The Seven Wonders of the World: A History of the Modern Imagination by John Romer
The seven wonders of the ancient world symbolize all that was magnificent and mysterious in the pre-Christian West. Using the words of ancient writers and modern archaeological techniques, John and Elizabeth Romer recreate the images of these lost monuments. This book tells the story of the archaeology of wonder - stories of the travellers and scholars who came into contact with these seven ancient monuments, the stories of the wonders themselves, and the histories of their making and breaking. It traces the archaeological hunt to find the seven wonders, from the earliest digs to the latest discoveries of current excavations. It also includes translations of the accounts of those who sailed the seas and rivers of the ancient world to walk among the seven fabled monuments and wonder at them.