Although the ancient world left little written record, the evidence we have paints it as far more advanced and culturally rich than many would expect. From the Phoenicians in Mesopotamia to the Maya in Central America, technological advances and complex theories have advanced ancient civilizations. Great thinkers of that period like Socrates (other great thinkers) have left huge traces in the literary world. Great scientists like Copernicus (other great scientists) developed theories that provided the foundation for more modern thinking. By combining their technology with ours, we find their results truly surprising. Their buildings, remarkably constructed without cranes, bulldozers or assembly lines, rival our greatest and create great wonder in our culture. Chief among their architectural feats, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World constantly remind us of the splendors and advancements of ancient cultures. These monuments, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus in Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria or the Walls of Babylon according to list, have left testimony to the magnificence of the ancient world. Understanding the history of the entire group as well as the history of individual places creates gratitude and reverence for our ancient ancestors. Herodotus created the first list of wonders in the 5th century BC but gained little notoriety for the feat and inspired few subsequent lists. Its written record, a list that mirrors the one above with the exception of the replacement of the Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Lighthouse, was destroyed with the exception of references in the fire or... center of paper... s. To do this, they commissioned Phidias, the chief sculptor of the Parthenon, to build a statue that paid homage to this god, Zeus. Using an innovative method devised by Phidias himself, he built a wooden skeleton in the shape intended for the statue and ordered the workers to adorn it (Woods and Woods, Seven Wonders 56-57). Sheets of iron and gold were cut and shaped to cover the wooden structure. Looming over the Temple of Zeus, the statue rose 40 feet into the air and was a full 22 feet wide. The statue of Zeus depicts him sitting on a magnificent throne, with his head touching the ceiling. The ancient historian Strabo criticized the proportions of the statue, claiming that Phidias “depicted Zeus seated, but with his head almost touching the ceiling, so as to have the impression that if Zeus had moved to stand up he would have uncovered the roof of the temple. . .” (Unnatural Museum).