Prompt Cast
Ancient Wonders of the World: From the Statue of Zeus to the Lighthouse of Alexandria
TLDR This podcast episode explores the fascinating history of the ancient wonders of the world, including the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum at Heliconisus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. These incredible structures, although mostly destroyed or lost to time, continue to captivate our imagination and serve as a testament to the ingenuity and skill of ancient civilizations.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The episode begins with ads for the Capital One Venture X card and Discover card, followed by announcements about upcoming live shows in San Francisco and Seattle, and then the hosts discuss movies they have seen and recommend.
04:29
The second part of the episode discusses the statue of Zeus at Olympia, which was a 68-foot-tall temple with a statue made of ivory and gold, commissioned by the Greek artist Phidias and took eight years to complete.
09:21
The statue of Zeus at Olympia was seated on a throne, holding a statue of Nike in one hand and a scepter in the other, and had an intimidating expression on his face, but the statue was eventually moved to Constantinople where it was destroyed in a fire.
14:06
The coins found at the Temple of Artemis may have served as souvenirs for ancient tourists.
19:24
The Mausoleum at Heliconisus stood for hundreds of years after the city fell to ruin, and eventually the ruins were incorporated into the Knights of St. John's castle in the nearby city of Bodrum.
24:19
The sculpture of Mausolus in Artemisia was protected by rubble after an earthquake toppled it, and it was eventually excavated in the 19th century and is now in the British Museum, possibly due to the earthquake protecting it from being looted by the Knights of St. John.
29:13
The Colossus of Rhodes fell 53 years after it was built, and it remained as a tourist attraction for almost a thousand years before being sold for scrap metal.
33:50
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, the youngest of the ancient wonders, was unique because it had a practical use and served as a symbol for the island of Pharos.
38:48
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, built around 285 BC, was 450 feet tall, had a polished disc on top to reflect sunlight during the day, and a fire burning at night, and it helped boost the economy of Alexandria by improving navigation.
43:27
The Lighthouse of Alexandria survived a tsunami in 365 CE, but was eventually destroyed by earthquakes in 1303 and was later reused as a fort, with original blocks and statues from the lighthouse being found in an underwater expedition in 1994.
Categories:
Society & Culture
