Reimagining the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

What do the Alexandria Harbour, Hillah Iraq and the northern tip of Rhodes all have in common? They are all supposed locations for one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. These seven mysterious works of architectural beauty include the Lighthouse of Alexandria, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Colossus of Rhodes, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Great Pyramid of Giza. The landmarks continue to capture the imaginations of people across the world and serve as a reminder of the ingenuity, imagination and sheer hard work of that human beings are capable of.

Sadly, only one of these captivating landmarks exists today, the Great Pyramid of Giza. Built sometime between 2700 BC and 2500 BC the site is found just outside Cairo, Eygpt, and was for a long time the tallest building in the world.

While the image of the Great Pyramid of Giza has become an icon across the world, the other Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are far less recognisable. Take the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the giant man-made structure located in an Egyptian harbour on the Mediterranean Sea. The lighthouse, which was made from white marble and stood at an estimated 137 metres, was built between 280-247 BC but was damaged over the years from earthquakes and no longer exists.

Fortunately, the lighthouse was dramatically described by the Greek poet Posidippus, who wrote, "This tower, in a straight and upright line, appears to cleave the sky from countless stadiums away, during the day, but throughout the night quickly a sailor on the waves will see a great fire blazing from its summit."