What the ‘Seven Wonders of the Ancient World’ Would Look Like Today

For close to 4,000 years, the Pyramid of Giza was the tallest known man-made, well, anything. The other six wonders of the world are mostly in ruins. Even though some have been rebuilt over the years, all six of the others were eventually torn down by time, wars, and natural disasters.

Why does it matter what they might have looked like? Because historians and archaeologists are still trying to figure out how the ancient peoples constructed them. The project, spearheaded by NeoMam Studios, with the help of architectural, and historical experts, and commissioned by Budget Direct, was able to re-create what the Seven Wonders might have looked like today – and what we think they looked like in their time – had they not been torn down by various means.

Their researchers took various things into account, including building materials from the time the Wonders were constructed, historical descriptions, location, and measurements, among other available data. From that data and using current geographical settings to display 3D renderings of the Wonders, architectural designers were able to “re-create” what the Wonders might have looked like then, and today if they’d survived the ravages of time.

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

This is one of the Seven Wonders that was torn down and rebuilt at least three times over seven centuries. While it is in ruins today, it remains as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Arson led to its first destruction, as Herostratus destroyed it searching for fame, and notoriety. While raiding the city, the Goths tore it down a second time, and Christians tore it down a third, although the Christians at least left a single column, which still stands today.

Lighthouse of Alexandria

Located in Egypt at the Eastern Harbor of Alexandria, the Lighthouse of Alexandria is estimated to have been built between 284 and 246 B.C.E. and was discovered in 1904. Built by Sostratus of Cnidus, the lighthouse featured a spiral staircase that led to the tower, which some historians say stood about 443 feet tall. Said to be “one of the tallest human-made structures in the world,” the Lighthouse also featured:

“…A burning fire atop a cylindrical tower, atop an octagonal middle, atop a square base.”

The Lighthouse fell into ruins sometime between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, after which Mamlūk sultan Qāʾit Bāy built a fort on top of them.

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Hanging Gardens of Babylon

While certifiably one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, no one really knows if the Hanging Gardens of Babylon actually existed in “real life,” as no one actually knows where they stood. According to reports:

“There are no Babylonian texts that mention the gardens, nor any definitive archaeological evidence. This has led some to argue they were just the figment of an ancient travel writer’s imagination.”

Regardless, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are still considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Why? Because the ancient scholars of Babylon – whom we know for a fact existed — presume that if the Gardens did exist. They used complex “machinery” to bring water to the gardens, which were about 65 feet tall and constructed to imitate mountain terrain. This is what they might look like today.

Great Pyramid of Giza: The Only One of the Seven Wonders Still Standing

The only “Wonder” of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to still stand to this day, the Pyramid of Giza is a sight to behold. Dated to about 4,500 years old, those who built Giza did so with blocks of Limestone and Granite that weighed up to 15 tons a piece.

Completed around 2,560 B.C.E., it was only outdone by the Lincoln Cathedral in height around 1,310 C.E. (formerly known as “Anno Domini,” or A.D.).

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The Americas get the name “mausoleum” for its monuments built to bury its dead above ground from this great Wonder of the Ancient World. Built for Mausolus, the governor who ruled Caria of Asia Minor, this Ancient Wonder “became the generic word for large funeral monuments.”

Earthquakes finally overtook the Mausoleum sometime between the twelfth to fifteenth centuries.

Colossus of Rhodes

A bronze statue standing about 100 feet tall over the Mandraki Harbor, the Colossus of Rhodes allowed ships to pass while showing outsiders “who was boss.”

Said to be a statue of the Sun God Helios, the statue was said to be made using the “shields of the Cypriot Army,” an army that Rhodes “vanquished.” Sadly, however, an earthquake took the statue to its knees, toppling it less than 100 years after it was built.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Zeus is probably one of the most infamous of the Greek Gods from Greek Mythology. The father of Hercules, Zeus is said to have been all-powerful — the God of Gods. Covered in gold and ivory, the Zeus statue stood 43 feet tall and was located at the Temple of Zeus, built by the Eleans.

The Eleans are well-known for having started the Olympic Games around 400 B.C.E. Sadly, it is recorded that a fire destroyed the Statue of Zeus completely in Constantinople.

Featured Image: Screenshot via Budget Direct