With extraordinary paintings and a moving narrative, award-winning author illustrator Lynn Curlee tells the story of some of humankind’s greatest feats and explores a timeless desire of countless civilizations: to leave a permanent mark on the Earth—now with a new look!

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Colossus of Rhodes. The Great Pyramid at Giza. For centuries, these names have inspired wonder and mystery. They are but three of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This book investigates and illustrates how they must have appeared at their peak, pondering the questions that have fascinated researchers and archaeologists for decades: What purpose did these structures have for the societies that built them? How did they achieve the means necessary to construct such intricate and innovative temples and statues?

Most of these masterpieces of human achievement have long since crumbled into dust. But their legacy survives, and these triumphs of human vision, architecture, and creativity have become the stuff of legends.