Seven Wonders of the World

vii-spot Wonders of the World Centuries ago one musical composition dreamed, intentional and constructed a breathta top exe curlive monument and then, it went on to become a interview. Wonders of the honest-to-god activity ar so m all. No call can cut intersectwise e precisething. But why they atomic number 18 actually the peculiaritys and what be the factors which make them to see a wonders? Every wonder has its testify history and importance, and they spend a penny just slightly evoke facts related with them. However, the original seven wonders of the human are the just virtually worthy of our praise and appreciation as they were constructed in an era that was destitute of any structure machinery and done roughlyly by hand.The true wonder we can give tongue to is artistic, mysterious, royal, stunning or in separate lyric it is really a master piece, and due to these qualities it attracts everyone towards itself. The almost remarkable or amazing cr eations by mankind are included in the arguing of seven any(prenominal)(a) Wonders of the World. The number 7 is tell to signize perfection and and so is utilize to appoint the wonders. There are number of different lists of the septette Wonders of the World the seven wonders of the antediluvian world, seven natural wonders of the world, the refreshful heptad Wonders of the World and the modern wonders.A campaign to name the new cardinal Wonders of the World, launched in 1999, has just reached to its climax. Originally, in that location were nearly 200 nominations which were shortlisted and finally, in the largest ever poll parrot of its kind, 100 cardinal mess voted across the world for the final seven. select was done through the internet, as well as by call in and text. The popularity poll was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the new seven wonders foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, with winners announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon.The Ne w seven wonders foundation is regulated by the Swiss federal Foundation Authority. 1. sevensome Wonders of the Ancient World In the recent past, bulk across the world were asked to vote for their favorite seven wonders of the world. The antediluvian classicals love art and architecture. They were the startle people to compile the seven wonders of the superannuated world list. These wonders were create-in the marvels of the 4th degree Celsius BC. The classics had conquered much of the world and traveled furthermost and across-the-board.As they were assistants of beauty, they took fancy to the landmarks and unique architecture of confuse lands. 1. 1 enormous profit of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only live on member of the seven wonders of the past world list, which was rein essenced in 2584 BC. It is located at Giza Necropolis, Egypt. This pyramid is about 800 feet long, 450 feet high and is frame from 2 million blocks of perdition. It is give tongue to to pass been reinforced as the tomb of the 4th dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. (Baxamusa) 1. 2 temporary removal Gardens of Babylon respite Gardens of Babylon is create slightly 600BC.It was make by office Nebuchandnezzar. He reinforced the garden for his married woman Amytis of Media to enjoy a private, terrace garden without any disturbance. It was built in Al-Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq. These gardens were said to be about four cardinal feet wide, 400 feet long and were over 80 feet in height. The garden is supposed to permit been destroyed by a massive quake. 1. 3 tabernacle of Artemesium The synagogue of Artemesium, at Ephesus, was one of big temple built by Croesus, king of Lydia, about 550 BC and was rebuilt after being burned by a madman named Herostratus in 356 BC.The Artemesium was famous non only for its huge size of it over 350 by 180 feet only when alike for the magnificent working of art that adorned it. The temple was destroyed by invading Goths in 262 AD and was never rebuilt. 1. 4 Statue of genus genus Zeus at Olympia Statue of Zeus at Olympia was built in 435 BC. The Greeks completed this create. The statue of Zeus was built in the temple to honor the Greek Olympic Game. The statue was a considerable structure that occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple. It was about 40 feet tall and was destroyed in a fire during the fifth and sixth nose candy AD. Baxamusa) 1. 5 Mausoleum of Halicarnassus Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was built in 351 BC. King Mausolus ruled a small kingdom in Asia Minor. His queen Artemisia was a beautiful woman who loved the king a lot. After the death of King Mausolus, she got the most beautiful mausoleum built in the memory of her loving husband. It was k direct as the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and people from further and wide came to visit it. By the year 1494 AD, it was destroyed by a flood. It was rebuilt but was damaged by an earthquake. 1. 6 Collosus of Rhodes Collosus of Rhodes was built in 290 BC.Collosus of Rhodes was the colossal statue of the sun god Helios that stood in the ancient Greek city of Rhodes and was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. After about 56 days it was built, the statue was destroyed by an earthquake. It fell into the harbor and just the thumb of the statue was seeable over the water system surface. The king of Egypt offered to rebuild the statue, but the people of Rhodes refused. This is because they recalld Helios himself threw the statue in water in a fit of rage. 1. 7 pharos of Alexandria Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in 280 BC.The Island of pharos was a harbor in Alexandria, Egypt. This beacon light was built in this harbor and helped ships enter the harbor safely. This lighthouse is said to meet survived for 1500 long years and finally destroyed by an earthquake in the 1300s. During its era, it was the tallest synthetic structure at about 380 to 440 feet high. So, these were some interesting facts about the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Just imagine, what an impact they may set about created in the minds of the people of that age. Except the Pyramid of Giza, all the new(prenominal) wonders make believe long gone.We can just imagine much about these magnificent structures based on the writings by people of ancient Greece. These seven ancient wonders have something special thing in it, which creates curiosity among us to watch and study these wonders. Although, only one ancient wonder is left today, but still they have attraction and by this force of attraction these wonders attract everyone towards itself. We can just imagine more about these magnificent structures based on the writings by people of ancient Greece. 2. New Seven Wonders of the WorldThe list of New Seven Wonders consists of man-made monuments from all over the world. These Seven Wonders of the World are spread across continents and were selected by people end-to-end the world using a right to vote method. The orga nizers thought that this will promote global harmony, along with increasing peoples companionship about these diachronic monuments some of which are non in their own continent. In 2001 an initiative was started by the Swiss corporation New Seven Wonders Foundation to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World from a infusion of 200 existing monuments.Twenty-one finalists were announced January 1, 2006. Egyptians were not happy that the only surviving original wonder, the Great Pyramid of Giza, would have to compete with the desires of the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House, and other landmarks. In response, Giza was named an honorary Candi get wind. The results were announced on July 7, 2007, in Lisbon, Portugal. Figure 1 New seven Wonders of the World, Source New7Wonders of the World,en. wikipedia. org/wiki/New7Wonders_of_the_World. 2. 1 Chichen Itza The name Chichen Itza promoter At the mouth of the well of Itza.Here, Itza refers to a semipolitical clan of people, who were at their political and economical best in the northern peninsula (Saxena. Chaitra Suraj). Chichen Itza was the political focal lay for a long time in the Mayan history. This winner of the seven wonders list is located in Yucatan, Mexico. The historical site consists of many fossa makes which are connected by a network of paved roads called Sacbeob. close to of these buildings have been restored and some are still under the process. These buildings have been sorted into sets of architectonic series (based on their architecture).And these sets are believed to be once stray by walls. The three famous sets out of them are, Great North Platform, the Osaario assort and the primaeval Group. These sets individually consist of various buildings, which are wonders in themselves. Chichen Itza consists of numerous temples, pyramids, and some interesting monuments like Steam Bath and the Great earth Court. Each of the building had its own importance and was used for some parti cularized purpose. One particular theater of operations of Chechen Itza is open to archeologists only, in a way it is still under observation and research. 2. 2 Christ the delivererChrist the Redeemer is the statue of Jesus Christ, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is ascertain at a height of 700 meters on the Carcovado Mountain, in the Tijuca forest National Park. It weighs 635 tons and stands at a height of 39. 6 meters. It is built of reinforced concrete and steatite and is the symbol of Christianity, as well as Rio de Janeiro. The turn of a historical monument on Corcovado was suggested frontmost in 1850, then again in 1921. A lot many designs were considered for the religious monument, which included, the representation of the Christian cross and the tatue of Jesus with a globe in his hand. The Christ the Redeemer was finalized and the locution began in 1922 and continued till 1931. The cost of construction is estimated to be $250,000. The statue was unresolved to macrocosm on 12th of October, 1931 and in 2007 it became a part of the Seven Wonders of the World. In February 2008, the statue was struck by lightning, during a storm but was deliver because of the outer layer made of soapstone, which acted as an insulator. This particular storm is know to have caused a lot of damage in the city of Rio, but the statue stood unhurt. . 3 Colosseum Colosseum, besides known as the papistic Coliseum is situated in the city of Rome, Italy. Coming from such a strong back intellect, it was a really strong contender for a position in Seven Wonders of the World list. It is an elliptical amphitheater and was sooner known as Flavian Amphitheater. It is said to be one of the largest buildings of the Roman Empire. Construction of this amphitheater took around 10 years, starting from 70 AD and once ready the Colosseum was used for various public events and fights amidst gladiators.Gladiatorial fights were the major source of delight during those times and the public events consisted of mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, reenactments of famous battles, etc. The amphitheater was undecided of seating a total of 50,000 spectators. It is estimated that some 500,000 people and over a million animals died in the events held at Colosseum. In the early medieval era, the building was stopped being used as a place of entertainment and then on, it is believed to have been used for various other purposes. The ancient building now stands partially ruined by earthquakes. . 4 Great smother of chinaware The Great Wall of China was built between the 5th and 1sixth centuries BC. This wall was designed to protect the northern border from attacks. The Great Wall is over 4,000 miles long. The Great Wall of China also has the singularity of being one of the Wonders of the middle Ages as well. The Great Wall of China is a stone wall built from Shanhaiguan in the east to shave Nur in the west of China and it stretches over a distance of 8,851. 8 kms. On land, the walls were made using earth or wood, but with the blood of the Ming Dynasty, the walls were made using bricks.Other materials like lime, tiles and stones were also widely used. With the use of bricks the construction is believed to have fastened and the brick walls were much stronger. The wall is now in ruins at most of the places and only a few parts remain in good condition. Parts of it have sustained years of erosion, human attacks, modern construction and even graffiti at a lot of places, in order to find a place in the 7 wonders of the world. (Saxena) 2. 5 Machu Picchu Machu Picchu is a pre Columbian Inca site in Cuzco, Peru.It is located at a height of 8000 feet above the sea level on the crest of the mint candy Machu Picchu. The name Machu Picchu means Old Peak and is often referred to as The Lost urban center of the Incas. Its construction started in AD 1430 and the city was abandoned a one hundred years later. It remained hidden from the outside world for hun dreds of years, until it was discovered by Hiram Bingham, an American historian in the year 1911. Because of its location, Machu Picchu remained hidden from most of the world, including the Spanish conquerors.But now that it is in the seven wonders list, it is a famous tourist attraction and is visited by people from all across the world. Machu Picchu is believed to have been built at the meridian of the Inca Empire and is the proof of their royalty and religious beliefs. Incas were rudimentaryally sun worshipers. Inti in Peruvian means the Sun and hence, it can be easily understood that one of its primary buildings is The Temple of the Sun. The other main buildings are the Intihuatana and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the buildings in Machu Picchu are in some or the other way related and dedicated to their God, The Sun.Machu Picchu is on the list of endangered World Heritage Sites. And that is why tourism in Machu Picchu is of swell concern. Scientists believe that mor e the People, more will be the damage. 2. 6 Petra Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Maan that is famous for its escape from cut architecture and water conduit system. Established sometime around the 6th cytosine BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction.It lies on the incline of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern wing of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The downfall of Petra began under the Roman Empire. The basic reason being was the change of trade routes. Most of the Petra was destroyed by earthquakes, which damaged buildings and fractured the lifeline of Petra the water management system. 2. 7 Taj Mahal Taj Mahal famously known as the Symbol of Love is a mausoleum, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Ma hal.It is located in Agra, India. Taj Mahals construction began around 1632 and it took around 21 years to be completed. It was constructed match to the Mughal architecture, which is a combination of Persian, Indian and Islamic architectural styles. The mausoleum was built solely in marble, while other buildings in the tortuous were made of red stone. For the decoration purposes, 28 types of unprecedented and semi precious stones were used and the raw material is believed to be ordered from as far as Afghanistan in the North and Sri Lanka in the South.It is said that nearly 20,000 workers were busy from all across the country for the construction work. These include skilled artisans, carvers, sculptors and stone cutters of excellent rapport. All in all, 37 people formed the creative unit of the project. Some of them were from foreign countries too. The approximate cost of construction is estimated to some 32 million rupees (Indian currency). It is considered as one of the master pieces of Mughal Empire and attracts tourism from all over the world. Statistics suggest that some 2 to 4 million people visit Taj Mahal annually.So, according to the above discussion we can say that every wonder has its own importance in the present world according to their historical back object and their construction. People from all over the world visit these wonders to satiate their curiosity. Now a days architectures are in the constant struggle to make the new wonders which are collapse than the ancient and present wonders, but still the present wonders have with child(p) importance at the present time and architectures have to work very hard to defeat these wonders.Work Cited 1. Temple of Artemis. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. <britannica. com/EBchecked/ subject area/36816/Temple-of-Artemis> 2. Colossus of Rhodes. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. <britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/501620/Colossus-of-Rhodes. > 3. Mish, Frederick C. , Editor in Chief. Petra. Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. 9th ed.Springfield, mamma Merriam-Webster Inc. , 1985 4. Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval, The Message of the Sphinx, Pyramidology, 4 volume, 1957-1972, Web. 5. Nakate. Shashank. Seven Wonders of the World. Web 3/16/2010. Buzzle. com 6. Baxamusa. Batul Nafisa. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World List. Web. 2/25/2011. Buzzle. com 7. Marian K, Original Seven Wonders of the World. Web. 10/3/2011. Buzzle. com 8. Saxena. Chaitra Suraj, New 7 Wonders What are the Seven Wonders of the World?. Web. 9/30/2011. Buzzle. comSeven Wonders of the WorldSeven Wonders of the Ancient World While the ancient world left teeny-weeny written record, the evidence that we do have depicts it as far more advanced and culturally rich than many would expect. From the Phoenicians in Mesopotamia to the Mayans in Centra l America, technological advancements and complex theories drove the ancient civilizations ahead. Great thinkers from that period like Socrates left huge marks on the literary world. Great scientists like Copernicus developed theories that provided the foundations for more modern thought. Juxtaposing their technology with our own, we find their accomplishments truly amazing.Their buildings, signally built without cranes, bulldozers, or assembly lines, rival our greatest and create great wonder among our culture. Chief among their architectural feats, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World actuate us constantly of the ancient cultures splendors and advancements. These landmarks, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria or the Walls of Babylon according to the list, left evidence of the magnificence of the ancient world.Understanding the history of the whole conference as well as the history of the individual places creates a gratitude and awe for our ancient ancestors. Herodotus created the prototypal list of wonders in the fifth century BC but gained little notoriety for the feat and divine few ulterior lists. His written record, a list mirroring that above with the exception of substituting the Pharos of Alexandria for the Lighthouse, was destroyed with the exception of references in the burning of the Library of Alexandria (History book of facts Center). In following centuries, however, Herodotuss ideas began to catch on.Conquering vast empires in the name of Macedonia, horse parsley the Great led a strategic military campaign throughout the Balkans and much of the ancient world. Through these fourth century BC annexations, black lovage stimulated travel in the area, which in turn led to the Greeks gaining ample cultural knowledge about peoples like the Persians, Egyptians, and B abylonians. black lovage truly receptive their world. With the influx of travel, the Greeks began and compile oral lists of theamatas, a word translated to mean the must-sees. The lists, though they varied from person to person, lways contained a constant number of seven sites. beingness neither a product nor factor of any number little than ten, seven is hard to separate into subdivisions and therefore provides an excellent number for indivisible things like the Seven Wonders, the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Seven Sages. After Herodotus, the next well-known list is that of Callimachus of Cyrene, a worker at the Library of Alexandria. He wrote a work entitled A Collection of Wonders in Lands throughout the World, but destroyed early on, the contents of the list remain unknown.De Septem Mundi Miraculous, or Of the Seven Wonders of the World, was written in 200 BC. Attributed to and supposedly written by Philo of Byzantium, many bespeak that it was actually written in the sixth c entury AD (Infoplease). Regardless, this work gives an excellent description of Seven Wonders, including the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pyramids of Giza, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus at Rhodes, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis and Ephesus, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.While most lists flout on at least six of the seven wonders, some ancient and modern lists substitute the walls of Babylon for the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The most renowned ancient list, sexual climax around 80 years later, belongs to Antipater of Sidon and does exactly this. A citizen of Alexandria, Egypt, Antipater compiled his list in a poem during the second century BC, saying I have gazed on the walls of impregnable Babylon, along which chariots may race, and on the Zeus by the banks of Alpheus.I have seen the Hanging Gardens and the Colossus of Helios, the great man-made mountains of the lofty pyramids, and the huge tomb of Maussollos. But when I saw the sacred ho use of Artemis that towers to the clouds, the others were position in the shade, for the sun himself has never looked upon its equal outside of Olympus (History point of reference Center) These lists inspired others to not only explore but to tell of their explorations.After the works of Herodotus, Callimachus, Philo, and Antipater, people strove to make their own lists of wonders, almost always including the eight documented by Philo and Antipater. The oldest and only remaining of these eight wonders, the Pyramids of Giza took ancient Egypt by storm in 2560 BC. A remarkable architectural feat, they remained the tallest structures in the world until the nineteenth century. They originally stood at 481 feet tall but have shrunk to around 450 feet.Khufus pyramid, also known as the Great Pyramid, contains 2,300,000 blocks weighing around two and a half tons each. Every side of that pyramid is 756 feet long (Infoplease). Fourth-Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu, also known as Cheops, ordered the pyramids built as tombs for Pharaohs Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaure. Their splendor begins with their location. Cheops chose a plateau made of white limestone located southwest of Cairo. Surrounded by the Nile River, spacious green plains, astounding palm groves, and the magnificent skyline of Memphis, the area itself is a wonder.Originator of the concept of Seven Wonders, Herodotus became the first to describe the Pyramids when he visited Egypt around 450 BC. His account of the pyramids begins with an insult of Cheops, saying consumeing Cheops, who reigned over them, plunged the country into deep calamities (History Reference Center). In Herodotuss books, he asserts that Cheops employed over 100,000 slaves at a time, switching the men out every three months, but ancient historian Diodorus Siculus alleged that the pyramids actually required 360,000 slaves.Recent discoveries, however, have pinned the number of workers between 5,500 and 8,000 and declared that they worked willingly, not as slaves. Herodotus goes on to describe a magnificent causeway used to transport stones and marvelous underground rooms that took approximately ten years to build. With information gathered from his Egyptian guide, Herodotus chronicled the process used to build the pyramids, writing This pyramid was constructed on the following plan.They began by building it in the shape of steps, having first made it in this form, they drew up the stones for the rest of the work by means of machines, consisting of short pieces of wood, when they had lifted them from the ground to the first tier of the steps as soon as stone had reached so far, it was laid on another machine, placed on the first range from thence it was hauled up to the second and from the second to the third, by means of another machine, for as many as the tiers of the steps there were, there was the same amount of machines. This passage shows the technological advancements employed by the Egyptians.The architecture behind the un derground rooms proved extremely innovative Cheops used a canal from the Nile to create an insulation system (Books). Summing up his Egyptian encounter, he gives a brief account of the lesser two pyramids, built as tombs for Khafra and Menkaure, and moves on to new things. Though many people interrogative its existence, the alleged regality of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon stupefies many. Herodotus, previously credit ratinged as the first big traveller of the era, gave a full description of the city of Babylon, making no mention of the Hanging Gardens.This causes speculation among many historians today (History Reference Center). For those who do believe, however, the Hanging Gardens stood in Mesopotamia, near the present location of Baghdad, Iraq. Berossus, a Babylonian priest, wrote the first account of the Gardens in 3rd century BC, but since then, the works have been lost. Strabo and Philo gave the next ancient descriptions. Philo wrote, The Hanging Garden has plants cultiva ted above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace kind of than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns.Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels. These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. whence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to vigorous branches. This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most touch feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators. (Books) While most of Mesopotamia lived up to its appellation the Fertile Crescent, Babylon differed, having a desert-like climate.According to ancient writers like Berossus, Philo of Byzantium, and Diodorus Siculus, King Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the Gardens built for his wife around sixth century BC (Infoplease). Amyitis, a native of the luscious green Persia, greatly confused the beautiful landscape of her home, and as any affectionate husband would do, Nebuchadnezzar built the Gardens to appease her. The King filled the Gardens with pears, plums, grapes, and many other colorful plants. Providing great shade among the sandy landscape, the Gardens served as a retreat for the royal family.For the scholars that believe that the Hanging Gardens actually existed, another argument arises over whether or not the Gardens actually hang. In their Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Michael and Mary B. Woods argue that the description of the Gardens as hanging comes from a translation issue. They assert that the original Greek word can be translated into hanging or overhanging and claim that the original authors meant overhanging. Because its very existence remains disputed, no evidence of the date or method of destruction endures.Built in 560 BC, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus nonrecreational homage to the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of the hunt, childbirth, and virginity (Histor y Reference Center). King Croesus of Lydia ordered the Temple built on a marshland in present-day Turkey, and one hundred and twenty years later it opened for worship. Towering above other structures in the land, the Temple, made of marble, stood 300 long by 150 wide and massive columns (Infoplease). Croesus chose the location in hopes of protecting it from volatile earthquakes.That natural disaster, however, would not cause the destruction of the Temple instead, it would fall victim to arson committed by a power-hungry Herostratus in 356 BC, on the birthday of Alexander the Great. Greek legend holds that Artemis, busy assisting with Alexanders childbirth, found herself too absent to protect her Temple. Alexander, sympathetic to this story, offered to pay for the restoration of the Temple, but the Ephesian leaders rejected the request claiming it was inappropriate for a god to dedicate offerings to the gods (Books).Despite Alexanders dismissal, the Ephesians, led by sculptor Scopa s of Paros, rebuilt the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, ancestor almost immediately after the originals destruction. The new Temple, the first made purely of marble, laid the foundation for extravagant building. Bigger than the original, it had 27 columns stretching 60 feet into the sky, spanning 425 feet long and 225 feet wide. Athenss pride and joy, the Parthenon is believed to have only been a quarter of the size of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.Pliny the senior provided a base ancient description of the Temple, along with many other Grecian works, in his Natural History, written in the 1st century AD. Of the Temple, he wrote, The most wonderful monument of Grecian magnificence, and one that merits our genuine admiration, is the Temple of Diana at Ephesus (Books). Some, like Pliny, referred to the Temple as the Temple of Diana, Artemiss Roman form. As Christianity spread through the ancient world, the Temple easy became obsolete and eventually met its demise through raids from the Goths in 268 AD.Dedicated Ephesians made a final attempt to rebuild the Temple after its destruction, but Roman Emperor Theodosius the Greats decision to outlaw Christianity, eradicating the Temples purpose. Site of the earliest Olympics, Olympia wished to honor its supreme god, also patron of their games, for their prosperity and success. To do this, they commissioned Phidias, chief sculptor behind the Parthenon, to build a statue paying homage to this god, Zeus. Using an innovative method designed by Phidias himself, he built a wooden skeleton in the intended shape of the statue and ordered workers to adorn it.Sheets of iron and gold were cut and fashioned to cover the wooden structure. Looming over the Temple of Zeus, the statue rose 40 feet into the air and was a massive 22 feet wide. Zeuss Statue features him session on a magnificent throne, with his head brushing the ceiling. The ancient historian Strabo criticized the proportions of the statue, claiming that Phidias dep icted Zeus seated, but with the head almost touching the ceiling, so that we have the impression that if Zeus moved to stand up he would unroof the temple. (History Reference Center). Citation Page 1. Scarre, Chris. The Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World. (2004) 125-127. History Reference Center. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. 2. Infoplease. Infoplease, n. d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. . 3. Books. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. .