Seven Wonders and One Deception

Defining what a wonder may be is not an issue for democratic vote. The Concept itself of a limited list of marvels of Human Architecture, Sculpture, and Technical Prowess is relevant of academic endeavours of universalist aspirations.

Gods are not elected, Kings are not elected, Wonders are not elected.

The Libyan Librarian of Alexandria, Callimachus of Cyrene

When the Libyan Librarian Callimachus of Cyrene supervised under Ptolemy Philadelphus’ patronage the works of the Alexandria Library, listing of works, cataloging of manuscripts and exploits, and repertories of all sorts became the focus of academic labour and intellectual dedication among a great number of scholars. Within that context the list of the Seven Wonders was a mere reminiscence and an abridged selection of what was known and remembered as greatest artistic and technical exploit of the Mankind.

Babylon – the Center of the World

It was the beginning of the 3rd century BCE; Babylon was still a glorious, millennia long city, and it was called - in the them spoken Babylonian - Bab Ili, which meant the Gate of the God. The city antedated the Babylonians and the Assyrians, as it was of Sumerian foundation, and its original Sumerian name KA DINGIR RA KI had been duly translated to Semitic Assyrian – Babylonian.

A few decades before being shortlisted for Callimachus’ repertory needs, Babylon was the capital city of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, whose admiration for Greece was minimal and whose concern for Europe inexistent. There were still in use Babylonian maps of the world, the then known world, written in Babylonian Cuneiform – with Babylon at their very center.

When centuries later Jews started portraying Jerusalem as the center of the world, it was a simple imitation of, and an effort of comparison with, the legendary Center of Wisdom and Power where they had been taken as exiles.

Jewish exiles in Babylonia like Daniel, Tobit and Esdras may have not been impressed by the Hanging Gardens, and their descendants, if asked by Callimachus, may have expressed the idea that the Temple of Solomon should be included in the Wonders’ list instead!

As Assyrians had long disappeared, the academic colleagues of Callimachus may even have not heard of Assurbanipal’s Palaces and Library at Nineveh or Sargon’s great capital Dur Sarrukin (modern Khorsabad).

What about the Temple of Ishtar at Arbil, and Tiglat Pileser’s Imperial Enclosure at Kalhu (modern Nimrud)? The erudite scholars of Alexandria most probably had not heard more than some vague reports about them – all translated from Babylonian Cuneiform.

Seven Wonders – Four Countries

If we truly scrutinize Callimachus’ list, and we identify the location of the seven selected wonders, we immediately understand that we deal with just four modern countries: Iraq, Egypt, Turkey and Greece.

Each of the latter three is honored with two ‘wondrous’ monuments: the Pyramids of Men Nefer (successively transformed into Meimpi in Assyrian – Babylonian and Memphis in Ancient Greek) and the Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria represent Egypt.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the Mausoleum (Mausollos’ monument) at Halicarnassus (Bodrum) stand for Turkey.

Then, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Zeus’ statue at his Olympia Temple epitomize what of the Seven Wonders would be found – if saved – on today’s Greek territory.

It is clear that the selection reflects Callimachus’ times and the then preserved knowledge. Great monuments that had been destroyed and subsequently forgotten at the beginning of the 3rd century BCE could not be referred to.

Hattushas – Ugarit – Susa: Unheard Greatness for Callimachus

What about the religious Epiphany at the Hittite Shrine nearby Hattushas, the Hittite capital, which is located at today’s Yazilikaya, a few hundreds of kilometers eastwards of Ankara? Forgotten!

What about the superb manifestations of artistic talent and technical prowess at the Canaanite capital Ugarit’s temple of El? Elapsed!

What about the re-discovered (before a century) capital of Ancient Elam, Susa? The Alexandrian connoisseurs did not know much about the pre-Achaemenidian archeological strata, and were oblivious of the step pyramid at today’s Tchoga Zanbil – brought down by Assurbanipal (640 BCE).

Peak Sanctuary at Commagene - Sacred Enclosure at Praaspa (Takht-e Suleyman)

As one can easily imagine, the erudite scholars of the Alexandrian Library did not know what would be posterior to them!

No less than 250 years after Callimachus’ service at the Library, Antiochus I of Commagene, ruling a small but independent kingdom crossed by Euphrates in Eastern Anatolia, had a great peak sanctuary built that Gregory of Nazianzos accepted as the 8th Wonder!

Claiming double ancestry from Darius and Alexander, and following a pro-Roman policy, he had three great peak sanctuaries built atop today’s Nemrut Dagh, at a height 2150 m. On each terrace, of which only the western and the eastern are left with remains, five colossal statues of approximately 12 m height, were dedicated to the Gods of a Mithraic, Persian – Greek religious syncretism: Zeus-Oromasdes, Heracles-Verathragna, Antiochus I deified, Tyche-Commagene, and Apollo-Mithra-Hermes-Helios.

Nemrut Dagi was erected simply too late for Callimachus; otherwise it would certainly have been included in the list instead of let’s say the Colossus of Rhodes, if we are to apply Callimachus’ criteria.

This shows perfectly well the limits of such lists to which scholars of the height and the greatness of the Alexandrian Wise Men and Callimachus did not ascribe absolute but relative if not minimal value.

It all gets far worse when modern quasi-analphabetic circles submit to vote what they utterly do not know, and what their voters profanely ignore.

The great religious center of the Zoroasterian Orthodoxy Adhar Ghushnap – Praaspa – (today’s Takht –e Suleyman) in the northern confines of the Iranian province of Kurdistan existed already at the times of Callimachus.

However, that part of Iran had not been invaded by Alexander, and for 80 years (330 – 250 BCE) his successors, the Seleucids, only nominally ruled that province that rose to religious and architectural significance in the later Arsacid (Parthian, 250 BCE – 224 CE) years and was promoted to foremost sacredness mostly in the Sassanid times (224 – 651 CE), when every newly invested Shah of Iran, immediately after his coronation had to walk on foot from Tesifun (Ctesiphon, in the south of today’s Baghdad) to the Great Sacred Enclosure of Adhar Ghushnap (a distance of more than 500 km through the almost impenetrable Zagros mountains).

It was there where the Holy Fire was never extinguished, it was there were Marc Anthony failed against the Parthians, it was there where the Original Copy of Avesta was preserved. Around an until recently believed as bottomless lake out of which flows an unusually warm, healing water, several sacred buildings were located within an enclosure built at a height of 3000 m. Many remains and the entire enclosure have been preserved down to our times, as the Islamic invaders did not destroy a markedly monotheistic religious center.

Certainly Takht-e Suleyman is far more important as achievement and as contribution to the formation of the World History than places like Machu Picchu, Colosseum and Chichen Itza. Simply Iran is highly unpopular, and tourism in Iran was never a major concern for the voting masses who never heard of Takht-e Suleyman – let alone saw a picture.

Of course, it was wise for UNESCO to take some distance from the debased effort to offer the right to select to those who have no such right, but one may wonder whether this statement is truly enough.

Among all the maladroit aspects of the effort and the inconsistencies of the lists provided to unidentified voters, the confusing and misleading amalgamation of modern constructions (known as technological achievements) and ancient monuments (recognized as the epitome of artistic concern, the embodiment of symbolism, and the magnificence of aesthetic approach) was the worst.

You don’t place voters in front of a dilemma between Haghia Sophia and the Sydney opera or between Taj Mahal and Christ the Redeemer; except you want to engulf them in the worst deception of all.

Note
In the picture we see Apollo-Mithra-Hermes-Helios in the western terrace of Nemrut Dagh.