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The Statue of Zeus towered at almost 12 metres (39 feet) high (Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images)
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Recent estimates suggest that it took around 14 years to transport and place the 2.3 million stone blocks. The years have seen the outer layer of limestone erode – cutting almost eight metres (27 feet) off the height – but the pyramid remains one of the most extraordinary sights on the planet. Its original height of 146.5 metres (481 feet) made the pyramid the tallest human-made structure in the world until Lincoln Cathedral eclipsed it in the 14th century.
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Get a room full of people to name the Seven Wonders and most would name the Great Pyramid of Giza first. How the Pyramids of Giza were built remains a subject of debate – but it almost certainly wasn’t built by slaves (Photo by Sipley/ClassicStock/Getty Images) And another question about the Seven Wonders, considering all but one are long lost or destroyed, may be – what exactly are they?
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This may be as it was the number of the five known planets at the time, plus the Sun and Moon. The Greeks chose this number as they believed it held spiritual significance, and represented perfection. What made their list relied on where they travelled and, of course, their personal opinion, so while we recognise the Lighthouse of Alexandria as a Wonder today, some left it out, favouring the Ishtar Gate of Babylon instead.īut why are there only seven? Despite a plethora of structures and statues in the ancient world worthy of inclusion, there have only ever been seven Wonders. The best-known versions come from the second-century-BC poet Antipater of Sidon, and mathematician Philo of Byzantium, but other names include Callimachus of Cyrene and the great historian Herodotus. The Seven Wonders we know today are an amalgamation of all the different lists from antiquity. They called the landmarks that bewildered and inspired them theamata (‘sights’), but this soon evolved to the grander name of thaumata – ‘wonders’. As Greek travellers explored the conquests of other civilisations, such as the Egyptians, Persians and Babylonians, they compiled early guidebooks of the most remarkable things to see, meant as recommendations for future tourists – which is why the Seven Wonders are all around the Mediterranean Rim.