The Seven Wonders of the World

The Seven Wonders of the World comprise the greatest feats of ancient technology, architecture, and art as seen by Greek and Roman authors. The list has changed only slightly since it first appeared (c.130 ©) in a poem by Antipater of Sidon in the Greek Anthology. He praises the pyramids of Egypt, the Walls and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Colossus of Rhodes.

The engineer Philo of Byzantium (fl. 146 BC) is said to have written the work entitled Peri ton hepta theamiton (Concerning the Seven Wonders of the World), although it may actually date from the Roman Empire. In his enumeration of the monuments the Pharos of Alexandria replaces the Walls of Babylon, which various later writers have listed together with the Hanging Gardens. Among other authors who described the seven wonders were Herodotus (5th century BC), Diodorus (1st century BC), and Strabo and Pliny the Elder (both 1st century AD.). The Pergamum Altar has also been included as one of the wonders. All those cited were visited during the Hellenistic Age (323-149 BC) and remained the most famous attractions of the Roman world. They can be reconstructed from archaeological evidence.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The fortress of Sacsahuaman

The fortress of Sacsahuaman was built by the Inca in the 15th century on a hill northwest of their capital at Cuzco, in Peru. The fortress takes the form of a series of zigzag retaining walls built of huge stones, some weighing several tons. Such fortresses, called pucaras, were frequently built above population centers in the Andes to serve as refuges for the populace in case of attack. Spanish sources suggest that Sacsahuaman was also an important storage center, and it may have had religious significance as well. Construction is usually attributed to the ruler Pachacuti, but it is unlikely that the huge fortress was completed in a single reign.

The Seven Wonders of the World

"The Best Result Page using FireFox Browser"

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The fortress of Sacsahuaman

No comments:

Wonder Worlds Tag

Reference Book