seven+wonders+of+the+ancient+world

=The seven wonders of the ancient world=



The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
=== The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was one of the Ancient 7 Wonders of the World. Was built between 370 and 350 B.C, This monumental tomb was dedicated to King Mausolus by Queen Artemisia II of Caria (his wife and sister). ===

=== The Mausoleum once stood some 50 meters (135 feet) high and was surrounded by 36 columns. It was designed by the Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius and four famous Grecian sculptors added an ornamental frieze (decorated band) around its exterior. === === The Mausoleum stood relatively intact until 1522 A.D., when it was ordered to be destroyed because it was an example of pagan art. The word mausoleum has come to be used generically for any grand tomb. ===

Colossus of Rhodes was built by its citizens to revere the sun god Helios. Constructed by the engineer Chares, the Colossus was completed in 280 B.C., after 12 years of work.
=== Ancient accounts describe the statue as being built around several stone columns on the interior; standing on a 15-meter-high (50 feet) white marble pedestal near the harbor entrance. The upper portions of the statue were built with the help of a large dirt ramp. === === Unfortunately, around 224 B.C., an earthquake caused the Colossus to crack at the knee and it collapsed into pieces. Even so, the statue was so admired that it was left lying in huge fragments for around 900 years. ===

=== In AD 654, an Arab force under Muawiyah I captured Rhodes, and, according to the chronicler Theophanes, the remains were sold to a traveling salesman. The purchaser had the statue broken down and transported the bronze scrap on the backs of 900 camels to Syria. ===