7 Wonders of the World

Overview: Although it’s not an official title, of all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is the undisputed king. This could be because it was built so many centuries before the rest, in c.2650BC, or perhaps because it remained the tallest man made structure in the world for [...]

Overview: In ancient Babylon (known as Iraq today, not far from the city of Baghdad) the King Nebuchadnezzar had a dilemma on his hands. He had married Amyitis, who was the daughter of the King of Medes, in order to bring both of their nations together. Yet Amyitis was homesick for the fertile soils of [...]

Overview: In ancient Greece the Goddess of fertility Artemis (also known as Diana) was, quite simply, a big deal. The citizens of Ephesus – a city in Anatolia – worshiped her deeply and at around c.800BC the very first Temple of Artemis was built. Over the next three centuries the Temple of Artemis was destroyed [...]

Overview: Perhaps one of the oldest traditions still alive today is the Olympic Games. Just as they do now, the games were practiced once every four years in ancient Greece, but there were was one fundamental difference; the temple of the Gods that had to be present at each event. At around c. 470BC the [...]

Overview: In c. 377BC a man named Mausolus became ruler of Anatolia, a region in Western Asia, as he had inherited the land from his father, King Hecatomnus of Milas. Mausolus married his sister Artemisia (as was the tradition then; to keep power and wealth strictly within the family) and deemed Halicarnassus the capitol of [...]

Overview: The Pharos of Alexandria was a large tower, standing at around 330 feet tall, on the island of Pharos, Egypt. It was used primarily to both guide ships towards the island’s port and also to warn them of the dangerous sandbars just off the coast of Alexandria. Shortly after its construction the Pharos of [...]

Overview: The death of King Alexander the Great in c. 323BC was an unexpected one which meant that no plans had been set in stone for a successor. Arguments over who should rule the Greek Empire broke out between Antigonus and the two other generals, Ptolemy and Seleucus, with whom he had previously divided Rhodes. [...]