The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World: The Great Monuments and How They Were Built

Download or read book The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World: The Great Monuments and How They Were Built written by Chris Scarre and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2024-09-24 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Expands on the traditional "Seven Wonders" to examine an impressive number of ancient marvels from around the globe. How were the ancient wonders of the world built? How many people did it take to build the Great Wall of China or the Sphinx at Giza? The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World answers these and many more questions, examining antiquity's most spectacular feats of engineering and celebrating the achievements of the builders who worked without the aid of modern technology. Expanding upon the theme of the traditional Seven Wonders, The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World incorporates marvels from around the globe, spanning the centuries from the first stone monuments of the fifth millennium BCE to the Great Temple of the Aztecs in the sixteenth century CE. Lesser-known monuments as well as famous sites are explored in detail, such as the giant stelae of Aksum and the mountain palace at Sigiriya. The raising of the stones at Stonehenge, the laying out of the Nazca Lines on the face of the Peruvian desert are all described and explained by an international team of experts. Packed with fact files, this is a testament to the skill of the ancient architects and engineers who continue to impress successive generations down the ages. Recently updated and in a new accessible paperback format.