It’s a little smaller than the pyramids at Giza, granted. But, as far as ancient tombs go, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus takes a back seat to no other monument. In fact, one might even concede that the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus brought its occupant more fame than any pyramid. It is, after all, Mausolus’s name that we use as a blanket term for all splendid funerary monuments—a mausoleum.
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus ranks as the sixth Wonder of the Ancient World. (Not in quality, just in the order in which I’ve blogged about them. Scroll to the bottom of this blog entry for links to the others.) It honors Mausolus, a ruler in the Persian Empire during the 300s BCE. (And his sister, who lay entombed beside him.)
Who Was the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Built For?
I’d like to describe Mausolus a little. He seems an interesting man, and his career reveals a great deal about the era in which he lived. It might even dispel some stereotypes you’ve unintentionally developed about ancient Greece.
His political position is an interesting one. Historians describe Mausolus as a king. He didn’t found the city of Halicarnassus, but enlarged and beautified it substantially. (Incidentally, the city was the birthplace of the great historian Herodotus.) Mausolus did so via tax revenue, which he apparently increased dramatically by improving his kingdom’s infrastructure and making Halicarnassus and other ports a draw for traders. The island of Rhodes was a favorite trade partner.
Yet, at the same time, Mausolus was also a satrap (local governor) within the Persian Empire. Halicarnassus is in today’s southwestern Turkey, and Persia ruled that area while Mausolus was king. So, he owed allegiance to Persia but ruled semi-independently. This is a good reminder that, contrary to the images perhaps conjured by certain Hollywood movies, the Persians were not ruthless despots and not all the Greeks heroic freedom fighters.
The Persians recognized talent when they saw it. As long as local rulers forwarded tax revenue and soldiers for the army, they might enjoy some autonomy under Persian rule. This proved useful in ruling an empire of many different cultures. We might note that, generally speaking, the Romans followed the same playbook when it came to ruling conquered people.
Finally, Mausolus admired and promoted Greek culture but was not Greek by birth. This reminds us that the Ancient Mediterranean was a more cosmopolitan place than we expect the ancient world to be. (And is another sign of the cultural tolerance sometimes practiced by the Persians.) The Greeks founded colonies all over the ancient Mediterranean. So did the Phoenicians. People with enough money to travel could visit a number of famous places outside their homeland.
How Long Did it Take to Build the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus?
This appears a matter of some debate. Some sources I researched for this post claim that work began within a decade of when Mausolus came to the throne circa 377 BCE. Others, perhaps with a more romantic view, claim that Mausolus’s sister Artemisia began the work in her sorrow when Mausolus died in 353. (Artemisia was also Mausolus’s queen, I should point out. Although modern people know better, rulers practiced marrying a sister here and there throughout history.)
Personally, I tend toward the first explanation, although I claim no expertise. In any case, like the other wonders I’ve described in my blog recently, construction took many years. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder described the results. He wrote:
“The circumference of this building is, in all, 440 feet, and the breadth from north to south 63 feet, the two fronts being not so wide in extent. It is twenty-five cubits in height, and is surrounded with 36 columns, the outer circumference being known as the ‘Pteron.’ Above the Pteron there is a pyramid erected, equal in height to the building below, and formed of 24 steps, which gradually taper upwards towards the summit; a platform, crowned with a representation of a four-horse chariot by Pythius. This addition makes the total height of the work 140 feet.”
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So, like the Temple of Artemis, we have a grand structure of towering height and significant girth.
Stone steps flanked by stone lions led to the base of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Above the base stood the 36 columns mentioned by Pliny. In between each column was a free-standing sculpture. The columns also supported a pediment, and atop the pediment was a step-pyramid of 24 steps. A quadriga (four horses drawing a chariot) stood atop the pyramid.
Other sculptures, some in bas-relief, also beautified the structure. Most of these no longer exist. The British Museum has a few, however. They depict battles between Greeks and Amazons, centaurs, and other scenes from the era.
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The Destruction of the Tomb
Tragically, of the original seven wonders described by ancient writers, only the pyramids at Giza still exist. But it appears the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus had the second-greatest lifespan of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It lasted until brought down by earthquakes at some point in the 1200s. (It seems earthquakes were the greatest bane of the ancient wonders, along with Christian intolerance for polytheistic faiths.)
Although modern researchers know the site of the tomb today, little exists for visitors to see. Perhaps the best place to see what’s left of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is at the Castle of St. Peter. Built by the Knights of Saint John of Malta, they “borrowed” stone from the ruins at Halicarnassus to construct their medieval castle, which they finished circa 1494.
Two Other Interesting Things
Two more things stand out to me about the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. It honors a mortal person rather than a god, for one thing.
The other is how the word mausoleum came to represent all grand funeral monuments. It appears the Romans get credit for this. The writer Pausanias (not to be confused with the Spartan general of the same name) wrote: “The one at Halicarnassus was made for Mausolus, king of the city, and it is of such vast size, and so notable for all its ornament, that the Romans in their great admiration of it call remarkable tombs in their country ‘Mausolea.’”
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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
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