the land that gave its very name to the Olympics. At the time of the games, wars stopped, and athletes came from Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Sicily to celebrate the Olympics and to worship their king of gods: Zeus. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Is it simply a temple? How could it take its place among other unique structures such as the Pyramid, the Hanging Gardens, and the Colossus of Rhodes? For the people who actually visited it, the answer was simple. It was not just a temple... It was the most beautiful structure on earth... It was built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting, wild nature, and fertility. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Similar to the Great Pyramid, we are now visiting the burial place of an ancient king. Yet the Mausoleum is different - so different from the Pyramid that it earned its reputation - and a spot within the list - for other reasons. Geographically, it is closer to the Temple of Artemis... And it was the beauty of the tomb rather than its size that fascinated its visitors for years. The Colossus of Rhodes From its building to its destruction lies a time span of merely 56 years. Yet the colossus earned a place in the famous list of Wonders. "But even lying on the ground, it is a marvel", said Pliny the Elder. The Colossus of Rhodes was not only a gigantic statue. It was rather a symbol of unity of the people who inhabited that beautiful Mediterranean island -- Rhodes. The Lighthouse of Alexandria Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only one had a practical use in addition to its architectural elegance: The Lighthouse of Alexandria. For sailors, it ensured a safe return to the Great Harbor. For architects, it meant even more: it was the tallest building on Earth. And for scientists, it was the mysterious mirror that fascinated them most... The mirror which reflection could be seen more than 50 km (35 miles) off-shore.  "If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." ~ Mario Andretti "Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet." ~ Chinese Proverb "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." ~ G.K. Chesterton |
| Damien |  RE: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
    Member Since: July 2002  RK: 16 MP: 10,266 | Sunday December 18, 2005 3:36 PM Hanging Gardens of Babylon.. definitely.Mostly because I don't think there's anything overly 'wondrous' about a really big statue, or a pretty building. Those types of things tend to be wonders of the world not for their beauty or intrigue, but because they were created with some unknown architectural technology or previously unheard-of skill with math.. or something. But you have to know these things to appreciate them.. otherwise.. they're nothing overly special. But the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.. now that would be something to see. It's not just a dried up stone or a pointy tomb... it's a merging of function, beauty, and architecture that I am, to this day, saddened that the world can no longer bear witness to. American by birth. Anti-Christ by choice. "My god has a bigger dick than your god." "Tolerance is the policy of those men who no longer believe in anything." |
| Insano | RE: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
 Member Since: May 2000  RK: 9 MP: 2,517  | Tuesday January 10, 2006 7:50 AM The Colossus would be my personal choice to see. Parts of it are still visable, although they are under some serious water. As Damien said though, all that it signifies is the amount of mathmatical skills the Rhodesians had (or lack thereof.)Anyways, not to sidetrack this topic before it really gets going, but I read in the paper over this holiday season that an American firm is currently working on a list of 7 wonders of the modern world. The list has been refined for nearly a decade and will be released on Jan 1st 2008. Unfortunitly my local "wonder" the CN Tower will not be included because the Eifel Tower made the cut. Among the other candidates are... The Staue of Liberty, The Great Wall of China, The Roman Coloseum and The Kremlin. My thoughts on this idea.... Sounds like a retarded way to make a TV show. This Major Tom to Ground Control, I'm stepping through the door. And I'm floating in a most peculiar way, and the stars look very different today. For here am I sitting in a tin can, far above the world. Planet Earth is blue, and there is nothing I can do. David Bowie - Space Oddity |
| Novaximus | RE: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
  Member Since: June 2001  RK: 13 MP: 6,622 | Tuesday January 10, 2006 8:21 AM I hope the Hubble Space Telescope or the Space Station makes that list. I think the fact that we've got things in outer space is a huge credit towards our modern world. ± Sometimes to become great one must become small ± |
| LibraRabbit | RE: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World |
  Member Since: January 2005  RK: 6 MP: 1,252  | Saturday January 14, 2006 11:38 PM I'd have to say the Temple of Artemis. It sounds like it would have been truely Aw inspiring. Then again I'd love to have seen all the ancient temples in their true forms. Not recreated sketches or CG images of what they might have looked like."The road to peace is paved with tolerance" |
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