The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World have captured the imagination of historians and history lovers alike for thousands of years, and rightly so. From the Great Pyramid of Giza to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the impressive Statue of Zeus at Olympia, to the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus to the mysterious Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, each of the Seven Wonders represents an incredible feat of human engineering, ingenuity and imagination.
Now, British author and historian Bettany Hughes brings to life the world of these marvels in her three-part documentary series Bettany Hughes: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Based on her acclaimed book of the same name, the series sees Hughes on a mission to reframe our understanding of these awe-inspiring sites.
Bettany Hughes in 'Seven Wonders of The Ancient World'. Credit: Sandstone Global Productions
“I spent seven years writing that book about them, and I’d visited all the places to write the book, but I hadn’t done that thing of standing and staring at exactly their height and scale,” she tells SBS.
“The original list was basically a travel guide, and I wanted to do it that way (in the documentary) to make the point that these were places people really visited in real time.”
Though they are often thought of as distinct sites, with their own unique stories, making this connection between the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is an important part of Hughes’ adventure. Buoyed by new archaeological evidence, and with the benefit of highly sophisticated technology, Hughes travels across the Middle East and Mediterranean in search of new understanding about these elusive architectural marvels.
“If you say the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, people imagine that they are all over the place, and some of them are made up or fantasies, but these are real places,” Hughes explains.
...because we can use this amazing technology, I can stand there and watch each of the Seven Wonders being built.
“Of all the Seven Wonders, it’s really only the Great Pyramid that still stands intact, but because we can use this amazing technology, I can stand there and watch each of the Seven Wonders being built.”
Using cutting-edge graphics technology, the show brings back to life key parts of many of these wonders, as they were built or as they would have been looked to the people of the time.
As Hughes attempts to locate the sites of some of the wonders, and meets locals who offer a wealth of knowledge about their construction and destruction, viewers are afforded a never-before-seen look at the ancient world alive and tangible in contemporary society thanks to exclusive access to new digs and discoveries. The monumental effort it took to build the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is given centre stage, but so too is a discussion of what these incredible creations meant to the people of the past, and why they still resonate with us today.
Bettany Hughes explores the historical significance of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Turkey. Credit: Sandstone Global Productions
It’s this enduring fascination surrounding them that Hughes takes much joy in indulging, and each of the Seven Wonders gets its moment in the spotlight. Ask Hughes to choose her favourite of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, however, and the obvious passion for these ancient civilisations that sets her documentaries apart is clear.
“I love them all!” Hughes tells SBS.
“The pyramid never ceases to strike me dumb with awe. It’s 2.3 million limestone blocks, it weighs 6.5 million tonnes, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the interior of the pyramid, so it’s totally wonderful to visit.”
There is one ancient site, however, that Hughes says has a special fascination and significance for her thanks to its involvement in the lives of some of the ancient world’s most prominent figures.
“The one I feel protective of because people often forget about it is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus,” Hughes shares.
“I love it because it was created for this feisty, ferocious goddess and I also love it because it was a place that gave real sanctuary to real people. Some of the assassins of Julius Caesar fled there, Cleopatra’s sister fled there, so it was a place that gave protection.”
“That’s a lovely thing that doesn’t happen often in the ancient world. It can be a pretty macho place.”
Though the existence of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World has been up for debate, and nearly all have been destroyed by natural disasters and indeed time itself, Hughes affirms their value as windows to the world of ancient humanity. The documentary is not a quest to prove that they were real, but rather a lens through which to view them with new clarity and appreciation.
“For me, it’s not so much about proving the myths are real, but it’s finding the kernels of truth within them,” Hughes tells SBS.
“After all, the origins of myths are often history.”
Three-part series Seven Wonders of the Ancient World starts 7.30 pm 12 October on SBS and SBS On Demand, with new episodes weekly.
Stream free On Demand
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
series • history
PG
series • history
PG
MORE TRAVEL WITH BETTANY HUGHES
Join British historian Bettany Hughes as she rediscovers the global superpower history forgot
