Scan barcode
emibutton's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Wonderful introduction to the 7 wonders of the world.
readwithvicky's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
Bethany Hughes’ "The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" was like a time-traveling adventure, mixing cool historical facts with personal perspective. She doesn’t just talk about the pyramids or the magical Hanging Gardens—she paints a picture of the people who lived back then, too. She dives deep into the cultures that built these wonders (which I loved). My personal favorite part was this song found near one of the sites that reads, “while you live, shine, have no grief at all”— I love this! Even though this book is packed with historical facts, it’s actually a blast for anyone who loves a good story, whether you’re a hardcore history buff or just curious about the past. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
miacgriffin's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
shanaqui's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
It took me a while to properly get into Bettany Hughes' The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and I'm not quite sure why. In many ways it's right up my street, after all, telling a bit of a history of Babylonia, Greece, Egypt, and other lands in that area, and the afterlife of their cultures as well. But I think it was just a bit slower and more lingering than I was in the mood for at first -- and certainly I came to appreciate it as I got into the pace of the book, and to appreciate that it carefully puts each of the wonders into their context. Rather than just talking about "Ancient Greece", Hughes is careful to contextualise the different peoples (and the rivalries between them), rather than lump everyone into a big group.
Sometimes it does feel a bit frustrating: could the Hanging Gardens be X? Could they be Y? Maybe they're none of those things and they're actually Z? But of course Hughes isn't to blame for the fragmentary evidence we have, and she does a pretty good job at teasing out the implications of what data we do have.
I do also very much appreciate the time Hughes spent on picking apart the afterlife of the Wonders: what can be seen of them today, what fragments might remain, and the ways later civilisations have copied and reflected them.
So, all in all, a slow read, but a worthwhile one if you're interested in the ancient civilisations in that area of the world. Of course it misses out many wonders, particularly ones less central to Western imaginations, but that's because the very premise is based on an ancient and semi-local list. Still, maybe a more focused title would be nice... there's a lot of "ancient world" that isn't included in this book at all.
Sometimes it does feel a bit frustrating: could the Hanging Gardens be X? Could they be Y? Maybe they're none of those things and they're actually Z? But of course Hughes isn't to blame for the fragmentary evidence we have, and she does a pretty good job at teasing out the implications of what data we do have.
I do also very much appreciate the time Hughes spent on picking apart the afterlife of the Wonders: what can be seen of them today, what fragments might remain, and the ways later civilisations have copied and reflected them.
So, all in all, a slow read, but a worthwhile one if you're interested in the ancient civilisations in that area of the world. Of course it misses out many wonders, particularly ones less central to Western imaginations, but that's because the very premise is based on an ancient and semi-local list. Still, maybe a more focused title would be nice... there's a lot of "ancient world" that isn't included in this book at all.
bookfever's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was one of my most anticipated books of 2024. I felt really lucky that the release date was in January because the wait would've been horrible. It's only my second book by Bettany Hughes (the first one being her book on Venus and Aphrodite which I also highly recommend) but it didn't came as a surprise that I ended up loving the book. I already knew what the seven wonders of the ancient world were but I had never actually come across a book about them until now. It was really amazing to read about all of these wonders. I often ended up reading past my bedtime because I just needed to finish the chapter I was in. I just love ancient history so damn much!
The seven wonders of the ancient world were: the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Iraq, the Temple of Artemis in Turkey, the statue of Zeus at Olympia in Greece, the mausoleum of Halikarnassos in Turkey, the Colossus at Rhodes in Greece and the Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt. Only the Great Pyramid is still standing but we do know where the other wonders would've been located. I knew about all seven of these wonders but aside from the Great Pyramid at Giza I didn't know too much about them or their intricate histories. This is why I'm so glad that Bettany Hughes wrote this book and did a deep dive about them. She even visited all of the places where the wonders are (the Great Pyramid) and would've been (the others) located.
Initially I would've thought that the Great Pyramid at Giza or the Lighthouse of Alexandria would be my favorites to read about since I'm a huge Egyptophile but the chapter on the mausoleum of Halikarnassos ended up being my favorite. This came as a surprise but the history of the mausoleum and the dynasty that build it was very fascinating. Now all I want to do is find more literature about it. Second place would go to the Temple of Artemis. It was also super interesting to read and learn more about. I could clearly go on like this but yes, those two chapters definitely stood out to me. Another thing I loved was learning that Alexander the Great visited all of these seven wonders in his short but frenzied life. Quite a feat, if you ask me!
Needless to say, you could really tell that the author did amazing research. In the book it was mentioned, if I remember correctly, that she was writing the book in 2019 but she also visited the various sites where the wonders would've been. The descriptions is what makes this book really stand out because I could absolutely imagine all of the wonders in my mind's eye even though there are only artistic renderings of them (aside from the Great Pyramid, of course). The only reason why I didn't give it an extra star and make it a 5 star rating is that some chapters could be quite dense with not always the easiest words used. Even for me, who's been reading nonfiction like this for years it sometimes became a little heavy. Other than that I have no negative remarks at all.
Overall, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes was quite a riveting ride. I loved learning about all of these wonders and it made me wish that almost all of them hadn't been destroyed by earthquakes and fires. It was amazingly written, full of marvelous tidbits and facts about the ancient hellenistic world. I already know this will end up on my favorite books of 2024 list!
The seven wonders of the ancient world were: the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Iraq, the Temple of Artemis in Turkey, the statue of Zeus at Olympia in Greece, the mausoleum of Halikarnassos in Turkey, the Colossus at Rhodes in Greece and the Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt. Only the Great Pyramid is still standing but we do know where the other wonders would've been located. I knew about all seven of these wonders but aside from the Great Pyramid at Giza I didn't know too much about them or their intricate histories. This is why I'm so glad that Bettany Hughes wrote this book and did a deep dive about them. She even visited all of the places where the wonders are (the Great Pyramid) and would've been (the others) located.
Initially I would've thought that the Great Pyramid at Giza or the Lighthouse of Alexandria would be my favorites to read about since I'm a huge Egyptophile but the chapter on the mausoleum of Halikarnassos ended up being my favorite. This came as a surprise but the history of the mausoleum and the dynasty that build it was very fascinating. Now all I want to do is find more literature about it. Second place would go to the Temple of Artemis. It was also super interesting to read and learn more about. I could clearly go on like this but yes, those two chapters definitely stood out to me. Another thing I loved was learning that Alexander the Great visited all of these seven wonders in his short but frenzied life. Quite a feat, if you ask me!
Needless to say, you could really tell that the author did amazing research. In the book it was mentioned, if I remember correctly, that she was writing the book in 2019 but she also visited the various sites where the wonders would've been. The descriptions is what makes this book really stand out because I could absolutely imagine all of the wonders in my mind's eye even though there are only artistic renderings of them (aside from the Great Pyramid, of course). The only reason why I didn't give it an extra star and make it a 5 star rating is that some chapters could be quite dense with not always the easiest words used. Even for me, who's been reading nonfiction like this for years it sometimes became a little heavy. Other than that I have no negative remarks at all.
Overall, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes was quite a riveting ride. I loved learning about all of these wonders and it made me wish that almost all of them hadn't been destroyed by earthquakes and fires. It was amazingly written, full of marvelous tidbits and facts about the ancient hellenistic world. I already know this will end up on my favorite books of 2024 list!
ellietonkin's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A fascinating, engaging and meticulously detailed book that I found very accessible. You don’t need a knowledge of history to enjoy this — just a passion for it and those are the best kind of history books. I loved every chapter and was able to recall names/places from Bettany’s documentary series on Channel 4! Definitely recommend.
More...