The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Containing information and history about each of the seven Ancient Wonders, this volume features particularly detailed stories about the Lighthouse of Alexandria. For centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the tallest man-made structure on the planet. Measuring in at about 420 feet (128 meters), the edifice was certainly worthy of a spot on the list of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Built sometime between 280 and 247 BC, the lighthouse was placed on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt. Pharos was a small island near the key port city of Alexandria. Legend mentioned that the people of the island were vicious pillagers who would destroy any ships that wrecked off its coast. Fearful of this problem, Ptolemy I had the lighthouse built to guide mariners sailing into port at night. The tower was constructed from colored stones held together by molten lead. Statues of Triton, the messenger of the Big Sea, were placed on each of the four corners of its base. Additionally, a statue of Poseidon, the god of the Sea, was positioned at the top of the lighthouse. Like each of the Ancient Wonders (aside from the Great Pyramid of Giza), the Lighthouse of Alexandria was destroyed. Badly damaged by earthquakes in 956, 1303 and 1323, the structure continued to wash away into the ocean until the top of the tower was swallowed completely in 1480. Today, historians and archaeologists continue to search the bottom of the ocean and the island of Pharos for pieces of the ancient structure. Mentions of the Wonder can be found in Julius Caesar’s war accounts and even in CGI representations in recent films like Asterix & Obelix and Agora. While the lighthouse has been gone for over 500 years, it continues to mystify scholars and fascinate those who hear its story.