The Mausoleumof Halicarnassus

PurposeThe purpose for the Mausoleum of

Halicarnassus was to be a tomb for the famous satrap, governor, Mausolus. It was also a tomb for Artemisia II of Caria (she was the sister and the wife of Mausolus). When Mausolus died, Artemisia decided to build him a great tomb. She died two years later. They were both cremated and placed in urns, in the tomb.

To the left, is

Mausolus.

To the right, is Artemisia II of Caria.

LocationThe Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is

located in the city of Bodrum. It is on edge of south-west Turkey. It is also on

the shore of the Aegan sea.

Builders

Artemisia wanted this tomb to be extravagant. She did not care what the costs were. She had Greek sculptors and architects come to build. These builders included Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas, (also was the sculptor for the third building of Temple of Artemis) and Timotheus. There were also hundreds of others helping these well known builders.

The Architecture

The whole structure was in a large courtyard. There was a large flat stone with the temple in the center. The total height was 45 meters. On the entrance there was a lion statue on each side. Along the outside there were many statues of gods and goddesses. The tomb was made of marble. On the top section there were 36 tall and thin columns. Behind the columns there was the tomb. There were statues of four large horses pulling a chariot with the images of Mausolus and Artemisia.

Destruction

An earthquake did a lot of damage to the structure. Then the Knights of St John of Rhodes invaded and they destroyed the rest of the remains. They used the remains to build the Bodrum Castle.

In the photo below, shows the Bodrum Castle that had recycled stones from the Mausoleum.

Timeline 353 BC – The start of construction, also the death of

Mausolus 351 BC – Artemisia died 350 BC – The end of construction 62 BC – Pirates raided the tomb, but it was left

undamaged 58 BC – Pirates raided again and the tomb was still in

tact 1404 AD – A numerous amount of earthquakes hit

and only the bottom of the structure was left 1494 AD - The Knights of St John of Rhodes attacked

and took remains. They used these remains in the building of the Bodrum Castle

Sources

http://traveltourimmigration.blogspot.com/2012/01/mausole

um-of-halicarnassus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_at_Halicarnassus

http://www.cromwell-intl.com/travel/turkey/halicarnassus/

http://www.unmuseum.org/maus.htm