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We’re continually blown away by the amazing advances taking place in our modern world, and it’s easy to forget that humankind has been performing minor engineering miracles since the dawn of time. Compare the tools and resources they had way back then, and you start to realise just how incredible their achievements were.
Engineering in ancient times:
- Egyptians built the pyramids and the first dam
- Carthaginians built siege engines and powerful ships
- Myceneans built palaces and the Trojan Horse
- Mesopotamians built canals to distribute water throughout the land
- Aztecs built carefully planned cities and irrigation systems
- Incans built their fortresses and temples without using mortar or lifting equipment
- Greeks built temples, houses, palaces and theatres
- Romans built roads, bridges and aquaducts
- Britons built Stone Henge and villas with central heating
- Saxons built churches and cathedrals
The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
1. The Great Pyramid of Giza
A gigantic stone structure near the ancient city of Memphis, serving as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II
3. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
An enormous statue of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias
4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
A beautiful temple in Asia Minor erected in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature
5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
A fascinating tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria
6. The Colossus of Rhodes
A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean Island
7. The Lighthouse of Alexandria
A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city
The Great Pyramid of Cheops built around 3,000 BC used 2,300,000 huge stone blocks, weighing 7 million tons in total and piled more than 15 metres high. And those Egyptians were clever - the pyramid’s design not only contained traps to keep out burglars, but served many scientific purposes too. The Great Pyramid was:
1. A stone computer – if you take the lengths of the sides, and their heights and angles, you can calculate many different things. The pyramid will tell you how to work out the distance round the outside of a circle if you know the distance across it.
2. Used by the Egyptians to work out the distance the Earth travels round the sun, and the speed of light.
3. An observatory for watching and recording the movement of the stars.
4. A giant calendar - the Egyptians could use it to measure the length of a year to three decimal places.
5. A sundial - the shadow fell on pavements which were marked with the day of the year and the hour of the day.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens probably did not really "hang" like something suspended from cables or ropes. The name comes from an inexact translation of the Greek word kremastos, which means "overhanging" like a terrace or balcony. Babylon rarely received rain and for the garden to survive it would have to have been irrigated using water from the nearby Euphrates River. That meant lifting the water far into the air so it could flow down through the terraces, watering the plants at each level. This was probably done by means of a "chain pump" powered by slaves. 2 large wheels one above the other were connected by a chain, on which buckets hung. The buckets would dip into a pool at the bottom, run up the chain to dump their load into the top pool, where the water would be released by gates into channels that acted as artificial irrigation streams.
In Ancient Greece, Zeus ruled over the gods from his exalted throne atop Mount Olympus. He saw everything, rewarded good, punished evil, governed all and was the bringer of thunder and lightning, rain and winds, and the protector of cities and homes. His 15-metre statue was the most famous artistic work in all of Greece and presided over the Olympic Games until 393 AD, when the Roman Emperor Theodosius I abolished them because of their pagan associations. The fate of the statue is unknown.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Massive doesn’t begin to describe it! Built in Ephesus near modern day Selcuk in Turkey about 560 B.C, the temple was rectangular in shape, approximately 80 m x 130 m. 127 marble pillars held up the roof, each 20 metres high and arranged around the perimeter of the building. The base of the pillars was decorated with extensive carvings and artwork. The temple was burned down the same year Alexander the Great was born, and rebuilt twice, but finally torn down permanently in 401 A.D.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Halicarnassus (modern day Bodrum in Turkey) was once considered a part of Caria in the Persian Empire. Like many rulers in history Caria's King Mausolus was preoccupied with his own death and wanted to build a great tower that would be his tomb and forever remind people of his greatness. The structure towered over everything else in the city, but he never saw it finished. Mausolus died during its construction but was survived by his wife who ensured its completion. The tower stood for 1800 years before being toppled by an earthquake in the 1400's AD.
The eastern Mediterranean island of Rhodes was frequently attacked by navies of rival islands. One siege by the Greeks in the end of the 4th Century BC dragged on for a year before the Greeks finally abandoned their attack and left the citizens of Rhodes in peace. Wishing to celebrate this victory, the citizens of Rhodes chose to build a giant statue of Helos, their God of the Sun and protector. The huge bronze sculpture in human form was completed in 280 BC, using leftover weapons and hardware from the Greeks. A popular myth was that he stood so tall, his legs straddled the harbor and ships sailed beneath him – an impossibility, considering he was only a bit more than 33 metres tall and the harbour was over 330 metres wide.
The Lighthouse was built around 280 BC - a fascinating monument but also a working structure that was legendary in its time. A very tall structure for that period, it is believed to have been between 120 and 130 metres high – that’s about 38 floors. It had a powerful light and was in service for over 1300 years before being toppled by an earthquake in the 14th century AD. Its foundation was cleared and a fort now stands where the Pharos once stood.