Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World, The (2002)

Narrated by Pierce Brosnan

A journey back in time to see Seven Wondrous achievements constructed with simple tools and by human hands. See them as they first appeared and the stories of who built them and why?

The Pyramid of Giza (Giza, Egypt):
Of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World only the Pyramid of Giza stands. For 4,000 years the Pyramid of Khufu was the tallest structure in the world, using 2,000,000 blocks of stone.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon, Iraq):
A monument not to glory but to love by King Nebuchadnezzar for his homesick wife Amyitus. Magnificent groves, arched fountains, tumbling waterfalls in the desert- was this the place Alexander died trying to cool his fever?

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Olympia, Greece):
Awe-inspiring Olympian Zeus was seated in a Doric temple. If he were standing he would have been over 59 feet tall. Zeus was completely fashioned in Ivory but destroyed by fire in 462 AD.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Bodrum, Turkey):
Built to house the remains of Maussollos, ruler of Caria, it was a monumental structure standing 140 feet high. Completed by his sister-wife, Artemisia, it is the first attempt to bring together architecture and sculpture in a new relationship.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Ephesus, Turkey):
The largest temple ever built by ancient Greeks, constructed entirely of marble. A splendid shrine, home to the Earth Mother Artemis of the Ephesians, burned down by a pyromaniac seeking to immortalize his name.

The Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes, Greece):
This mysterious statue was a thank-offering to the Sun God Helios- the patron deity of Rhodes for the city's deliverance from a siege. A gigantic bronze figure 120 feet high, toppled by an earthquake in 226 BC.

The Pharos of Alexandria (Alexandria, Egypt:
A magnificent lighthouse, standing over 400 feet high, was designed and built to guide ships safely to the harbor of Alexandria. A huge fire was reflected from the top and could be seen 50 miles out to sea.

Edition Details
Distributor	Questar
Release Date	8/27/2002
Packaging	Keep Case
Screen Ratio	Standard 1.33:1 Color
Audio Tracks	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
Layers	Single Side, Dual Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes	1

Personal Details
Purchase Price	$24.99
Links	DVD Empire IMDB Amazon US Movie Collector Connect

What did they really look like?:
With the use of computer graphics, visual archive material and artists' conceptions, The Seven Wonders can be seen as they first appeared in their actual settings.

Alexander and The Seven Wonders:
Alexander had a strong link to all the wonders. He either saw five of them firsthand (Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse were built after his death), or he directly influenced them with his powerful personality. Ironically, and perhaps appropriately, he died in 323 BC while visiting the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Hard Hats and History:
A team of well known experts (Historians, architects, archaeologists, engineers,) including I.M. Pei's commentary on how these magnificent structures have influenced civilization throughout the centuries, even to what we create today.

The Seven Alternate Wonders:
Expanding on The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, there are seven other marvels around the globe which could qualify as "The Eighth Wonder." They are: the Parthenon, Petra, Jerusalem, The Colosseum, The Great Wall of China, The Clay Army, and Stonehenge.