Unfortunately there is not a lot left to see of this ancient and once magnificent tomb, which was named as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World but now one must rely just on imagination and (computer) models. King Mausolus of Caria ordered the construction of the ornate marble monument. The mausoleum was completed in 350 BC after the death of the Carian satrap Mausolus by his wife and sister Artemisia II, the actual construction being done by the architect Pytheos. The monument tomb was in the centre of Halicarnassus, rising over a large plot of land.
The mausoleum standing at over 164 feet (50 metres) in height, is described as being an enormous white marble tomb with ionic columns to form a temple with a stepped pyramid roof topped with a carriage, containing sculptures of Mausolus and Artemisia riding in a chariot. This stood relatively intact for almost 19 centuries until an earthquake in 1304 destroyed it.
In 1522, after the earthquake caused the monument to collapse, the Knights Hospitaller of St John, then based in Rhodes, came to the region and demolished much of the Mausoleum of King Mausolus, using the stones for the reconstruction of the Bodrum Castle, named after St Peter. (Look for the greenish stones on the exterior of the chapel just beyond the entrance to the main portion of the museum.) Because of the damage caused by plundering, earthquakes and irresponsible excavations, todays archaeologists can only guess at the building’s original appearance. Some sections of the walls of the Mausoleum can be seen around the Myndos Gate on the Gumbet road. The site has pleasant gardens with excavations to the right and a covered arcade to the left. Despite the lack of the original tomb, this site is well worth a visit.
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Interesting Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Facts:
The word mausoleum originates from the name Mausolus. The term mausoleum became the name used for tombs built above ground from that time on.
Mausolus' wife Artemisia was also his sister. It was common in those days for rulers to marry their sisters.
Artemisia hired famous Greek artists to build the tomb. Two Greek architects Pytheos and Satyros designed the shape of the tomb. There were also a variety of artists who contributed various cultural influences to the tomb, including Greek, Lycian and Egyptian.
Artemisia died two years after Mausolus, before the tomb was completed.
At the top of the tomb there was a sculpture created by Pytheos. The carving depicted Mausolus and Artemisia in a chariot being pulled by four massive horses.
Other Greek artists that worked on the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus include Bryaxis, Scopas of Paros, Timotheus and Leochares.
Most of the mausoleum was made of marble. It was surrounded by a courtyard.
A staircase was built leading up the platform where the mausoleum stood. There were stone lions flanking the staircase.
There were scenes of Greek and Amazon warriors and their battles in scriptural relief (very similar to the images in coins - slightly raised) on the walls of the mausoleum.
Alexander the Great took over the city in 334 BC but the Mausoleum was left untouched.
When pirates attacked the city in 58 and 62 BC, the Mausoleum was again left undamaged.
In the 13th century, earthquakes toppled the columns of the Mausoleum and the stone chariot was destroyed
In the 13th century crusaders took over the city. They used many parts of the Mausoleum to construct their buildings. If you visit the castle at Halicarnassus you can still see pieces of the tomb that were used to strengthen the castle walls.
By 1401 AD, all that was left was the base of the tomb.
In the 1800s an archaeologist names Charles Newton discovered the remnants of the mausoleum. He found the statues of Mausolus and Artemisia and a piece of the wheel of the chariot. They can be seen at the Mausoleum Room in the British Museum.
The mausoleum was raided by crusaders in approximately 1522 and any treasures or the bodies of Mausolus and Artemisia were gone.
Some people think that Mausolus and Artemisia were cremated and placed in urns in the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Some think they were buried in coffins. There is no proof for either theory.
The Antipater of Sidon, who was in charge of listing the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, chose to include the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. His reason was that he considered it to be an aesthetic triumph.