Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
rich Schliemann (1822-1890), the self-trained son of a poor Protestant minister from a village in north-
ern Germany. He was convinced Troy was buried near Hisarlik, located south of the Dardanelles (Çana-
kkale Bogazi in Turkish), a narrow strait that connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. While Sch-
liemann's digs at Hisarlik certainly uncovered the site of Troy, he mistakenly dug through several layers of
Troys, even passing through the one he was looking for. Eventually, eight layers, built one on top of anoth-
er, were excavated. The earliest site, Troy I, dates from around 3000
BC.
The next level, Troy II, contained
an imposing fortress, and its inhabitants apparently made wide trade contacts. Its famous treasure of gold,
copper, and bronze indicates a wealthy community. Troy VI, dated around 2000-1300
BC
, had a citadel
surrounded by huge limestone walls and large houses built on terraces. It was apparently destroyed by an
earthquake.
Homeric Troy was probably the rebuilt Troy VII. It was shown to have been looted and destroyed by
fire.
What Were the Seven Wonders of Antiquity?
Some may have existed only in myth and legend, perhaps real objects embellished by generations of tall
tales. Some are still standing. Pieces of others are preserved as relics in museums. These seven places were
listed by Greek writers as the greatest structures of the ancient world. All seven would have been as well
known in the world before the time of Christ as the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal,
or the Sistine Chapel are today, landmarks instantly recognizable to educated people.
The Pyramids of Giza
The only one of the wonders still standing, the three great pyramids of Egypt,
located outside modern Cairo, were built about forty-six hundred years ago. The largest pyramid, built by
Khufu (or Cheops) had an estimated original height of 482 feet (it has eroded to approximately 450 feet).
The sides of the base average 755 feet (230.12 meters) in length. The Great Pyramid was built of more than
two million blocks, each weighing about two and a half tons. Its builders were able to align it as a nearly
perfect square with the sides almost precisely facing the four cardinal points of the compass. The second
pyramid, only slightly smaller, was built for Pharaoh Chephren. The third and smallest is the Pyramid of
Mycerinus. In addition to the Giza pyramids, the nearby Sphinx, cut from solid rock, is another of Giza's
extraordinary features. It bears the head of the Pharaoh on top of the body of a lion.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The glory that once was Babylon has been reduced to a few ruins
near the Euphrates River in Iraq. But four thousand years ago, Babylon was the capital of one of the great
empires of the ancient world. With the defeat of the Assyrians around 626
BC
, Babylon became the capital
under two emperors, Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar II (circa 630-562
BC
). Nebuchadnezzar's
wife, Anuhia, was the daughter of the Persian king, and according to legend, she missed the hills of her
Persian homeland. To appease his queen, Nebuchadnezzar II had the Hanging Gardens constructed about
600
BC.
If reports of their height and beauty can be accepted, this series of terraced gardens rising to a height
of 328 feet (100 meters)—three-quarters of the height of the Great Pyramid—was an extraordinary archi-
tectural and engineering accomplishment. Wells and hydraulic pumps manned by slaves raised the water
needed to maintain the gardens' splendor.
Besides having built the gardens, Nebuchadnezzar II is notorious as the Babylonian ruler who partially
captured Jerusalem in 597
BC
and then destroyed the city, taking thousands of Jews captive to Babylon in
the year 586
BC.
But in 539
BC
, twenty-two years after Nebuchadnezzar's death, the Persian King Cyrus
conquered Babylon.
