The Statue of Jupiter at Olympia was the work of the greatest sculptor of ancient Greece, Phidias by name, who was born about 490 B.C. This heroic figure was about forty-two feet high, and represented the god seated on a throne. It was made of ivory and gold.
The Pharos of Egypt was begun under Ptolemy I, and was finished by his son about 282 B.C. It was a lofty tower, built on the eastern extremity of the rocky island from which it took its name, and was the great lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor of Alexandria. The light was furnished by a beacon-fire on its summit. Its height was four hundred and fifty feet, and the light could be seen at a distance of one hundred miles.
The Palace of Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, is also mentioned as one of the wonders of the ancient world, though the preference is given to the Pharos of Egypt by the best authorities. This palace was cemented with gold.
The wonders of the Middle Ages seem quite modern compared with the marvels of the ancient world, long since crumbled into dust.
The Colosseum of Rome heads the later list. This was built by Vespasian, and dedicated by his son Titus, in 80 A.D. According to a document of the fourth century, this great amphitheater seated eighty-seven thousand persons, its dimensions being six hundred and seventeen by five hundred and twelve feet. It was the scene of the bloody sports in which the Romans delighted, and of the martyrdom of many of the early Christians.
The Catacombs of Rome, the earliest burial places of the Christians, are outside the city walls, within a radius of three miles; they were excavated wherever the soil was suitable for such tunneling, but were not secretly made, as the old tradition would have us believe. Their length has been estimated variously at from three hundred and fifty to eight hundred miles, and the number of dead which they contain is from six to seven millions.
The Great Wall of China was built by the founder of the Tsin dynasty, in 256 B.C. Its length was once more than one thousand two hundred and fifty miles, and it is the largest defensive work in the world, being thirty-five feet high and twenty-one feet thick. It follows an irregular course, marking the northern boundary of the empire, and is not deflected by natural obstacles. There are towers at frequent intervals, presumably for lookout.
Stonehenge is the most remarkable example of the ancient stone circles and stands, a magnificent ruin, on Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire, southern England. It is at least as early as the Bronze Age, according to the most modern research, and that was from 2000 to 1800 B.C. From the arrangement of the stones with reference to the sun, It is believed to have had some connection with sun worship.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most remarkable of these slanting campaniles, though not by any means the only one. It was begun in 1174 and finished in 1350. Its height is one hundred and eighty-one feet, and it is fifty-one and a half feet in diameter at the base. It inclines thirteen feet eight inches toward the south. The opinion prevails now that the slant is intentional in all these leaning towers, though the reason for it is not clear.
The Porcelain Tower of Nanking, which was erected early in the fifteenth century, was an octagonal structure, faced with variegated porcelain. Lamps and bells were hung from it. It was destroyed by the Taipings in 1853, but many miniatures of it are in existence in various parts of the world.