Where Were the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? (Where Is?)

Product Description

Explore the most amazing wonders of the ancient world!

More than 2,000 years ago, travelers wrote about the incredible sights they saw while on their journeys. They told tales of hanging gardens that were built for a Babylonian queen, and a colossal statue that guided ships through the harbor of Rhodes in Greece. These writers compiled a list of the very best of these sights that are now known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Author Yona Zeldis McDonough takes the readers on a trip to the Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Great Pyramids in Egypt (the only Wonder still standing), the Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Colossus of Rhodes in ancient Greece, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Temple of Artemis, detailing the creativity and skill that these early civilizations possessed.

About the Author

Yona Zeldis McDonough is the author of
What Was the Underground Railroad?,
Who Was Rosa Parks?, Who Was John F. Kennedy?,
Who Was Louis Armstrong?,
Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?, and
Who Was Harriet Tubman?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Where Were the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
 
 
Imagine you live thousands of years ago, somewhere in the area you see on the map. Even back then, people wanted to travel and see the world’s most famous landmarks. Several writers from ancient times did just that.
 
During their travels, they made lists of the most unusual and impressive sights. Not everyone wrote about the same places. But in the seventeenth century, seven of these marvels became known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—-even though most of them no longer existed. In fact, only one remains standing today. Still, you can imagine what they looked like by reading books like this one.
 
 

Chapter 1:
The Great Pyramid at Giza
 
 
Perhaps the most famous monument in the world is the Great Pyramid at Giza in northern Egypt. (A pyramid is a three–dimensional object with triangular sides that meet in a point at the top.) That’s because it’s so huge and old, and the story of why and how it was built is so interesting. 
 
The pyramid at Giza was built by the Egyptians during the years 2550–2530 BC. Egypt was a great civilization even more than 4,500 years ago. The Egyptians were able to build a pyramid as tall as a fifty–story skyscraper. At its base, each side is about 756 feet long. That’s more than twice the length of a football field.
 
For longer than 3,880 years, the Great Pyramid remained the tallest structure made by human hands in the entire world—-that’s quite a record!
 
Unlike all the other ancient wonders in this book, the Great Pyramid is still standing. It is located outside the city of Cairo, on the Nile River. It’s made of over two million blocks of limestone and granite. Some of the blocks are so big and heavy that even today, no one knows exactly how builders in ancient times were able to put them in place. They are not held together with mortar (mortar is like concrete). Instead, the blocks fit next to one another so perfectly that the pyramid has stood for 4,500 years.
 
We know a lot about life in ancient Egypt because good records were kept and because so many objects—-both practical things and works of art—-were put in the tombs for the dead. Egyptians back then believed the soul needed all the same things in the afterlife that had been enjoyed in this world.
 
The Great Pyramid at Giza is one of these tombs, probably for a pharaoh (ruler) named Khufu. Khufu, like all pharaohs, had a special role. Not only was he the ruler of the people, but he was also believed to be a link between them and the gods. By performing certain ceremonies, the pharaoh made sure that the sun would rise and set, the Nile River would flow, and the crops would grow. And when the king died, he became a god. For this reason, everything about his death and burial was considered extremely important.
 
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