Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World

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Lighthouse at Alexandria The Lighthouse at Alexandria was built around the year 280 BCE. It stood around 400 feet tall and was one of the tallest man-made structures on earth for many centuries. It was the most powerful source of artificial light of the ancient world and its light could be seen 35 miles out at sea. There are legends that the beam of light was so powerful it could actually be used to incinerate enemy ships at sea. The lighthouse stood for nearly 1700 years before it was finally destroyed due to two earthquakes. Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes was built around the year 280 BCE. It is a huge statue of the sun god Helios and was built to commemorate the victory of the Rhodians over the Antagonids. It stood at over 110 feet tall and took 12 years to build. To give you an idea of how big it actually was here are some measurements. The ankle was 5 feet in width, the thigh 11 feet in width, and it is said that adults could barely stretch their arms all the way around one of the fingers. It was made of bronze and was the largest statue of the ancient world. It weighed in at around 225 tons. The statue lasted for only 56 years until it broke off at the knees during an earthquake. The ruins lay untouched for nearly 900 years and were still visited by thousands of people. After the Arabs invaded Rhodes in 654 AD, they sold the remnants of the statue for its bronze. Some scholars believe that some of the bronze is still around today, in one form or another. Mausoleum of Halicarnassus The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was built around the year 350 BCE. It was ordered to be built by Queen Artemisia in the memory of her husband, King Mausolus. Besides being lovers, they were also brother and sister. The mausoleum stood at approximately 148 feet in height. The reason the mausoleum was so remarkable is because of the 250 statues that adorned each

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