The Seven Wonders

Can you name

the 5 flaws of the

ancient 7 wonder list?

This seven wonders article on the flaws was researched and written by Howard Hillman, the world's leading authority on travel wonders. He traveled to all the seven wonder locations.

Flaw 1

The ancient seven wonders cover less than 5% of the world's surface - and reside in a nucleus of only 4 countries.

Flaw 2

The ancient Seven Wonders of the World list is Greek-centric. Six of the seven wonders were built or inspired by Grecian culture.

Flaw 3

The Colosseum of Rome and nearly all other standing structures that we regard today as ancient and great wonders were still unbuilt when the original list was conceived.

Flaw 4

When the list was composed (likely in Alexandria, Egypt in the 2nd century BC), all seven wonders were indeed wondrous. But today, only the Pyramid of Khufu is recognizable. Time was unkind to the other six. Little if anything remains of them.

Flaw 5

Natural wonders were ignored by the ancient 7 wonder list.

Despite its 5 flaws, the

ancient seven wonders

list will always be

close to my heart

It excited me as a boy with such zeal that I dreamed of someday making an adventure trip to all seven locations. Years later, my travel wish came true. I will always consider the list venerable and historically important. It kindles the wanderlust in all of us.

Seven wonders

locator map

Shown on modern day map

Interesting tidbits

about the ancient

Seven Wonders

of the World

No one knows today what six of the ancient seven wonders looked like. All the paintings and drawings we see today stem from the imaginations of artists who lived long after those six wonders perished. The ones I use on my web pages for the seven individual wonders are perhaps the best. Lowell Thomas, who I knew and admired, personally gave them to me in the form of literature promoting his 1956 "Seven Wonders of the World" Cinerama movie.

No one knows for certain who created the ancient list that we accept to today as the "official" version. Various scholars have nominated different creators. Some experts speculate that it was occasionally bastardized - perhaps as recently as the Middle Ages.

The oldest known reference to a 7 wonder listing was written in the 5th century BC by Herodotus, the famous Greek historian. This was two centuries before the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria were built.

Likely some lists were kept in the Library of Alexandria, the world's greatest repository of important ancient manuscripts. Sadly, in 48 BC, a devastating fire in Alexandria caused by Julius Caesar inadvertently spread to the library, and destroyed it. The library's nearly half million irreplaceable scrolls documenting ancient history were lost to mankind forever.

Two of the ancient seven wonders are royal tombs (Pyramid of Khufu and Mausoleum at Halicarnassus). Two involve Greek temples (Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus, which was the focal point of the Temple of Zeus). Two relate to Mediterranean harbors (Colossus of Rhodes and Lighthouse of Alexandria). The Hanging Gardens of Babylon stand alone.

Only the Lighthouse of Alexandria served a practical public function. It guided mariners safely into the harbor.

The ancient Seven Wonders were built over a period spanning 23 centuries. Chronological list (creation dates are italicized):

1. Pyramids of Khufu

26th century BC

2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

6th century BC

3. Temple of Artemis

6th century BC

4. Statue of Zeus

5th century BC

5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

4th century BC

6. Colossus of Rhodes

3rd century BC

7. Lighthouse of Alexandria

3rd century BC

The Pyramid of Khufu has lasted nearly 100 times as long as did the Colossus of Rhodes. And, it has survived almost as many centuries (46) as the other six combined (52). Below are the longevity rankings (known and estimated life spans are italicized):

1. Pyramids of Khufu

46 centuries (and counting)

2. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

17 centuries

3. Lighthouse of Alexandria

16 centuries

4. Statue of Zeus

9 centuries

5. Temple of Artemis

8 centuries

6. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

1 century

7. Colossus of Rhodes

½ century

Earthquakes helped destroy the majority of the ancient seven wonders. The four victims are the Colossus of Rhodes, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and Temple of Artemis. The three exceptions are the Statue of Zeus (by fire), Hanging Gardens of Babylon (by water damage and brick deterioration) and Pyramid of Khufu (still going strong).

Suppose all of the ancient seven wonders were around today in their prime conditions. Which would you as a traveler like to see most? Here's the consensus rankings based on my interviews with seasoned world travelers who are well-versed on the ancient 7 wonders:

1. Pyramid of Khufu

2. Temple of Artemis

3. Colossus of Rhodes

4. Lighthouse of Alexandria

5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

6. Statue of Zeus

7. Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Chances are you will not agree with the above wish-to-see rankings. That's expected. Mathematically, there are 5,040 different ways to arrange the list of 7 wonders and each permutation has its own thoughtful adherents. I would enjoy reading your personal rankings (and the reasons behind them). Click the round green "email me your opinion" button at the bottom of this page.

Interested in learning more about a particular 7-wonder selection? Click its round green button below to view its picture and description.

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