The Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World | 15 Question World Multiple Choice Quiz

Answer: The Lighthouse of Alexandria

In 332 B.C., Alexander The Great founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt. Although Alexander The Great started approximately seventeen other cities named Alexandria, the one in Egypt was the most prominent, and thrived even after the other cities with same name had disappeared.

When Alexander The Great died in 323 B.C., Ptolemy Soter became the new ruler of Egypt. Ptolemy made the city of Alexandria rich and prosperous, but he realized that it needed a symbol, something great, to guide the many trade ships in the busy harbor.

In 290 B.C., Ptolemy authorized the building of the Pharos, which is better known as The Lighthouse of Alexandria. In 270 B.C, the lighthouse was completed. The design was unlike the slim single column of most modern lighthouses, but more like the structure of an early twentieth century skyscraper.

There were three stages, each built on top of the lower. The building was constructed of marble blocks with lead mortar. The lowest level was probably more that 200 feet in height and 100 feet square, shaped like a massive box.

Inside this section was a large spiral ramp that allowed materials to be pulled to the top in horse-drawn carts. The last recorded time that the lighthouse was seen was around 1115 A.D., and in the report it was stated that the lighthouse was intact and operational. After standing tall for 1,500 years, the great lighthouse collapsed in 1326 after being damaged by earthquakes in 365 and 1303 A.D. For many years, no one knew what happened to this magnificent structure, until it was rediscovered in 1994 at the bottom of the sea. In 1994, scuba divers came across large underwater blocks of stone that, after some testing, revealed that it was indeed The Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Answer: The Colossus of Rhodes

In 332 B.C., Alexander the Great captured the city of Rhodes. When Alexander died, his kingdom was divided, and taken over by Ptolemy, Seleucus, and Antigous. The Rhodians wanted Ptolemy as their ruler, but this angered Antigous, who sent his son Demetrius, along with 40,000 men to destroy the city of Rhodes.

A strong, tall wall that forced the invaders to climb over it protected Rhodes. In the end, the Rhodians won this battle. When Demetrius tried to attack the city a year later, he was surprised to find an army of Egyptian ships protecting the city. Demetrius immediately withdrew. About 311 B.C., the Colossus of Rhodes was designed, although some historians claim that it was designed in 304. Chares of Lindos was a Rhodian sculptor, who started out making smaller versions of the Colossus of Rhodes. Chares used these smaller versions to create the skin of the masterpiece that was his great donation to the ancient world.

This great statue, which resembled the Statue of Liberty, was created for the same purpose, freedom.

Answer: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

In 355 B.C. Scopas of Pharos designed the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. This creation was to be his best creation ever built. The building is thought to be the first completely constructed of marble, and one of its most unusual features were 36 columns, whose lower portions were carved with figures.

The temple was also home to many works of art including, four bronze statues of Amazon women. The temple stood 425 feet and was 225 feet wide. It had 127 columns, that were 60 feet in height, supported the roof.

Many believe that since the great temple was built on a muddy-marsh, that it started to sink slowly into oblivion. There is a single column that has been constructed to remind visitors that once The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus stood in the very same place.

Answer: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

In 377 B.C., the city of Halicarnassus was the capitol of a small kingdom along the Mediterranean coast of Asia Minor. When Hecatomnus of Mylasa, died he left control of the kingdom to his son, Mausolus. Mausolus took for his wife, Artemisia. Artemisia was Mausolus' sister.

As was the custom kings were supposed to marry their sisters. In 353 B.C., when Mausolus died, Artemisia was so distraught, that she ordered the construction of The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus to be built. Artemisia spared no expense.

She sent forth messengers to Greece to commission the best sculptors and designers. The messengers brought back Scopas, who created The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Braxiest, Lechers and Timotheus, to construct this tribute to her beloved husband. Because of the construction and design of the mausoleum, it was known throughout the world, and was quickly considered a wonder of the ancient world. Queen Artemisia only lived two years longer than her husband.

The Queen's workers decided to stay and finish the tribute that Queen Artemisia had started.

The workers kept Queen Artemisia's body and that of her husband entombed elsewhere until the completion of the mausoleum, they felt as if they owed her something for her dedication to her husband. Today, we use mausoleums to honor our loved ones who have left this earth.

Answer: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

In 605 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon ordered the construction of The Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife Amyitis. Amyitis, the daughter of the King of Medes, wedded King Nebuchadnezzar to create peace between the two nations. Queen Amyitis was homesick for her beautiful green countryside, that King Nebuchadnezzar tried everything to cheer her up. According to the British Museum, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon consisted of vaulted terraces raised one above another, and resting upon cube-shaped pillars.

These are hollow and filled with earth to allow trees of the largest size to be planted. The pillars, the vaults, and terraces are constructed of baked brick and asphalt. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are considered to have been so beautiful that people came from miles around to see them and walk through them. I wonder if Queen Amyitis was happy with her garden that was built to resemble her homeland of Mesopotamia?

Answer: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

In ancient times the Greeks held one of their most important festivals, The Olympic Games, in honor of the King of their gods, Zeus. Like our Olympic games, athletes traveled from distant lands, including Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt and Sicily, to compete in the games.

The Olympics were first started in 776 B.C. and held at a shrine to Zeus located on the western coast of Greece in a region called Peloponnesus. The games, held every four years, helped to unify the Greek city-states. Sacred truce was declared during the games and wars were stopped. Safe passage was given to all traveling to the site, called Olympia, for the season of the games.

The original temple was falling down literally, and so in 470 B.C., Libon of Elis was commissioned to design and build The Temple of Zeus. Completion of the temple ended in 456 B.C.

In 455 B.C. Phidias, a famous Greek sculptor was sanctioned to build a tribute to The God of Olympus, Zeus. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia took approximately 18 years to complete. Phidias' great tribute to the beloved god measured in at 22 feet wide and 40 feet tall. Zeus' head touched the ceiling of the temple.

The impression of Zeus sitting is impressive, and leaves much to the imagination. It is believed that Phidias created the statue from a sitting position, so that when visitors to Zeus' temple tried to envision him standing, it would appear that he would pull the ceiling up and over his head.

Answer: The Great Pyramid of Egypt

Between 2613 and 2494 B.C., the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and all the pyramids that immediately surround it, was created. The Great Pyramid is 756 feet long on each side, 450 high and is composed of 2,300,000 blocks of stone, each averaging 2 and a half tons in weight.

It is known the Egyptians as The Great Pyramid of Khufu, and the Greeks also know it as The Great Pyramid of Cheops. It is located in Giza, Egypt. Herodotus of Halicanassus, a Greek traveler, visited Egypt around 450 B.C., and was so impressed by what he saw that he included a description of the Great Pyramid in a history book he wrote at the time. Egyptians told him that the pyramid was created in twenty years for a force of 100,000 slaves to erect.

Herodotus was also told that the blocks that made up the pyramid were lifted with the help of heavy machinery. Arab Caliph Abdullah Al Manum decided in 820 A.D. to excavate the massive pyramid in search of the pharaoh's treasure that was said to be inside. Manum was in such a rush to find the treasure, that he entered the pyramid the hard way, by digging.

He had bypassed the secret door. Only after hearing something fall inside, and while trying to escape the pyramid, did he find the hidden door. Manum is credited for discovering the Queen's Chamber and the Grand Gallery. Sadly, this ancient wonder is the only one left of the original seven.

Answer: Lighthouse of Alexandria

Sostrates of Knidos was extremely proud of his work, and wanted his name inscribed on the base of the Pharos. Ptolemy II, who became the ruler of Egypt after his father died, had ideas of his own. Ptolemy rejected Sostrates' request, because he wanted his own name on the masterpiece. Sostrates proved that he was smarter than the new ruler.

After inscribing 'Sostrates Son Of Dexiphanes Of Knidos On Behalf Of All Mariners To The Savior Gods', he covered these words with plaster, and then he placed Ptolemy's name in the plaster.

Many years later, after Ptolemy's death, the plaster began to chip away to reveal Sostrates' words.

Answer: The Colossus of Rhodes

It is believed that once the Rhodians refused the king's request, the god of Helios sent forth a great earthquake to bring this statue down. According to legend, when the Egyptians conquered Rhodes, they broke the remaining pieces of The Colossus of Rhodes into smaller pieces and sold them for scrap metal.

It is said that it took 900 camels to carry away the pieces of the statue. Every time we look at our 'Lady Of Liberty', we realize how much work, effort, and time was put into making The Colossus of Rhodes.

Answer: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

In 1863, The British Museum commissioned John Turtle Wood to excavate The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Wood met with many obstacles along his path including bandits, he was stabbed, and he fell off of a horse. His biggest obstacle however, was the British Museum, who year after year threatened to end the funding for this excavation. Around 1869, while his crew was digging in a muddy marsh, they found part of The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Upon more digging, they discovered that there was 5 temples built one on top of the other. Wood and his team found several artifacts from the temples and shipped them to the British Museum so that visitors from around the world could see them. Even today, the artifacts that were found that day draw a large crowd.

Answer: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Charles Thomas Newton was sent by the British Museum in 1846 to search for the lost ruins of The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Newton had a difficult job at hand, as he did not know exactly where to start looking for this lost wonder. Newton went back through all of the ancient writings about The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and discovered where the lost tribute was. Once he started to excavate the site, he had to be sure about the amount of land that the mausoleum covered, so that he would know the exact amount land that he had to purchase for the British Museum. Fortunately for Newton, he discovered a few walls, a staircase, and three corners of the foundation of the mausoleum. Newton then made his purchase and started the true excavation.

He found the chariot wheel, sections of the decorated walls, and the most important find, the statues of Mausolus and Artemisia that stood at the entrance to the mausoleum. Today in the mausoleum room of the British Museum the statues of Mausolus and Artemisia stand guard of the remaining pieces of the tribute that she built for her beloved husband.

Answer: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

In 1899, Robert Koldewey started to look for The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. He really did not have too much trouble trying to locate the spot, as the City of Babylon was well-known and recorded in ancient writings. Koldewy started digging for the Tower of Babel first, since he knew of the exact spot where it was supposed to have been.

After fourteen years of excavating, he found the stone foundation of the Tower of Babel. Still excavating in almost the same area, Koldewey came across a basement like foundation that contained fourteen rooms with high arched stone ceilings.

He also found the remains of the chain pump that was used to pull the water up to the top of the garden, so that it could be watered. Koldewey always believed that the garden was 400 feet wide, 400 feet long, and more than 80 feet high. What he found through his excavation was that the foundation in actuality was only 100 feet wide, 150 feet long, and approximately 90 feet high.

Much smaller than what it was thought to have been, but impressive nonetheless.

Answer: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

In 1829 a team of French scientists were looking to find not only the Temple of Zeus, but also The Statue of Zeus at Olympia. They were only able to find fragments of the statue of Hercules, and outlines of the great temple. However, they were not able to find The Statue of Zeus.

Then in 1875, German archaeologists began more excavation and discovered more fragments of the temple walls, a basement like room that contain a pit that once held oil for The Statue of Zeus. In the late 1950's American and British excavationists discovered what they believed was once Phidias' workshop, they found remnants of ancient tools, a pit for casting bronze, clay molds, modeling plaster and even a portion of one of the elephant's tusks which had supplied the ivory for the statue.

Many of the clay molds, which had been used to shape the gold plates, bore serial numbers that must have been used to show the place of the plates in the design. According to the findings by the Museum of Louvre in Paris, The Temple and The Statue of Zeus came to its untimely end around 462 A.D.

The Temple again had fallen to pieces without any repair and Emperor Theodosius I of Rome disassembled The Statue of Zeus, when he overpowered Olympia and put an end to the Olympic Games. The only thing that remains of this ancient wonder are the recordings in the ancient scripts and pieces of the Temple of Zeus that is on display.

Answer: The Great Pyramid of Egypt

Around 820 A.D., after Arab Caliph Abdullah Al Manum failed to find the pharaoh's hidden treasure, Arabs removed the white limestone casing that had protected the Great Pyramid for centuries. Some believe that this was done as an act of revenge against the pyramid.

The Arabs even tried to disassemble the mighty pyramid. They did, however, remove the top 30 feet of stone, but soon realized that it was an impossible task.

Answer: The Sphinx

About 2700 B.C., stoneworkers created The Sphinx, using the much softer stone known as bedrock. Masons sculpted the massive head in the likeness of Pharaoh Chephren, complete with royal headdress. Around 1400 B.C., The Sphinx was buried up to its neck in sand.

A prince on a hunt stopped to rest in the shadow of the Sphinx's head, and fell asleep. In a dream, the prince heard a voice, coming from the Sphinx, telling him that if he cleared away the sand that he would be made pharaoh ahead of his older brothers.

When the prince woke up, he vowed to keep his promise to the Sphinx. He completed the task shortly after ascending to the throne as Pharaoh Thutmose IV. All information can be found at www.unmuseum.org and Time Life's 'Mysteries of the Unknown' book 'Mystic Places'.