What are the names of the cult architectural structures of the Stone Age? Mayan pyramids, stone phalluses and other strange structures that keep the secrets of ancient civilizations. Tombstones and burial vaults
Science generally attributes pile buildings to the later Stone Age due to the fact that the most ancient of them actually arose at that time and that in some places, for example on most lakes in Eastern Switzerland and in the Austrian Alps, they disappear at the end of the Stone Age (Copper Age), which, in terms of artistry, is generally on the same level as stone. It should, however, now be stipulated that even on Lake Zurich, in Wollishofen, a pile structure was found, probably already from the Bronze Age, that pile structures in Western Switzerland existed throughout the entire prehistoric metallic period, and that among some primitive peoples of all parts of the world they still represent the predominant type of structures.
Based on the construction of the base for the huts, two systems of pile structures are distinguished: pile buildings in the proper sense of the word, a typical representative of which is Robenhausen, in Switzerland, and buildings located on logs piled on top of each other (Packwerkbau), in Niederwil. In real pile buildings, the piles that supported the entire structure were driven into the bottom of the lake so that they protruded one or two meters out of the water. The piles on top were connected to each other by transverse beams inserted into them, and these latter, to form a deck or platform, were connected by two rows of wooden beams placed crosswise on top of each other. The essence of another kind of building was that rows of beams or logs were laid on top of each other lengthwise and crosswise, forming a raft on which new beams were laid when the tree, saturated with water, began to sink; the beams continued to be piled up until the entire lower part of the structure sank to the bottom.
The houses of ancient people on Alpine lakes.
On the platform of pile buildings of the Alpine lakes, each individual hut was placed on a hard floor made of yellow clay; the very method of building the hut and erecting the roof probably did not differ from that used for buildings on land. From the remains it was more than once possible to determine that the walls were woven from twigs, and the outside was coated with clay, on a layer of which geometric decorative patterns were then squeezed out.
Tectonics, carpentry, and at the same time European house-building, obviously, should consider these pile buildings, of which the most ancient are believed to have arisen about seven thousand years ago, to be one of their first major successes. To the question why exactly such buildings were built - a question that was repeatedly proposed and received very different solutions, we can, for our part, referring to the pile buildings of many primitive peoples of our time, answer that ancient lake inhabitants were forced to settle above the surface of the water, probably , many reasons combined. The main ones, apparently, were, firstly, the need to protect themselves from land animals, not only four-legged animals, but also snakes, and secondly, the convenience of fishing and killing animals that came to the shore to quench their thirst. These reasons were perhaps joined by the need for cleanliness and, finally, the pleasure of living above clear green waters.
Tombstones and burial vaults.
Tombs of Stone Age people (tombs of knights).
Along with these remains of the dwellings of people of the later Stone Age, we get acquainted with tombs, namely the graves of knights (Hünengräber), and other megalithic, that is, built from huge stones, tombs. We do not go into consideration of the question of whether these graves and tombs arose in imitation of cave tombs of other times and countries, as Sophus Muller believes, and whether in this case they should be considered artificial depressions made in the rocks. While pile structures occur naturally in geographic areas of standing water, megalithic tombs, which in some areas date back to the Metal Age, are found where there are powerful rocks. If in pile buildings we see the beginnings of wooden architecture, then in megalithic monuments we see the first attempts of the art of building from stone, and although this art has not yet succeeded in erecting anything truly artistic from huge, almost uncouth blocks, it is already reaching an understanding of the law of maintenance and heaping in its monumental simplicity, and the strength is calculated for eternal times, and the powerful tension of forces, expressed in the heaping of gigantic stones on top of each other, is dedicated to pious memories and testifies that these heroes of hoary antiquity, who made up the flesh of our flesh, were animated by exactly the same feelings that are characteristic of us.
Types of burials (dolmens).
Grave buildings are divided into dolmens, graves with passages and graves in the form of stone boxes. Dolmens themselves are free-standing grave structures: huge, sometimes somewhat smoothed inside, and on the outside rough stones form the walls of tetrahedral, multifaceted or almost round grave structures; their flat roof is made up of one huge stone, sometimes protruding far forward above the walls, as a result of which such a structure looks like a giant table. In the north, dolmen tombs of this kind were surrounded by earthen embankments, which have now disappeared. The graves with passages were built in the same way, but more spacious and covered with an earthen mound, on the surface of which the ceiling stones of the inner chamber originally lay open, and on the side there was a covered stone passage leading from the outside inwards. Large graves of this kind in the north are called “rooms of giants.” “Stone boxes” are similar burial chambers, but without passages leading into them. IN ancient times, in Sweden, they usually protruded with their upper part from the earthen hill heaped on them, but in the Bronze Age they were completely hidden under it. According to Scandinavian scientists, dolmens are the oldest, and stone boxes are the latest forms of megalithic tombs. Tombs with passages, forming gigantic rooms, are found in addition to the northwestern part of the European continent in England, Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula. The largest structure of this kind in Northern Europe is located near New Grange, in Ireland. The Antequera stone grave in Spain is even more significant in size. Having a length of 25 meters and a width of 6 meters, this grave is supported inside by pillars, which give it the character of a building of the highest level.
Tombstones.
Along with real dolmens, which were sometimes only monuments in honor of the dead, there were less complex stone heaps (Steinsetzungen) and often simple pillars, which can be considered as historical monuments or as symbols of religious ideas. The desire to place stones to perpetuate some event appeared everywhere earlier than the ability to create architectural or sculptural works of art from stones. Individual stones of this kind, very often found in France, are known under the Gallic name menhir, while groups of menhirs are called cromlechs. Menhirs, sometimes reaching enormous heights, look like roughly hewn obelisks of irregular shape. They are often found in groups or in the form of rows and circles. On the Field of Karnak, in the Morbigan department of France, 11 thousand of these menhirs stand, or have recently stood, arranged in eleven rows - a whole army of silent witnesses to the powerful manifestation of forces that were driven by something higher than the daily needs of man and which transported him to the spiritual world of unearthly ideas. Stone circles in Scandinavia, France and England have always encircled sacred spaces, which served, on the one hand, for deliberative meetings, and on the other, for sacrifice and other religious activities. For example, the most extensive of the so-called “Druid temples” in England, namely, a round structure surrounded by a rampart and a moat in Abury, in Wiltshire, which occupied an area of 28 1/2 morgues, apparently belonged to the Stone Age.
Beginning with Southern Sweden, Denmark and mainly from South-West Germany, where huge boulders left by the Ice Age begged to be collected and piled on top of each other, dolmens and stone monuments hundreds of thousands stretch across England and Ireland to Western France (Normandy and Brittany), from here, along the north of Spain along the coast of Portugal, pass into Southern Spain, then, bypassing the sea, meet in North Africa and along the entire African coast Mediterranean Sea, then appear in Crimea and Palestine and, finally, in India, especially on its western coast, while inland, if they are found, it is only alone, in the space between the Baltic Sea and Crimea, on the routes connecting the East with the West. Previously they thought that these were boundary stones marking the path of the Aryans from India to Northern Europe. Krause wittily defended the opinion that the stones in question, on the contrary, indicate the path of the Aryan tribes from Northern Europe throughout their current area of distribution right up to India. But it is impossible to prove the correctness of either view. In the end, megalithic buildings also belong to manifestations of human forces that are repeated under the same conditions among different peoples.
Regarding the lectures, I would like to note the following: I am posting them here for a reason, they are directly related to the topics of this community and can bring certain benefits to everyone. It is often believed that after school and institutes, education should be completed, but this is a huge misconception, because the older a person becomes, the more he is able to comprehend and understand if he works in this direction. Now it may seem that this information will never be useful, but everything we read is stored in our minds and is always ready to help when it becomes necessary. I would also like to note that people from all over came to our institute to listen to such lectures, to say nothing of the fact that new knowledge, especially in the field of art, sets a person up for a good thought, and these moments, in turn, help nourish both the body and the spirit . Here I do not have the opportunity to present all the information in full due to the fact that it will be quite difficult to perceive it and all this will take too much time, but in each lecture I tried to include as much as possible of what I managed to write down myself and what I wrote down. what books gave me. May it benefit everyone who wants to receive it...
"Of all the unknowns, the most unknown is time."Aristotle
The first dwellings of those that are accessible to modern man were created by Neanderthals around 35 thousand years BC. /this is the official theory, although true chronology goes much deeper/. These dwellings were parking lots and sheds.
Primitive people preferred to use natural shelters - caves. The construction of artificial caves in rocks became possible only with the advent of metal tools. To prevent ceiling collapses when excavating weak and layered rocks, caves were given a pointed shape. This outline, more or less regular, is given to a large number of artificial caves. With the transition to a sedentary lifestyle, the first buildings appear.
During the Paleolithic era, people developed new skills, and their homes improved accordingly. The reason for improvement was also climate change, which required more sustainable housing and tools.
In the first half of 3 thousand BC. matriarchy begins, in the second half of 2 thousand BC. patriarchy comes and with it monumental architecture, megalithic architecture appears / menhir- 1 stone; dolmen- 2, covered with a third; cromlech- formation, a row of stones. For example, Stonehenge, 17th century BC/.
Nuraghi- tower-like structures 2-3 thousand BC. /o.Sardinia/
According to officially accepted data, it is believed that Homo Sapiens / Homo sapiens / appeared on Earth 40,000 years ago.
5000 - 4000 years - the oldest Stone Age and the first architectural structure;
4000 - 3000 years - Bronze Age;
2000 years - Iron Age.
Frequently used symbols of that time are circle, vertical, horizontal, right angle.
Main types megalithic structures.
A menhir is a single, vertical stone. Standing stones are the main element of Neolithic era monuments. Sometimes there is only one stone, its shape reminiscent of a spindle or a rough obelisk - such a structure is called a menhir. Menhirs appeared at a late stage in the development of primitive society /example - at Carnac in Brittany/.
Dolmen- two menhirs with a crossbar. Dolmen - tomb, entrance to the village. It consists of stones placed upright and covered with one or two stone slabs. May be found inside burial mounds. The area of the dolmen ranges between 4 and 70 sq.m., and its height is between 1 and 3.5 m. The entrance to it is usually closed with a stone slab, usually movable, sometimes drilled! round hole. Sometimes there are additional crypts. The room is often preceded by a vestibule, or corridor, more or less long and wide, usually straight, but sometimes curved.
Megaliths. Mega - large, cast - stone. They were divided according to “gender” – a diamond-shaped one meant “feminine”, a rectangular pillar meant “masculine”.
Cromlech - several menhirs forming a circle. Sometimes menhirs stretch in rows, forming alleys called strings. Sometimes two adjacent stones are connected horizontally by a movable monolith. It happens that the entrance to cromlechs is preceded by short corridors. A structure in the form of two stones placed vertically with a crossbar in the form of a third stone is called a trilith.
Stonehenge /2 thousand BC, England/ is the most famous megalithic structure. It consists of dolmens placed in a circle.
Stonehenge is a structure used for religious and magical purposes.
Only one thing can be said - from everything it is clear and obvious that such structures, the true meaning of which is still unknown to scientists, could not have been built by rude, stupid people, and it is absolutely clear that in their development and in their abilities the people of that era were not below us. It is enough that these buildings still stand, but what will remain of our era? Will skyscrapers and our beloved P-series anthills stand the test of time? I doubt it very much. But not only is history not being revised and rewritten, although everyone already agrees that there are too many inconsistencies in it, but they are also trying to push the meaning of history into the background, offering our children only a few free items to choose from. Of course, why do we need such “nonsense” as history, and especially archeology? We can’t live without this.
Well, a few more examples:
Origins of architecture
Construction is one of the most ancient types of human activity, which means that many millennia ago the foundations for all further development of architecture were laid.
The prehistoric period, based on the use of various materials and techniques for making tools, is usually divided into the following main stages: stone (Old Stone Age - paleolithic And new stone - Neolithic), bronze And iron century. At the same time, it is very difficult to clearly define their boundaries, since the development of human society has always been uneven.
The surviving remains of human settlements indicate the existence of different ways of life of people in different areas globe and at different stages of human history.
Home found early period The Upper Paleolithic are rough-oval dwellings with one hearth. Most often these are dugouts, a large number of which were discovered in different regions of the CIS (left-bank Ukraine, the Dnieper basin, areas of Bryansk, Voronezh, Irkutsk, etc.). Also in the Late Paleolithic era, there were more elongated and larger dwellings, consisting of oval dugouts seemingly attached to each other, with several hearths. At the end of the Late Paleolithic, temporary hunting camps and seasonal camps arose. In addition to dugouts, half-dugouts and above-ground dwellings with a frame made of the bones of large animals, temporary dwellings and huts were built.
In the Neolithic, the so-called During the “stone ax” period, semi-dugouts and dwellings were already built from wood, reeds, twigs and clay. The most developed type of buildings of the Neolithic period is pile buildings- buildings supported on wooden piles, which were usually erected over rivers and lakes in wetlands. The spread of this type of settlement is explained by defensive considerations, as well as the convenience of fishing in reservoirs. Pile buildings were erected in different territories, in Central Europe, in the CIS, also the so-called community houses(until recently, this type of dwelling - “pueblo” existed among the American Indians). Similar types of closed dwellings, inaccessible from the outside, were built in other parts of the world, where they used a polished stone axe. The main building material was wood. It is noteworthy that in large dwellings of a centric plan there were several household hearths and one large one in the center for ritual purposes. Subsequently, free-standing religious buildings were built - altars, and premises - temples. ()
IN northern Italy settlements were discovered (approximately 1800 BC) of a peculiar nature: circular platforms were built on pillars, on which huts were located. A wooden fence was erected around the village and a ditch was dug and filled with water.
Ancient fortified settlements dating back to the seventh-sixth millennium BC have been discovered in Anatolia. e. (Ch'atal Huyzek, Mersin, Hasilar). Only starting from the half of the third millennium BC. e. Neolithic culture from the Aegean region spreads to the northern and Western Europe along natural routes - the Danube with its basin and the Mediterranean Sea. ()
The beginning of architecture as an art appeared when not only the laws of necessity, but also the laws of beauty began to operate in construction. During the Bronze Age, in the middle of the second millennium BC. e. almost everywhere in Europe (in the territory modern Spain, France, northern Europe, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Belgium), and in China, Korea, India, along the Mediterranean coast, in Tunisia, Egypt and many other countries, monumental stone structures were erected from huge stone blocks - menhirs, dolmens , cromlechs, Cyclopean fortresses and settlements - the so-called megalithic architecture(Greek medas - big + lithos - stone). The purpose of these buildings was associated mainly with religious rites and memorable events.
Menhirs- these are vertically placed, usually unprocessed stones of considerable height, ritual monuments or monuments; they designated places for public ceremonies. Menhirs were placed alone or in groups, in some cases in long rows (the "alley" of menhirs in Brittany). Sometimes the tops of the menhirs end with an image of a head. Menhirs sometimes reached 20 m in height and 300 tons in weight. Sometimes menhirs are found in combination with dolmens.
Dolmen usually consists of two or four large vertical stones standing side by side supporting a horizontal rough-hewn stone slab (Denmark, Brittany). The dolmens were initially small in size - about 2 m in length and about 1.5 m in height, but later they were given larger sizes and sometimes an approach to them was arranged in the form of a stone gallery. They are often arranged to create long, corridor-like spaces. Dolmens most often served as sarcophagi, burial chambers for clan members, and at the same time as funerary monuments.
Cromlech, the most complex type of megalithic structure, was built from vertically installed stone pillars or slabs arranged in a circle, they were connected to each other by stone blocks also placed on top.
An outstanding building of this kind is Stonehenge near Salisbury in southern England, apparently created in the middle of the second millennium BC. BC are probably a primitive temple or theater. This cromlech consists of massive four- and eight-meter stones, placed vertically and forming a centric composition with a diameter of 30 m. Inside there are two rings of small stones, they are surrounded by stone pillars Stonehenge, forming several concentric circles: one of small menhirs, the other, the central one, of huge blocks covered in pairs with stone blocks. The center of the architectural composition is a rectangular slab. The stone blocks are carefully processed with stone tools, which indicates the skill and significant level of development of the people of that time, and their sense of spatial composition. The purpose of Stonehenge is not completely clear. Perhaps the middle part was a sanctuary, and the central stone slab was an altar. Mass burials were discovered around the monument. There is an assumption about the use of this cromlech for astronomical purposes; certain laws related to astronomy are also observed in the composition, which, however, was often found in the architecture of ancient centuries (Egypt, Central America). The two concentric stone circles around the sanctuary are the roads, the paths that flow around the sanctuary. It is believed that they were intended for holding equestrian competitions. ()
Deserves special attention log buildings(became widespread in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC - the beginning of the 1st millennium), in particular - mounds, - a common type of memorial structures. Their prototype was residential log houses. When constructing a mound, a powerful wooden frame with a wooden floor was first built in a pit, inside which a burial chamber was built - a log box. Sometimes the space between the two chambers was filled with stones. The chambers were covered with rolls of logs, which were covered with birch bark and bark. Then they covered it with earth, forming a mound, often of considerable height. A stone was thrown onto the top of the hill.
Log dwellings were the first step towards the creation of above-ground log wooden buildings; they were common among the Baltic, Finnish and Turkic tribes, as well as in the wooded regions of Central and Northern Europe. If stone and adobe houses were usually built round in plan, then from long logs laid horizontally, multifaceted buildings were obtained, which over time were transformed into one-room rectangular houses. There was a fireplace in the middle, with smoke coming out of a hole in the roof above it. A “front” was often set up in front of the entrance. In Northern Europe, only the foundations of such houses were found during excavations. This type of construction was later called "megaron", they formed the basis of Greek architecture, incl. Greek temple.()
Along with memorial and ritual buildings, in the later stages of the development of primitive society, new type architectural structures - stone and wood fortresses. Characteristic are the so-called Cyclopean fortresses, the walls of which are made of huge blocks of stone. In areas poor in stone, but abundant in forests, settlements spread - “fortifications”, fortified with log fences, earthen ramparts and ditches. Initially, the fortresses had one defensive wall; later, a second wall could be built inside the fortress around the citadel - the seat of the leader and the clan nobility. During the Iron Age (first millennium BC) in the Scythian state, the city of Scythian Naples was surrounded by a powerful fortress wall made of torn stone and clay mortar.()
Primitive architecture was the basis of the architecture of the early class states of the Ancient East.
A striking example of the architecture of ancient class societies that arose in Asia, Africa and other countries of the Ancient East, the geographical scope of which is very extensive, is the architecture of Ancient Egypt, which created grandiose monumental structures to the glory of the pharaohs.
The Neolithic era - the new Stone Age - was marked by the appearance of stone tools (axes, scrapers, knives, arrowheads and spears, and many others). This radically changed not only the methods of processing wood, but also played an important role in the development of agriculture, because it was easier and faster to cultivate the soil with durable stone tools, as well as clear new areas of land from trees.
At the same time, the first animals were domesticated by humans. Thus, the way of life of primitive man gradually improved. This was also facilitated by the transition to a sedentary lifestyle, which necessitated the construction of the first examples of the Neolithic, among which the following can be distinguished:
- adobe huts
- dugouts
- log cabins
- huts made of branches and twigs
The use of stone axes and fire made it possible to fell large trees and make solid solid logs from them, which were then used to build warm and durable buildings.
Types of Neolithic building materials
Of course, use as building material It was possible only in those places where forests grew in abundance, but in other areas other types of natural raw materials were used to build homes.
The building materials of the Neolithic era were very diverse. Residents of each locality built houses from the most accessible and widespread materials. Thus, the following types of materials were used for the construction and decoration of dwellings:
- natural
- stone and rocks
- tree branches and twigs
- logs from large trees
With the further improvement of tools, the construction technologies. Thus, a person’s work is gradually made easier.
Trypillian culture
Archaeologists discover buildings from the Stone Age in various places on our planet. In the Dnieper region (Ukraine), the remains of settlements were also discovered, the construction of which dates back to the 3rd - 2nd millennium BC. These are world-famous buildings of the Trypillian culture - standing at one of the highest stages of development of the Neolithic era.
Indeed, the high achievements of culture became known thanks to archaeological excavations on the territory of Ukraine, where different places The remains of ancient settlements of this amazing people were discovered.
Types of Neolithic dwellings
The further development of human society required the unity of the team to perform many functions - joint hunting and fishing, cultivating the land and building residential buildings. Therefore, the primitive people of the Neolithic era lived in large clan groups.
For this purpose, dwellings of a significant area were built in the form of a round hut, which could easily accommodate about a hundred people at the same time.
A similar site, dating back to the 4th millennium BC, was discovered by archaeologists on the banks of the Amu-Darya River (Turtkul region, Uzbekistan). The huge hut had an area of about 300 square meters. meters, and could easily accommodate the inhabitants of an entire primitive family.
However, the construction of large common dwellings was not the only achievement of the Stone Age. On the contrary, the variety of types of buildings of the Neolithic era still fascinates scientists today. And in fact, there are more than enough reasons for admiration - after all, the Neolithic era even had its own! Of course, its characteristic features can only be identified conditionally, but nevertheless, the buildings of the Stone Age already had their own characteristics, which became more and more noticeable over time.
Thus, there were parking lots, which included several separate very small dugouts, designed to accommodate 5 - 6 people. The dugouts were covered with a hut on top.
Stone Age Man's Dwelling - Reconstruction at the Archaeological Museum In the center of the structure there was a hearth for heating the home and cooking food - this is what the simple Neolithic era was like. But even such a primitive arrangement of housing was a significant step forward for ancient man.
Change social order, and the gradual separation of a paired family lead to the appearance of separate houses with a small area (up to 25 - 30 sq. meters).
In villages, such houses were located in different patterns. In particular, about the settlement of the Trypillian culture in the Kolomiya region (III - II millennium BC), it can be said that the buildings were located in the form of two concentric circles, which created some feeling of security for the inner part of the settlement, the central part of which remained free. Apparently, ritual rites were performed and celebrations were held in the center of the village.
Thus, we see that Neolithic architecture was quite diverse and varied. At the same time, buildings in different parts The lights differ from each other in their features, but are almost identical in functionality.
As you know, the list of the most famous ancient attractions of ancient culture includes only seven wonders. But we plucked up courage and included three more buildings in it that, in our opinion, are worthy of your attention. So.
Ajanta or Ajanta Caves is a Buddhist temple and monastery complex located near the village of the same name, 100 km northeast of the city of Aurangabad, Maharashtra state, India. It was discovered in 1839. It is a horseshoe-shaped cliff, in which, starting from the 2nd century BC. e. to the 5th century AD e. 30 (according to other sources 29) caves with columns, Buddha statues and world-famous wall paintings reflecting the life of India of that era were carved. This painting illustrating Buddhist legends and myths, is not only a work of art, but also a valuable historical source of knowledge about those times.
Newgrange
Newgrange - ancient building made of huge blocks of stone, one of the largest and oldest corridor tombs, built by man approximately between 3000 BC. e. - 2500 BC e. (older Great Pyramid at Giza and probably Stonehenge). Located 40.2 km north of the city of Dublin, approximately one kilometer north of the River Boyne, County Meath, Ireland. The height of the mound is 13.5 meters, diameter is 85 meters. Ancient people built it from 200,000 tons of stone, wood and earth. It is a large round mound inside, which contains a 19-meter stone corridor leading to burial chamber. Included in the list of the most mysterious attractions in the world.
Derinkuyu
Derinkuyu - ancient multi-level underground city, located near the city of the same name in the province of Nevsehir, Türkiye. It was built in the II-I millennium BC. e. Discovered in 1963. The underground city reaches a depth of 60 meters and in ancient times could shelter up to 20 thousand people along with food and livestock. Here people hid for centuries from raids by nomads, religious persecution and other dangers. Although the Derinkuyu underground city was intended as a temporary shelter, its scale is impressive. It includes numerous wine cellars, stables, basements, warehouses, refectories, chapels, numerous ventilation ducts, as well as a complex network of tunnels and corridors.
7 wonders ancient world
Alexandrian lighthouse- a lighthouse built according to the design of the architect Sostratus of Knidos approximately in 279-280. BC e. on the island of Pharos, near Alexandria in Egypt, so that ships could safely pass the reefs on their way to Alexandria Bay. According to estimates, its light was visible at a distance of 51 km (according to other sources, up to 83 km). It is assumed that the Alexandria Lighthouse was about 115–120 meters high and at that time was the most tall building in the world. In the 14th century, it was completely destroyed by an earthquake, and in its place, by order of the then Sultan of Egypt Qaitbay (1416/1418–1496), the Qait Bay fortress was erected, which today is a maritime museum.
The Colossus of Rhodes is a bronze statue of the ancient Greek sun god Helios built between 292 BC. e. - 280 BC e. in the harbor of the port city of Rhodes on the island of the same name in the Aegean Sea in Greece. It was built according to the design of the architect Chares, a student of Lysippos, in honor of the victory of the inhabitants of Rhodes over the ruler of Cyprus, Antigonus I One-Eye, who, together with his son and an army of 40,000 people, unsuccessfully besieged the city in 305 BC. The height of the statue is about 30 meters. It stood on a 10-meter pedestal and weighed, according to various estimates, from 30 to 70 tons. Compared to other wonders of the world, the Colossus of Rhodes “lived” a short life. About 50 years after its creation, it was completely destroyed by an earthquake and melted down.
In fifth place on the list is the “Mausoleum at Halicarnassus” - a tomb built between 353 and 350 BC. e. in Halicarnassus (modern city of Bodrum, Turkey) for the king of Caria Mausolus and his wife-sister Artemisia III. Famous craftsmen were involved in the construction and decoration of the tomb, including the famous sculptors Skopas, Briaxides, Timotheos and Leochares. The tomb of Mausolus was a majestic and unusually shaped building, built of brick and lined with white marble inside and out. The 45-meter-high mausoleum in Halicarnassus stood for approximately 19 centuries, but collapsed in the 13th century due to a strong earthquake.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia is an ancient Greek statue of Zeus that was located in the center of the temple of the same name at Olympia on the Peloponnese Peninsula. It was erected in the 5th century BC by the ancient Greek sculptor and architect Phidias. The statue of the god reached 12–13 meters in height and was made of wood (according to some sources, from cedar, according to others, from ebony). Parts made of ivory, gold and precious stones were attached to this wooden base using bronze and iron nails and special hooks. The circumstances surrounding the possible destruction of the statue are unknown. According to information from the Byzantine historian George Kedrin, it was transported to Constantinople, where it burned down during a fire in 476.
Temple of Artemis of Ephesus - a Greek temple located in the city of Ephesus, Asia Minor (near modern city Selcuk, Türkiye). It was dedicated to Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt. Temple built in the middle of the 6th century BC. e, was a rectangular building 105 meters long and 51 meters wide, consisting of marble and wood, and surrounded on all sides by a double row of 127 columns, the height of which was 18 meters. Throughout its existence, it was rebuilt three times until July 21, 356 BC. e. was not set on fire by Herostratus, a resident of Ephesus who dreamed of becoming famous at any cost.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, more correctly called the Hanging Gardens of Amytis, is the only one of the seven wonders of the world whose location has not been definitively established. It is assumed that hanging gardens were built around 575 BC. e. V ancient city Babylon (near the modern city of Hilla, in Iraq), by King Nebuchadnezzar II, for his wife Amytis, who missed the forests of her homeland. They are a pyramid consisting of four tiers-platforms supported by columns up to 25 m high. On these tiers, fertile soil lay in a thick carpet, where seeds of various herbs, flowers, shrubs, and trees native to Media were planted. The pyramid resembled an ever-blooming green hill. However, after in 331 BC. e. The troops of Alexander the Great captured Babylon, and the great commander himself died, the city gradually fell into decay. The gardens were abandoned and eventually destroyed.
The Pyramid of Cheops is the largest among Egyptian pyramids, the only one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" to survive to this day, and one of the most famous tombs in the world. The pyramid is located on the west bank of the Nile in Egypt on the Giza plateau, in close proximity to the famous “Great Sphinx”. The lion's share of Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built around 2560 BC. e. and is a tomb Egyptian pharaoh IV dynasty of Khufu (Cheops). It is believed that it was designed by the architect Hemion, the nephew of Cheops. Initially, the pyramid had a height of 146.5 m, but as a result of erosion, today its height is 138.75 m. The total weight of the pyramid is estimated at about 6.25 million tons, the area is ≈ 85,000 m².
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