Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
A traditional Greek list of seven celebrated monuments in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East, assembled from different periods and regions.
Great Pyramid of Giza: The largest Egyptian pyramid, built as the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu during the Fourth Dynasty. The only Wonder still substantially standing, it was already ancient when Greek writers compiled their list.
Antipater of Sidon: A Greek epigrammatist of the Hellenistic period, known for poems describing famous monuments. His surviving poem is the best-known early list of wonders.
Ancient Greek literature: The body of poetry, drama, history, philosophy, and other writing produced in ancient Greek. The surviving wonder lists belong to a broader literary tradition of describing memorable places.
New Seven Wonders of the World: A modern list of seven landmarks selected by a global public poll organized by the New7Wonders Foundation. Its modern selection echoes the ancient list while using different criteria and a global scope.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon: A legendary terraced garden traditionally said to have stood in Babylon, though its existence and location remain disputed. Its uncertain historical basis makes it the list’s most enigmatic entry.
Philo of Byzantium: A Greek engineer and writer traditionally credited with a short treatise on the Seven Wonders. His work shows how the list circulated as a subject of literary description.
Ancient Greek travel literature: Greek writing that records journeys, places, customs, and noteworthy sights. Descriptions of distant monuments helped make them famous beyond their home regions.
Seven Wonders of the Medieval World: A later, variable list of remarkable structures associated with the medieval world. It extends the practice of organizing celebrated monuments into a set of seven.
Temple of Artemis: A monumental sanctuary of Artemis at Ephesus, rebuilt several times in antiquity. Its scale and repeated destruction and rebuilding made it a celebrated wonder.
Diodorus Siculus: A Greek historian of the first century BCE who wrote a universal history, the Bibliotheca historica. His account preserves ancient descriptions of several monuments later grouped among the Wonders.