The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World

The Great Monuments and How They Were Built

Edited by Chris Scarre

New in B-format paperback

Expands on the traditional ‘Seven Wonders’ to examine an impressive number of ancient marvels from around the globe

The traditional list of seven wonders was derived from ancient Greek guidebooks, designed for sightseers in the Hellenic world. The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World broadens those horizons, incorporating architectural marvels from across the globe, from the walled medieval city of Great Zimbabwe to the pre-Aztec Pyramid of the Sun. These awe-inspiring monuments provoke profound questions about the communities who built them. How were they able to complete such feats of engineering? What prompted people to take on these projects, knowing the human costs involved, and how were the monuments viewed after their completion?

In this new and updated edition, sixteen leading experts answer these questions. In doing so, they provide a testament to the skill of ancient engineers, and bring us closer to the communities they lived in.

Includes:

• The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Pyramids of Giza

• The Nabataean Royal Tombs at Petra • The Tomb of Emperor Nintoku, Japan

• The Ziggurat of Ur

• The Buddhist Caves of Ajanta

• Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli

• The Palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh

• The Temple-Fortress of Sacsawaman • Inca Roads & Bridges

• Roman Aqueducts

• The Nazca Lines • The Easter Island Statues – and more

Mythology

‘A welcome entree into the intricate world of Slavic mythology, with plenty of esoteric facts to get your teeth into, stories to be read aloud at the witching hour, and memorable back-and-white woodcut illustrations’ Sir Christopher Frayling

Noah Charney is an American art historian and internationally bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books, including The Art Thief, The Art of Forgery, The Collector of Lives and The Museum of Lost Art Svetlana Slapšak is a leading specialist in Balkan studies and awardwinning essayist. She won the American PEN Award for Freedom of Expression in 1993 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. Both Charney and Slapšak live in Slovenia.

30 illustrations

23.4 x 15.3cm

240pp

ISBN 978 0 500 025017

September £20.00