Evgeny Kazantsev is a digital artist who specializes in corporate identity, advertising, illustrations and concept. He was commissioned to illustrate how various ancient wonders of the world would look if they were rebuilt in the world today.
The illustrations were used for Gefest Insurance’s annual calendar in 2009. All photos were created by Evgeny through Burjui and Bang! Bang!.
Note: These aren’t the official Seven Wonders. Just wonders.
1. The Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel was mentioned in the Book of Genesis as a structure whose top “reached towards the heavens”. The artist clearly took some artistic freedom here, but if the tower were created true to its description, it would shame the modern skyscrapers of the world today.
2. The Parthenon
The Parthenon was a temple on the Athenian Acropolis in Greece. It was dedicated to the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, craft, and war. Ruins of the Parthenon remain, but the site today is nowhere near its former glory.
3. The Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes is one of official Seven Ancient Wonders of the World and was located on the Greek island of Rhodes. The statue depicted the Greek God of the Sun, Helios, and was built to commemorate Rhodes’ victory over Cyprus.
The Colossus stood over 98 feet tall – making it one of the tallest statues in the ancient world. The Colossus stood for approximately 50 years before it was destroyed by an earthquake, but the imposing ruins continued to draw visitors for hundreds of years before it was eventually used for scrap metal.
READ MORE: Watch These 7 ancient ruins reconstructed with Architectural GIFs
4. Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Legend claims the hanging gardens were constructed by Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife, Queen Amytis, to remind her of the fertile hills and valleys of her home, Medes (Modern Iran). No archaeological proof has been found, but we have Greek and Roman writings describing the massive size of the gardens.
5. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant statue of Zeus, the Greek God of sky and thunder. The statue stood around 42 feet tall and was crafted from gold, ebony and precious stones.
The statue was built in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia by the sculptor Phidias around 435 BC. It was eventually destroyed around 425-475 AD when the temple burned down.
6. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a large tomb built between 353 and 350 BC in present day Bodrum, Turkey. Created to house the remains of Mausolus, a satrap of the Persian Empire, and his family, the tomb was approximately 150 feet tall and ruins remain today.
7. The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis was a large temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis located in modern day Turkey. The final version of the temple included 127 columns, was 450 feet long, 225 feet wide and 60 feet tall. Ruins of the temple are still visible today.
8. Petra, the Mountain City
Petra is an ancient city carved into mountains in Southern Jordan.
Petra still exists today and is Jordan’s most popular tourist destination, but fortunately there isn’t a major highway running through it – yet. The area is under threat from unsustainable tourism, despite the fact that UNESCO describes Petra as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.”
9. Istanbul Observatory of Taqi ad-Din
The Taqi ad-Din observatory was the largest astronomical observatory built in the Islamic world. It was constructed in Istanbul in 1577, but only stood for three years until it was eventually destroyed by opponents of astronomy.
10. The Great Sphinx of Giza
The Sphinx is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing at 66 feet tall and 241 feet long. The nose of the Sphinx is famously broken, but this image gives you a good idea of what it may look like if it was restored to its former glory.
For more information on Evgeny’s work check out his Behanced page or email him at zamenabatareek@gmail.com