From the Colossus of Rhodes to the Statue of Zeus: AI reimagines how ancient Seven Wonders of the World that were destroyed by war and natural disasters thousands of years ago would look like today
Imagine the Colossus of Rhodes, the Statue of Zeus and the other ancient Seven Wonders of the World standing just as they did thousands of years ago when they were first built.
Artificial intelligence has done just that, recreating every historical structure of modern society with bustling tourists taking photos with smartphones.
Today, of the original seven, only one has survived, the rest were lost over time due to wars, the destruction of civilizations and natural disasters.
But with the help of Midjourney’s view generator, AI brought them back from the dead, allowing the world to look at them in a new way.
The Colossus of Rhodes
Ancient artwork depicting the Colossus of Rhodes shows the statue standing on either side of the harbor entrance, but researchers have concluded that such a feat would be impossible. Instead, the god stood on a pedestal at the entrance to the harbor, welcoming incoming ships.
It was a stunning feat of engineering and construction, with the statue towering 100 feet above the Rhodes harbor.
The giant statue, which took about 12 years to build, was made from bronze plates and depicted the Greek sun god Helios.
Ancient artwork depicting the Colossus of Rhodes shows the statue standing on either side of the harbor entrance, but researchers have concluded that such a feat would be impossible.
Instead, the god stood on a pedestal at the entrance to the harbor, welcoming incoming ships.
The earthquake led to the demise of the statute, which lasted less than a century after its completion in 282 BC.
Great Pyramid of Giza
The AI recreated the pyramid in its original form, topping it with sparkling white limestone that has since been lost.
The only surviving relic of the ancient world is in Egypt and is still one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.
The ancient Egyptians spent 20 years laying stones weighing up to 2.5 tons each, which were dragged by enslaved people on the orders of Pharaoh Khufu.
The AI recreated the pyramid in its original form, capping it with sparkling white limestone that has since been lost.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
According to legend, the gardens were located about 50 miles south of Baghdad in Iraq. The gardens were thought to date back to 600 BC and had terraces 65 feet high.
According to ancient texts, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon boasted elaborate terraces, magnificent water features and floating plants.
However, stories are the only evidence of the existence of a lush oasis.
One text explicitly states that the Babylonian Emperor Nebuchadnezzar built gardens in the Babylonian province of Iraq for his wife Amyitis.
However, not a single text written by the emperor or his wife mentioned them.
According to legend, the gardens were located about 50 miles south of Baghdad in Iraq.
The gardens were thought to date back to 600 BC and had terraces 65 feet high.
If the gardens actually existed, they would have been demolished after they were conquered by the Achaemenid Empire in 539 BC.
Zeus statue in Olympia
A 40-foot-tall ivory Zeus sat on a throne inside an air temple, just as he appeared in the AI-generated image, but with tourists sitting around him.
Olympia built a statue of the ruler of the gods in an effort to outshine the city’s rivals, the Athenians.
A 40-foot ivory Zeus sat on a throne inside an air temple, just as he appeared in the AI-generated image, but with tourists sitting around him.
Records show that the massive statue was destroyed during a fire in Constantinople in 426 AD.
Alexandrian lighthouse
It was a complex structure designed to demonstrate the power of global intellectual capital while revealing its mathematical and geometric underpinnings.
The most famous lighthouse of antiquity once stood over 350 feet high on the island of Pharos in Alexandria Harbor in ancient Egypt.
It was a complex structure designed to demonstrate the power of the world’s intellectual capital while simultaneously revealing its mathematical and geometric underpinnings.
Sostratus of Cnidus designed the burning fire to sit on top of a cylindrical tower, an octagonal middle and a square base.
After a series of earthquakes in the Middle Ages, it fell into decay and ruins.
mausoleum in Halicarnassus
The structure was a mixture of Greek, Middle Eastern and Egyptian design principles, made of Anatolian and Pentelic marble.
The tomb was built for Mausolus, the ruler of Caria, an ancient region of Asia Minor.
The building was so impressive that the late king’s name became a common word for significant funerary monuments.
The structure was a mixture of Greek, Middle Eastern and Egyptian design principles embodied in Anatolian and Pentelic marble.
During the excavation of the tomb, the sacrificial remains of oxen, sheep and birds were taken away as the remains of the “seen-off” feast of the permanent tenant of the Mausoleum.
Built in 350 BC in what is now Turkey, it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes in the 13th century.
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Artemis is the Greek goddess of chastity, hunting, wild animals, forests and fertility. The building was built and destroyed three times.
Artemis is the Greek goddess of chastity, hunting, wild animals, forests and fertility. This building was built and destroyed three times.
It was first destroyed by Herostratus, who burned it to become famous.
Next came the Goths, who destroyed the city as they passed through from the Romans.
Finally, in 401 AD, a Christian mob destroyed it, leaving only the foundations and one column, which can still be seen today.