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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

By: Bettany Hughes
Narrated by: Bettany Hughes
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About this listen

'A wondrous wonderful achievement' STEPHEN FRY

Longlisted for The Anglo-Hellenic League Runciman Award 2025

The Seven Wonders of the World were staggeringly audacious impositions on our planet. They were also brilliant adventures of the mind, test cases for the reaches of human imagination.

Now only the great pyramid remains fully standing, yet the scale and majesty of these seven wonders still enthral us today. In a thrilling, colourful narrative enriched with the latest archaeological discoveries, bestselling historian Bettany Hughes walks through the landscapes of both ancient and modern time. This is a journey whose purpose is to ask why we wonder, why we create, why we choose to remember the wonder of others. She explores traces of the Wonders themselves, and the traces they have left in history. A magisterial work of historical storytelling, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World reinforces the exciting and nourishing notion that humans can make the impossible happen.

'Fantastic...a joy from the outset' PETER FRANKOPAN

'Fascinating...all told with Bettany's natural sense of wonder and adventure' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE

©2024 Bettany Hughes (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited Ancient Archaeology Egypt Europe Middle East Heartfelt Ancient Egypt

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Critic reviews

Egypt's The Great Pyramid, the only one of the Seven Wonders that survives virtually intact, reminds us of the overwhelming human desire to collaborate and create "beyond the possibilities of the individual," states Bettany Hughes in her rich historical study The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and learned that "paradise" comes from the Persian word for a beautiful walled garden (Martin Chilton)
A trip to modern-day Egypt is an appropriate starting point for Bettany Hughes's fascinating exploration of the impact such structures have had on our history and imagination. Mixing the latest archaeological and historical research with a bright, inquisitive style makes these places - and their peoples - come alive. (Ben East)
Hughes has long been one of television's more vivacious historical guides, and here she doubles down on her enthusiasm in a book that transforms these ancient sites into vivid three dimensions for even the most armchair-bound of travellers. It is at once a travelogue and a textbook, and is possessed of an insatiable craving for knowledge ... That she loves her subject is given, but the fact that she manages to endlessly fascinate even those amongst us for whom the ancient world rarely intrudes into the modern is perhaps the real achievement here. History couldn't ask for a better ambassador (Nick Duerden)
A meditation on the enduring idea of wonder . . . Hughes's narrative is alive with detail relating to the construction and daily operations of the Seven Wonders in their prime. This is heightened by her intimate knowledge of the archaeological sites (Bijan Omrani)
Starting with the Great Pyramid at Giza - the oldest of the Wonders, and the only one to survive almost intact - Hughes makes a fascinating tour, combining classical sources with modern archaeology to tell the stories of these astonishing monuments (and, in the case of the Hanging Gardens, whether they really existed). Richly detailed and full of fascinating insights, her book is a wonder in its own right (Jane Shilling)
All stars
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Beautiful read, incredibly well-research, this book was a delight to listen to. A full five stars from me

Fascinating!

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I am a fan of this era and enjoyed this very much. If you have an interest in this, I'd recommend it.

Wonderful!

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A another great book by this author/historian, she always seems to bring the words on the page into beautiful pictures in the mind.

Enlightening.

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It's an excellent book!
It is nice having someone who knows what she is talking about telling it in a great story AND being able to narrate herself. I also enjoyed those lovely little morsels of knowledge, for example, what 'past' means in the origin of different languages

Great listening experience and I followed her stories using Google and Google Earth on occasion. Great experience!
With her lovely, calm voice and speed of narration, Mrs Hughes has created an audiobook I will enjoy listening to more than once!

Thank you very much. Now on to Istanbul. :-)

Great story well narrated

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For anyone with any kind of interest in the ancient world and the marvels that were achieved during the period, this book is definitely one to take a look at. The research, love and care that Bettany has put into this piece shows through clearly (even more so given her narration of the audio book)

Bettany goes into immense detail on each of the seven wonders. Not only on the creation itself, but the people who created them and the times they lived in. Not to mention just how much effort, manpower and resources went into the construction of such vast creations.

The sheer awesomeness of the seven wonders is awe-inspiring and a true testament to what the human race can achieve when sufficient needs/urges drive them. And, despite the Great Pyramid of Giza being the only wonder left in our modern times, that one show piece is enough to make the mind boggle at what other cultures created in a time before power tools and immense machines.

Whether it be for the burning to desire to be remembered, to glorify oneself, or to pay homage to a deity, this book shows just impressive the mind of mankind can be given the spark of inspiration and the drive to achieve the impossible.

I always enjoyed Bettany's tv shows (her one on Sparta was particularly good), so seeing her name listed as the narrator for the book made me choose the audio over the written without hesitation. She does a wonderful job, as would be expected

A Wonderful Book

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In my youth I never understood why people studied the classics and classical history but with the help of people like the author I have come to understand that who we were is integral to who we are but also who we aspire to be. Really enjoyed this book.

Author’s enthusiasm

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Absolutely fascinating and inspiring references to the historical seven wonders of the world. So much detail but easy to digest as with all her works- first class.

Fabulous content and fabulous narration

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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is one of the most relaxing and cosy audiobooks I've had the pleasure of listening to. Bettany Hughes OBE is a veteran historian and national treasure.

It's not just her vast knowledge, elegant writing, expert analysis of minds from thousands of years ago, and beautiful narration that really shine in this book - but her genuine LOVE for the subject that shines through in the audio. Trust me, it's contagious.

The book itself is never boring, each wonder takes up about two hours of fascinating research and explanations of not just each wonder, but the people who built them, why they did it, and what became of them.

I seriously can't recommend this enough, whether you read a lot of historical non-fiction, or just getting in to it.

As wonderful as the subject itself

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Another great book and well delivered by Bettany. I was only disappointed when it finished! Keep them coming please

Thanks Bettany

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The 7 Wonders is like a cliche, but this book brings them to life. We see beyond the objects to learn about the people and cultures that created them.

Bettany Hughes is a fantastic storyteller.

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