Though it was the last great structure to officially become a wonder of the Ancient World the Lighthouse of Alexandria is no doubt worthy of the list. Also known as the Pharos of Alexandria it was constructed by the Ptolemaic Kingdom (one of the branches of Alexander's old empire) and was finished in 247 BC. It reached 450 foot tall and was one of the tallest structures ever built in the Ancient World! It is described in different accounts as being topped by a great statue of either Zeus or Poseidon. Unfortunately this great structure was damaged by a series of earthquakes and collapsed into ruin by 1323 but was the third longest surviving wonder of the ancient world. In 1480 its remnants were used in the construction of another building on the same spot, bringing a final end to the great Lighthouse.
It is debated as to who the architect that desgined this wonder was but what is known is that it was begun by Alexander the Great and completed by Ptolemy who took over his empire in Africa and became King of Egypt. The Ptolemaic line continued for many generations and produced the famous Cleopatra. The great Julius Caesar also visited Alexandria and commented on the great Lighthouse with awe. It was name Pharos for the island on which it was built and interestingly this became the origins of the word lighthouse; for example in French it is phare and in Spanish it is faro. The remnants of the great building were found by French archaeologists who, using scuba equipment, dived to the sea floor in the harbour of Alexandria and found some of the crumbled tower. This ancient wonder cost 800 talents which is the equivalent of almost 3 million dollars today!
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