Seminar 1: “Seven Wonders” and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Ancient Lists of Wonders

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon – fact vs. fiction

Babylon: discovery and interpretation

Seminar 2: The Pyramids of Giza

How and why were they built?

What did ancient travelers think of them?

What did/do modern travelers think of them?

Seminar 3: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia & the Colossus of Rhodes

How were they built?

What happened to these monuments?

Modern echoes: Olympic Games, “colossus”

Seminar 4: The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus & The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

How and why were they built?

Where did all the stones go? The afterlives of these structures

Modern echoes: Artemis & goddess religion, mausolea and memorials for the dead

Seminar 5: The Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria

Ancient Alexandria & Ptolemaic Egypt

Arab travelers’ reports, archaeological evidence

Modern echoes: lighthouse architecture, Buffalo Savings Bank

Seminar 6: “Seven Wonders” in the modern world

What makes these seven monuments “wonders”?

Modern lists of “seven wonders” and nominations for the “eighth wonder”

What would you include in your list of “seven wonders”?

“Wonders” in popular culture (Seven Wonders board game, Civilization PC games)