Similar to the Great Pyramid, we are now visiting the burial
place of an ancient king. Yet the Mausoleum is different - so different from
the Pyramid that it earned its reputation - and a spot within the list - for
other reasons. Geographically, it is closer to the Temple of Artemis... And
it was the beauty of the tomb rather than its size that fascinated its visitors
for years.
In the city of Bodrum (f.k.a. Halicarnassus) on the Aegean Sea,
in south-west Turkey.
When the Persians expanded their ancient kingdom to include
Mesopotamia, Northern India, Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor, the king could not
control his vast empire without the help of local governors or rulers -- the
Satraps. Like many other provinces, the kingdom of Caria in the western part
of Asia Minor (Turkey) was so far from the Persian capital that it was practically
autonomous. From 377 to 353 BC, king Mausollos of Caria reigned and moved his
capital to Halicarnassus. Nothing is exciting about Maussollos life except the
construction of his tomb. The project was conceived by his wife and sister Artemisia,
and the construction might have started during the king's lifetime. The Mausoleum
was completed around 350 BC, three years after Maussollos death, and one year
after Artemisia's.
For 16 centuries, the Mausoleum remained in good condition until an earthquake
caused some damage to the roof and colonnade. In the early fifteenth century,
the Knights of St John of Malta invaded the region and built a massive crusader
castle. When they decided to fortify it in 1494, they used the stones of the
Mausoleum. By 1522, almost every block of the Mausoleum had been disassembled
and used for construction.
Today, the massive castle still stands in Bodrum, and the polished stone and
marble blocks of the Mausoleum can be spotted within the walls of the structure.
Some of the sculptures survived and are today on display at the British Museum
in London. These include fragment of statues and many slabs of the frieze showing
the battle between the Greeks and the Amazons. At the site of the Mausoleum
itself, only the foundation remains of the once magnificent Wonder.
The structure was rectangular in plan, with base dimensions
of about 40 m (120 ft) by 30 m (100 ft). Overlying the foundation was a stepped
podium which sides were decorated with statues. The burial chamber and the sarcophagus
of white alabaster decorated with gold were located on the podium and surrounded
by Ionic columns.
Since the nineteenth century, archeological excavations have been undertaken
at the Mausoleum site. These excavations together with detailed descriptions
by ancient historians give us a fairly good idea about the shape and appearance
of the Mausoleum. A modern reconstruction of the shorter side of the Mausoleum
illustrates the lavish nature of the art and architecture of the building...
a building for a King whose name is celebrated in all large tombs today -- mausoleums.