Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Ghost of Wonder

This program presents the stories of the works of architecture regarded by the Greeks and Romans as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statute Of Zeus, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Pyramids of Egypt and more.

Seven Wonders of the World is a 1956 film in Cinerama. Lowell Thomas searches the world for natural and man made wonders and invites the audience to try to update the ancient Greek list of "Seven Wonders of the World."

Noted scholar John Romer takes us on a tour of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This program presents the stories of the works of architecture regarded by the Greeks and Romans as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statute Of Zeus, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Pyramids of Egypt and more.

Explore with host John Romer, the influence of ancient eastern civilizations. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, in what is now Iraq, were rumoured to be part of the palace of Nebuchadnezzar. Today, scientists believe that the exotic gardens were actually more fable than fact. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesusm in modernday Turkey, was built to honour the mother goddess. She was a powerful force for many different people - the Romans knew her as Diana, the Anatolians as Kybele - and her temple was one of the holiest shrines in Alexander the Great's world

Explore the birth of the iage of "The New Man" in human hostory. Delving into the legends if the Colossus od Rhodes and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, host John Romer demonstrates how these monuments projected a new vision of the human form into the popular consciousness. A mmoth figure of ivory and gold, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia ruled over the Olympic games. Before this venerable statue lay a huge, shallow pool of olive oil, which reflected light onto the figure. The Colossus of Rhodes was built with sheets of bronze and stood guard over the island of Rhodes. Perhaps the most astounding aspect of both monuments was that the sculptors modelled their faces in the image of man. Today, this image is mirrored in our own Statue of Liberty,

Host John Romer ventures to the sites of two ancient cities created by Alexander the Great - cities that were considered among the most beautiful and unusual the world had ever seen. We also explore the culture and environment that created several of the seven wonders. This episode examines two unparalleled testaments to the power of the era: The Pharos (Lighthouse) at Alexandria, which stood more that 300 feet, making it the tallest structure of its time, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, which was considered one of the greatest tombs ever created. The Mausoleum's perimieter was not decoreated with icons of ancient gods, as was the custom of the time, but with ennobled and enlarged figures of real people. These statues are thought to have been an inspiration for the citizens - telling them they could be as great as the gods.

Greece, a land of breathtaking beauty and light. A land where science, art and inspiration from the gods combined to produce some of the world's greatest marvels of architecture and design. The ancient Greeks used buildings and structures to reflect the variety of life at the core of their civilisation - they built the first theatres, staged the first sports events and worshipped in some of the most spectacular temples ever built.

The Romans saw the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as the crowning achievements of their predecessors. Through stunning on-location and re-created visuals, learn how and why they were built and how they dazzled the ancients.

Documentary discussing the seven manmade wonders listed by Philo of Byzantium 2000 years ago: the Colussus of Rhodes, the statue of Zeus at Olympus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the temple to Artemis at Ephesus, the pyramid of Giza, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.