While the entries have varied over the centuries, the seven traditional wonders are - the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Placing the wonders in modern-day countries, two of the wonders were located in Greece, two in Turkey, two in Egypt, and one in Iraq.
Of the seven wonders, only the Pyramid of Giza, which is also by far the oldest of the wonders, still remains standing, with the others being destroyed over the centuries.
There is scholarly debate over the exact nature of the Hanging Gardens, and there is doubt as to whether they existed at all.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus:
The fifth of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.
The Czech Mint commemorates this legendary monument by issuance of a gold coin weighing one troy ounce.
Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor - a narrow strip of coastline full of countless bays - is a veritable treasure trove of historical civilisations. Long before our era, advanced cultures flourished in breathtaking cities.
While the northernmost Greek colony was the mythical Troy, the very southern one was the metropolis of Halicarnassus, famous as the home of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The city was ruled by the proud King Mausolos II, who wished above all to be remembered for all time.
Therefore, he let build a majestic tomb for himself to compete with the pyramids of Egypt. The monument resembled the classical Greek temples with supporting columns, but with a height of forty-five metres it was built on a massive base.
The roof took the form of a stepped pyramid, which was crowned with a gigantic sculpture of Mausolus and his wife Artemisia riding in a chariot drawn by a horse-drawn quadruped.
Unfortunately, the king did not live to see the completion of the building. After he died, the Queen, who loved her husband more than anything in the world, oversaw the completion of the monument. The building, which came to be called the "Mausoleum" - or "belonging to Mausolus" - was so magnificent that the name became a generic term for any large tomb. Mausolus' wish came true - his name will live on forever...
This beautiful tomb built to honour Mausolus, a ruler of Caria and satrap of the Achaemenid empire, was built in the city of Halicarnassus, located in modern-day Turkey and his sister-wife Artemisia II of Caria. The structure was designed by the Greek architects Satyros and Pythius of Priene.
The tomb, built between 353 and 350 BC, stood at 45 metres (148 feet) high and was adorned with sculptural reliefs on all four sides.
The Mausoleum was destroyed by earthquakes between the 12th and 15th century, and was the last surviving of the six destroyed wonders, leaving only the Pyramid at Giza remaining to modern day.
The Mausoleum lives on through various inspired structures around the world, and ruins of the tomb can still be seen at its resting place to this day. The word "mausoleum" is now used to describe any above-ground tomb.
Its elevated tomb structure is derived from the tombs of neighbouring Lycia, a territory Mausolus had invaded and annexed c. 360 BC, such as the Nereid Monument.
The Mausoleum was approximately 45 m (148 ft) in height, and the four sides were adorned with sculptural reliefs, each created by one of four Greek sculptors - Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros, and Timotheus.
The Mausoleum contained total 400 freestanding sculptures.
The mausoleum was considered to be such an aesthetic triumph that Antipater of Sidon identified it as one of his Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
It was destroyed by successive earthquakes from the 12th to the 15th century - it was the last surviving of the six destroyed wonders.
The word mausoleum has now come to be used generically for an above-ground tomb.
The Coin:
MAUSOLEUM AT HALICARNASSUS Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 1/10 Oz Gold Coin 50$ Niue 2022
This 1.00 Oz Gold coin is the fifth issue of the "Seven Wonders Of The World" series, dedicated to the ancient monuments that have gone down in history. In this issue: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. This coin has a Proof quality and comes in a blister. Limited mintage of only 200 pieces worldwide!
The Obverse of the $50 (Fifty Dollars - NZD) Gold Coin, which is common to the entire cycle, then presents all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Egyptian pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the statue of Zeus in Olympia, the mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the lighthouse on the island of Faro.
The inscriptions are - "NIUE ISLAND. 50 DOLLARS. ELIZABETH II".
As the coins of the Czech Mint are issued with the foreign licence of the island of Niue, they also bear the portrait and name of Queen Elizabeth II together with the nominal value of 50 DOLLARS (NZD) and the year of issue 2022 on the Obverse side.
Links to Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:
5) Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), Niue: First Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 01/2020
6) Nikola Tesla, Niue: Second Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue : Date of Coin issue: 03/2020
7) Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Niue: Third Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series", minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 07/2020
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