What does author Peter Lerangis think is the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World?
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“I think the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World is the mystery of why there are only seven.”
Bestselling author Peter Lerangis (39 Clues) is back with another sweeping adventure series for young readers: Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises. A young boy is facing certain death unless he can discover the cure for his rare disease. Clues are scattered among the 7 Wonder of the Ancient World, setting him on a breathtaking journey to save his own life.
We asked Peter what he thinks the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World should be, and he offered a fascinating and thoughtful answer:
I think the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World is the mystery of why there are only seven. When I interviewed the mythologically-savvy convention-goers at the New York Comic Con recently, only one could name all seven. Turn away for a moment and try to list them yourself. No cheating. Ready? The Colossus of Rhodes, the Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse at Pharos, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.Some of these do not trip off the modern tongue. They were determined by a group of Ancient Romans and Greeks, perhaps after a hard day of bull-jumping, and not surprisingly all existed around the Mediterranean. But the ancient world was full of architectural marvels. Like the city of Knossos in Crete, which had running water, flush toilets, and a Minotaur running around in the basement. Or Stonehenge, or the statues at Easter Island, or the Terra Cotta warriors in China, or Macchu Picchu in Peru— or closer to our time, the Taj Majal or the Alhambra. All had that combination of grandeur, genius, and service to a higher cause — or as Pericles would not have said, that “wow factor.”
But I confess, if I had to choose an eighth, I’d go with the Great Wall of China. Its construction began in the third century BCE and continued in fits and starts for 1700 years. Perhaps a million workers slaved over some unbelievably steep terrain, hauling stones and bricks, ramming earth, repairing, constructing 1200 watchtowers. I know the ancients had a thing about the magical number seven, but I can’t help but think that if they’d heard of a 13,000-mile human-made protective wall, they would have at least given this Wonder an ancient asterisk.
Tell Me: Have you ever seen any of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World in person?
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