A tomb built to honor an ancient king in modern-day Turkey, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was so ornate that it inspired the widespread use of the term “mausoleum.”
AF Fotografie / Alamy Stock PhotoAn example of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus , one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World .
Every year in Bodrum , Turkey , tourists gather to take in the corpse of a keen structure from antiquity . The site is little more than an earthen pit today , but it once host one of theSeven Wonders of the Ancient World : the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus .
This monolithic tomb solidified its reputation as one of chronicle ’s most telling ancient structures due to its size and ornamentation . At about 140 substructure tall and composed almost entirely of marble , the fourth - century B.C.E. social organization was a marvel of ancient architectural achievement .
AF Fotografie / Alamy Stock PhotoAn illustration of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Although the mausoleum has crumbled into laying waste , fragment of the structure remain — alongside hopes that it will one mean solar day be restored to its former glory .
The History Of Halicarnassus
Located on the easterly coast of what is now Turkey , the ancient city of Halicarnassus once stand as a cultural hub within the Hellenic empire .
Originally settled by the Mycenaean Civilization in the Bronze Age , the region was home to several group throughout its chronicle . historian conceive the city itself was established by Dorian Greeks in the Archaic Period .
By the 6th century B.C.E. , Halicarnassus belong to to the Achaemenid Empire , or the First Persian Empire . During this period , the city birth noteworthy creative thinker and artists such as Herodotus , the author ofThe Histories , as well as rulers .
Carole Raddato /Wikimedia CommonsMassive statues of a woman and a man from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, believed to be Artemisia II and Mausolus.
One such ruler was King Mausolus , a descendent of the Hecatomnid Dynasty who ruled Halicarnassus between about 377 - 353 B.C.E. During his 24 - twelvemonth sovereignty , Mausolus and his babe - wife Artemisia II of Caria conducted extensive renovations of the urban center .
Carole Raddato /Wikimedia CommonsMassive statues of a char and a valet from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus , believed to be Artemisia II and Mausolus .
In add-on to building a advanced wall to strengthen the metropolis , Mausolus commission several telling works of architecture , include tabernacle , a harbour , and a grand palace . He may have also had a script in the growing of the city ’s noble-minded field and a synagogue of Ares , the Greek god of warfare .
Wikimedia CommonsA plastic model of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, on display in the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology.
But Mausolus ’ groovy contribution would only amount after he died in 353 B.C.E.
The Construction Of The Mausoleum At Halicarnassus
After the destruction of her married man , Artemisia II ordered the construction of a massive tomb to honor King Mausolus and dish as the resting space for his stiff .
The resulting tomb , the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus , was a portmanteau word of Greek , Near Eastern , and Egyptian conception .
Wikimedia CommonsA plastic mannequin of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus , on show in the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology .
Penta Springs Limited / Alamy Stock PhotoArtemisia II receiving an urn containing the ashes of her deceased husband, Mausolus. Dated 1630 – 1683.
Allegedly taking inhalation from the Nereid Monument of Xanthos , Artemisia II need the tomb to showcase life in King Mausolus ’ judicature and his hopes for the afterlife .
The marble social structure suffer about 140 substructure in height , with a 24 - step pyramid cap top with a 25 - foot - high sculpture of Mausolus and Artemisia II commanding a four - sawbuck chariot . The construction ’s monolithic groundwork was adorned with more than 400 painted sculptures of citizenry , animals , and chariots . Thirty - six Ionic columns lined the building , as did elaborate frieze .
popish bookman Pliny the Elder wrote this description of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in his workThe Natural account :
Mausolumat Halicarneasus / Alamy Stock PhotoThe remains of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Bodrum, Turkey.
“ It is twenty - five cubits in stature , and is palisade with six - and - thirty columns , the outer circuit being jazz as the ‘ Pteron ’ … Above the Pteron there is a pyramid erected , adequate in height to the construction below , and form of four and twenty steps , which gradually taper upwards towards the summit ; a weapons platform , crowned with a delegacy of a four - cavalry chariot by Pythis . ”
At its pass completion , the structure was so grand that its name “ mausoleum ” became synonymous with any stately above - ground grave .
alas for Artemisia II , workers would not complete the social system before her death , circa 350 B.C.E. Her remains , like those of her husband , were placed in the unfinished tomb .
Penta Springs Limited / Alamy Stock PhotoArtemisia II find an urn containing the ash of her asleep husband , Mausolus . go out 1630 – 1683 .
In this state , the once - dazzle Mausoleum at Halicarnassus fell dupe to time and crumbled into ruins .
The Lasting Legacy Of The Mausoleum
top up to its rediscovery in the nineteenth century , the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was almost wholly destroy in a series of earthquake that struck the neighborhood between the 11th and the 15th centuries C.E. In the 15th century , the Knights of St John removed pieces of the structure to ramp up the nearby Castle of St. Peter in modern - solar day Bodrum , Turkey , further damaging the Mausoleum .
Then , in 1856 , British archaeologist Charles Newton uncovered the clay of the mausoleum and begin excavate the internet site . Newton fetch many of the more intact spell back to England , where researchers put them on show at the British Museum .
Today , the site where the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus once stood is a quarry of downfall . tourist can pay to receive personal tours of the plot where the sublime grave once miss the bay . Visitors to London can also see some of the piece on show in the British Museum , including carving depict sawhorse , Halicarnassus elite group , and fabulous fights between the Greeks and Amazons .
Mausolumat Halicarneasus / Alamy Stock PhotoThe remain of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Bodrum , Turkey .
For some , simply take in the remains of this Wonder of the Ancient World is not enough . As of 2017 , there are programme in the works to reconstruct the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in its original site .
According to theHurriyet Daily News , a squad led by celebrated Danish archaeologist Poul Pedersen is working with the Mediterranean Countries Academy Foundation to reconstruct the mausoleum and several other ancient structures in the metropolis .
“ There are many local anesthetic in Bodrum who do n’t know that Herodotus was born in Bodrum and that the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is name as one of theSeven Wondersof the [ Ancient ] World , ” said Özay Kartal , head of the Mediterranean Countries Academy Foundation . “ This is why our priority is to renovate this mausoleum and open a way from the port to this place . ”
After dive into the write up of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus , take aboutthe Colossus of Rhodesand theStatue of Zeus , other Ancient Wonders of the World . Then , record about the mystery surrounding the macrocosm ofthe Hanging Gardens of Babylon .
