When I started “The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” by Bettany Hughes, I was genuinely excited. I love history, I love learning new things, and the idea of exploring the legendary wonders that shaped the imagination of the ancient world has always fascinated me. Reading it directly after “A Short History of Europe”, however, turned out not to be the best timing. Some themes and historical contexts felt familiar, and this book goes even deeper into detail, which occasionally made the experience feel heavier than expected.

„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 enthrall us today. In a thrilling, colorful 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.“

Blurb

Hughes writes in a warm, accessible style that is easy to follow, and the wealth of information she provides is consistently engaging. Many of the facts and perspectives were new to me and added meaningful depth to places I had previously known only in outline. Still, there are stretches where the narrative begins to drag, moments when I found myself wanting to move more quickly toward the next wonder. In my view, each section could have been shortened by a significant margin without losing essential insight.

What ultimately won me over was the author’s visible passion. Hearing Hughes speak about the wonders while walking across the site of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus made her enthusiasm unmistakable. That sense of wonder and personal connection shines through the book and reminds the reader why these monuments still matter. In the end, this is an informative and heartfelt exploration that may feel slightly overlong at times, but it is driven by genuine love for history. For that reason, and for the many fascinating details I took away from it, I gladly give the book four stars.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📝 If you are looking for my own short stories, poems and texts, check out my Substack: https://substack.com/@fragmentsandthedark