In 1994, Archaeologist and Historian John Romer made this wonderfully imaginative series of films about the Seven Wonders of the World. It was not just a quest to find what remains of them, though it is certainly that, but also an examination of the world that produced and mythologised them and of their ongoing impact on the modern imagination.
Before looking at these films, I offer some introductory thoughts:
Contents
Who complied the list?
Many writers have contributed to the idea of wonders of the world, but one names is of fundamental importance – that Philo of Byzantium was a writer and engineer who compiled a list of the Seven Wonders and wrote a detailed treatise about the subject. It did not however, include the Pharos of Alexandria but instead included the Walls of Babylon. A consensus emerged over time that two awards for Babylon were excessive, and so the Pharos came to be added instead to the canonical list, as a structure that commonly featured on other lists. The modern canonical list was first established in the 1572 publication Octo Mundi Miracula
When was the original list compiled?
Philo of Byzantium compiled his list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World around 225 BCE in his work On the Seven Wonders. This is considered the earliest known list of Wonders. The key point about this date is that it is the middle of the Hellenistic period, between the Heyday of the Classical Greek period and the birth of the Roman Empire, more precisely defined as beginning with the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE) and ending with the Roman conquest of Egypt (30 BCE). As we shall see, the list is above all else, a product of the Hellenistic World; Alexander’s conquest of much of the western world in the 4th century BC gave Hellenistic travellers access to the civilizations of the Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians.
Where were the Wonders?
See how the wonders are built around the Eastern Mediterranean – the focus of the Hellenistic World – although Babylon is something of an outlier, much the furthest East.
Why were these films made?
To show how seven ancient wonders are still part of what a city is.
What are the Wonders?
| Name of Wonder | Date of construction (BCE) | Note | Romer’s idea on how it influences the modern world |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Pyramid of Giza | 2584–2561 | The oldest and only remaining wonder, this colossal tomb stood for nearly 4,000 years as one of the world’s tallest buildings. | |
| Hanging Gardens of Babylon | c. 600 (possibly) | A legendary series of terraced gardens, though its existence is debated among historians. | The word garden is derived from the Persian word for paradise. Our idea of paradise is often considered to be a garden |
| Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) at Olympia | 466–456 (temple) 435 (statue) | A giant, seated figure of the king of the gods, made of ivory and gold. | The image of Christ Pantocrator, still to be seen today, can be traced back to this statue |
| Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus | 550, and again, 323 | A grand temple dedicated to the Greek goddess of the hunt. | The Virgin Mary’s title of God-bearer was confirmed at Ephesus. |
| Mausoleum at Halicarnassus | 351 | An elaborate tomb built for the satrap Mausolus. | |
| Colossus of Rhodes | 292–280 | A massive bronze statue of the sun god Helios that once stood in the harbour of Rhodes. Believed to be based on Alexander the Great. | The statue personifies the idea of male beauty, which is still expected of Hollywood stars today |
| Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria | 280 | A tall tower that guided ships into the harbor of Alexandria. | A celebration of the modern metropolis |
The films
Simply the Best – Statue of Zeus and the Colossus of Rhodes
Magic Metropolis – Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
Wonders of the East – Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Ghosts of Wonder – The Great Pyramid of Giza and the concept of wonder
The book
Still available from second-hand bookshops.