preeminent architectural and sculptural achievements of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, as listed by various observers. The best known are those of the 2nd-century-BC writer Antipater of Sidon and of a later but unknown observer of the 2nd century BC who claimed to be the mathematician Philon of Byzantium. Included on the list in its eventual form were the following:

Statue of Zeus (Zeus, Statue of) at Olympia, a large, ornate figure of the god on his throne, made about 430 BC by Phidias of Athens.

Temple of Artemis (Artemis, Temple of) at Ephesus, a structure famous for its imposing size and for the works of art that adorned it.

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (Halicarnassus, Mausoleum of), monumental tomb of the Anatolian king Mausolus built by his widow Artemisia (Artemisia II).

Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes, Colossus of), a huge bronze statue built at the harbour of Rhodes in commemoration of the raising of the siege of Rhodes (305–304 BC).

Some early lists included the Walls of Babylon or the Palace of King Cyrus of Persia in place of one of the sites noted above.

(See also Artemis, Temple of; Rhodes, Colossus of; Giza, Pyramids of; Hanging Gardens of Babylon; Halicarnassus, Mausoleum of; Pharos of Alexandria; Zeus, Statue of.)

The seven wonders of Greco-Roman antiquity inspired the compilation of many other lists of attractions, both natural and man-made, by successive generations. Among such lists, all of which are limited to seven “wonders,” are the (architectural) wonders of the Middle Ages, the natural wonders of the world, the natural wonders of the United States, the (architectural) wonders of the modern world, and the wonders of American engineering.