The
Seven Wonders of the World or the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World refers to remarkable constructions of
classical antiquity listed by various authors in guidebooks popular among ancient
Hellenic tourists, particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. The most prominent of these, the versions by
Antipater of Sidon and an observer identified as
Philo of Byzantium, comprise seven works located around the eastern Mediterranean rim. The original list inspired
innumerable versions through the ages, often listing seven entries. Of the original Seven Wonders, only one—the
Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the ancient wonders—remains relatively intact. The
Colossus of Rhodes, the
Lighthouse of Alexandria, the
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the
Temple of Artemis and the
Statue of Zeus were all destroyed. The location and ultimate fate of the
Hanging Gardens are unknown, with speculation that they may not have existed at all.