SafekipediaOcto Mundi Miracula
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
Octo Mundi Miracula is a set of engravings made in 1572 by the artist Philips Galle. They were based on drawings by the painter Maarten van Heemskerck. Each engraving shows an old and famous building, with a poem by Hadrianus Junius to go with it.
These engravings are special because they were the first to show all Seven Wonders of the Ancient World together. Before this, people did not all agree on which buildings were the wonders. This work helped make the list we use today.
The engravings also include an eighth building, the Colosseum. This was inspired by an earlier painting called Self-Portrait with the Colosseum by van Heemskerck. Architectural historian Professor Andrew Hopkins from the University of L'Aquila said these pictures were very strong and helped make the list well-known, just like Sebastiano Serlio did for building styles in 1537.
History
The series was published in the late Northern Renaissance in the Habsburg Netherlands during the early Dutch Revolt. The artist Maarten van Heemskerck was inspired by his trips to Rome, where he saw old ruins and monuments. Philips Galle, an engraver and publisher, worked with the poet Hadrianus Junius to make this important set of engravings.
Heemskerck used ideas from Pedro Mexía’s book Silva de varia lección, which came out in 1540. Old writings about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World didn’t always agree on which buildings should be included. Mexía said that six wonders were usually agreed on, but there was debate about the seventh. Some lists had different buildings, like the Hanging Gardens or the Lighthouse of Pharos. This series was the first to show all seven wonders together, and it created the list we still use today.
Work
The eight engravings in Octo Mundi Miracula show famous ancient buildings and structures. They include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Hanging Gardens and Walls of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. The artist also added the Colosseum of Rome, called "Amphitheatrum," which he visited and liked.
Each picture shows the wonder in the middle, with scenes from history or myths around it, including important people and gods. Latin poems by Hadrianus Junius come with each picture, sharing ideas and stories about the buildings.
| Original Latin | Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| Great Pyramid of Giza | Ardva piramidvm phary miracvla reges Svrgentes gradibvs moles, monvmenta sepvltis, Struxere, et rapidi docvere Hyperionis ignes Vicinos ferre, ad magnae confinia Memphis | Lofty wonders of pyramids, Pharaohs' kings Built stepped structures, as monuments for the buried, They raised them, and showed the sun's rays To fall nearby, at the boundary of great Memphis |
| Lighthouse of Alexandria | Cvrsibvs extrvxti rativm Ptolemaee Regundis Nocturnis pharon, vt qvvm nox tenebrosa sileret, Clara, vicem in Phaebes, vomerent funalia lvcem, Infida vt nili sic tvtivs ora svbirent. | |
| Walls of Babylon | Imperiosa svi secta cervice mariti, Ivsset coctilibvs Babylona Semiramis altam Moenibvs incingi, lento qve bitvmine portas Adiecit centvm, et super his sibi nobile bustum | Imperious, with her husband's head cut off, Semiramis ordered lofty Babylon enclosed With baked-brick walls, and gates with firm bitumen One hundred added, and above them her noble tomb |
| Temple of Artemis | Strvxit amazonia hanc ephesvs tibi delia sacram Aedem, lvxvriosae ingens asiae ornamentvm. Fvndamenta palvs tenvit, carbonibvs ante Far ta, vti tellvris starent immota fragore. | An Amazon built this in Ephesus for you, Artemis, a sacred Temple, a luxurious and great Asian ornament. A marsh held its deep foundations, laid upon charcoals beforehand, So earth might stand unmoved in a quake. |
| Statue of Zeus at Olympia | Elis olympiadvm mater, qvae signat achivvm Nobilibvs fastos lvdis, miracvla clavdit: Phidiacvm qve iovem ostentat niveo ex elephanto Qvalis caesarie ac nvtv concvssit olympvm. | |
| Colossus of Rhodes | Septimos decies cvbitos aeqvare colossvs Dictvs, par turri mole svb nomine solis Aere cavo factvs, saxorum vasta caverna Intvs, apvd Rhodios sacros accepit honores. | |
| Mausoleum at Halicarnassus | Mavsoli a bvsto calidos havrire mariti Deposcens conivnx cineres, pietatis advitae Exemplo posvit tvmvlvm spirantia cvivs Artifices svmmi caelarunt marmore signa. | From Mausolus's grave, his wife drew warmth, Imploring lifelong devotion to his ashes. Setting an example she erected a tomb, on which Artists carved the greatest statues from marble. |
| Colosseum of Rome | Adiicit his vates, cvivs se bilbilis ortv Iactat, caesarei sacrvm decvs amphitheatri: Qvae mvndi speciem moles mentita globosam Accepit cav a popvlos, lvdos qve paravit. |
Influence and legacy
The series Octo Mundi Miracula inspired many artists. Louis de Caullery and Willem Janszoon Blaeu used it in their work, like the 1630 Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula.
It helped people imagine the ancient wonders better, because before this series, there was no common way to picture them.
Collections and conservation
Prints from the Octo Mundi Miracula series are kept safe in famous museums and libraries around the world. You can find them at the British Museum in London, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Louvre in Paris, and the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel.
The series shows the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. These wonders include the Pyramids, the Lighthouse, the buildings of Babylon, the Temple, the Statue of Zeus, the Colossus, the Mausoleum, and the Colosseum. There is also an image that shows all of them together.
Images
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Octo Mundi Miracula, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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