The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

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Summary: Competent Presentation of the Seven Ancient Wonders
Review: Clayton's "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" as a compilation of seven essays by classics scholars describing variously the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Pharos at Alexandria, the Mausoleum, the Temple of Artemis and the Statue of Zeus. Although the illustrations are wonderful and the essays very thorough, they vary in terms of driness - some very witty and some less so. Nevertheless each of them seems to get all their facts right, and there is always an interesting follow-up to explain the present fate of each "wonder".

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Summary: Concise and informative
Review: Places each of the seven wonders into historical context without being tedious or overwrought. Amaze people at parties by challenging them to name all seven- no one can do it

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Summary: great reading in history
Review: The chapters in this book describe the seven wonders of the ancient world - the Great Pyramids at Giza, the Hanging Gardens at Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos (Lighthouse) at Alexandria. Their history, location, purpose, building and description are provided along with many illustrations and drawings. The last chapter gives a list of other monuments which could be considered wonders, and tells why the actual seven wonders of the ancient world were chosen. Recommended reading for all interested in history.

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Summary: One of the Most Complete Ever
Review: The Seven Wonders of The Ancient World is one of the most complete and illustrative books that I have ever read on the subject. Each chapter explains in detail one of these seven ancient monuments, starting with it's history, location, purpose, building and description; and ending in how they came to be no more or the way the sites still stand in our day. The pictures included within the text also tell us, besides the description of the monument, a little bit about the way that archaeology reconstructed the pieces to the puzzling appearance of some of these monuments and the way archaeologists interpreted ancient accounts of people that lived to see these wonders in their heyday. The book also contains two chapters in which the authors describe others lists of seven wonders and the way the lists that we know today came to be chosen. The task of the authors in putting together in one book all the information of these seven wonders is a remarkable work of scholarship given to the fact that six of these seven monuments no longer exist and the great number of different accounts that do and shouldn't, but don't exist. This is a must-read book for all of those interested in archaeology, history or ancient civilizations.

Rating:
Summary: The Most Complete Ever!
Review: The Seven Wonders of The Ancient World is one of the most complete and illustrative books that I have ever read on the subject. Even the 1990 reprint, going on 13 years without a revision, is still accurate. Each chapter explains in detail one of these seven ancient monuments, starting with it's history, location, purpose, construction and description; and ending in a vivid account on how they came to be no more or the way the sites still stand today. The images included within the text also show us, besides conceptual pictures of the monuments through the ages, a glimpse of the way that archaeology reconstructed the pieces to the puzzling appearance of some of these monuments and the way archaeologists interpreted ancient accounts of people that lived to see these wonders in their heyday. The book also contains two chapters in which the authors describe other lists of ancient wonders and the way those lists that we know today came to be created. The task of the authors in putting together in one book all the information of these seven wonders is a remarkable work of scholarship, mostly given to the fact that six of these seven monuments no longer exist and the great number of different accounts that survived to our day instead. This is a must-read book for all of those interested in archaeology, history or ancient civilizations.

Rating:
Summary: Fun bit of history
Review: This book should enjoy wide appeal, and particularly interest the armchair archaeologist lurking in all of us. Everyone has heard that there are 7 wonders of the world, although fewer know what they were and fewer know anything about them. This book is a great starting point to jump into the subject, combining the few documents describing the wonders with commentary, modern archaeological evidence, illustrations, and even some speculation. A very good introduction for someone with a sense of wonder, the love of travel, and a fascination with the past.

Rating:
Summary: Fun bit of history
Review: This book should enjoy wide appeal, and particularly interest the armchair archaeologist lurking in all of us. Everyone has heard that there are 7 wonders of the world, although fewer know what they were and fewer know anything about them. This book is a great starting point to jump into the subject, combining the few documents describing the wonders with commentary, modern archaeological evidence, illustrations, and even some speculation. A very good introduction for someone with a sense of wonder, the love of travel, and a fascination with the past.

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Summary: Quick, What Was Number Four?
Review: This is a series of entertaining and erudite essays, one for each of the classical seven wonders, as well as a discussion of some wonders which didn't make the list, or didn't make the final cut. While some remains of the other six wonders have been recovered in recent centuries, as everyone must know the Great Pyramid is the only one which survives. Curiously, Herodotus wondered at the city of Babylon, and of the wonders he saw in Egypt named the Middle Kingdom complex near Faiyum.

This is a nice book for ancient history lovers and students. See also "The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World: The Great Monuments and How They Were Built" ed. by Christopher Scarre