Archive for May, 2007
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
Standing near the harbor entrance of the island of Rhodes, construction of the Colossus began after the small island was attacked by the Antigonids of Macedonia – rivals of the Ptolemies in Egypt, with whom Rhodes had a strong trade alliance. Incredibly, the Macedonians were unable to take the Rhodian capital, and instead were forced to make a peace treaty in 304 BC. When they left the island, the Macedonians left behind a substantial amount of military equipment – which the Rhodians promptly sold, and then used the money to create a giant statue of their sun god, Helios.
Although the Colossus only lasted for 56 years, from building to destruction, the statue likely stood at the eastern promontory of the Mandraki harbor, or possibly even further inland. While it has been long believed that the statue stood straddling the harbor entrance, due to the height of the statue, width of the harbor mouth, and the fact that the fallen Colossus would have blocked the entire harbor, the idea is simply not conceivable.
The outer skin of the statue was cast in bronze, while the base was made of marble. Using an iron and stone inner frame, the structure was gradually erected, making use of an earth ramp to reach the upper sections. Its final size was around 33 meters high.
Construction of the statue took 12 years, until an earthquake around 226 BC shook the island and shattered the Colossus’ knee. Although Ptolemy III of Egypt offered funds to cover restoration of the statue, an oracle forbade any reconstruction work and thus the offer was declined. Despite this, the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder still remarked that “even lying on the ground, it is a marvel.”
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Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Tomorrow: The Pharos
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
Built for a Persian satrap named Maussollos and his family between 353 and 350 BC, the Tomb of Maussollos (or alternately, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus) was constructed by some of the best architects in the Greek world at the time. Standing around 45 meters high, the tomb was considered to be such an aesthetic and architectural triumph that Antipater of Sidon named it one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Construction of the Mausoleum was actually begun by Maussollos’ wife Artemisia, who commissioned the best known artists and architects of the time. One of these artists was a Greek man named Scopas, who had actually supervised an earlier rebuilding of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.
Placed on a hill above the city of Halicarnassus in Turkey, the tomb was surrounded by an open courtyard. The tomb was built on a raised platform in the courtyard, with a stairway leading up to its main entrance – and along the stairway were statues of stone lions, gods, and goddesses, and at each corner of the platform were mounted stone horsemen.
The bottom third of the Mausoleum was covered in sculptural reliefs, mainly focusing on battle scenes: Greeks battling Amazons, or the battle of the Centaurs and Lapiths. Above this section were 36 columns with statues between each one, and above this was a pyramid-style roof. At the peak of the roof was yet another statue: a four-horse chariot driven by statues of Maussollos and Artemisia.
After the death of her husband in 353 BC, although the tomb was incomplete, Artemisia continued the construction. However, she lived only two years after his death, and although the building was still incomplete, the builders continued working as a tribute to their generous rulers. Maussollos’ and Artemisia’s burial urns were placed within the incomplete Mausoleum, and as a sacrificial ritual, a number of dead animals were placed on the steps leading up into the tomb – after which the stairs were sealed off with rubble.
The Mausoleum remained standing for an incredible 16 centuries, until an earthquake in 1304 AD shattered the columns. By 1522, almost every block had been removed by Crusaders to build their own castle and fortifications nearby.
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The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Tomorrow: The Colossus
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
Created by the Classical sculptor Phidias in the 5th century, the statue of Zeus at Olympia was a tourist destination for the ancient Greeks as early as, well…its completion! Phidias was famous in ancient Greece for his incredible gold and ivory statues – however the statue of Zeus was considered his greatest accomplishment.
Housed in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the chryselephantine statue reportedly took Phidias 12 years to complete. The frame of the statue was likely made of wood, with ivory sheets used to create the white flesh of the god, embellished with gold sheets for drapery. At 12 meters (40 feet) tall, the statue occupied the entire rear of the temple aisle and nearly touched the ceiling.
Phidias’ Zeus was seated on a wooden throne, with ivory, ebony and gold inlay; Zeus’ right hand would have held a small statue of Nike, with an eagle-topped scepter in his left hand. His head would have been crowned with an olive wreath, and in true Greek style, on the god’s feet were sandals – in this case, made of gold. In front of the statue, Phidias placed a shallow pool of oil, in order to prevent the ivory from eroding in the humid climate.
The Greek historian Strabo commented on the statue’s height in one his writings: “it seems that if Zeus were to stand up, he would unroof the temple.” In fact, according to Strabo, Zeus’ entire chair was carved with images from Greek mythology: Apollo and Artemis killing the children of Niobe, sphinxes, and the three Graces.
The statue remained in the cella of the temple for upwards of 800 years, and the cause of its destruction is heavily debated. Some scholars assert that it was destroyed by fire around 475 AD, while others suggest it was destroyed along with the temple itself – probably by earthquake – sometime in the 5th century AD.
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Tomorrow: The Mausoleum
By: The Scribe on May, 2007
Built over the course of 120 years, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was completed around 550 BC, while Turkey was under Persian rule. Although nothing remains of the temple on the site where it used to stand, several ancient historians wrote descriptions of the temple during their travels across the ancient world.
Antipater of Sidon gives a sense of the wonder and awe this temple created, as compared to a number of other “ancient wonders”:
“I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon… and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labor of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy…” (Greek Anthology IX.58)
The reason for the temple’s brilliance was that, unlike other temples, it was constructed almost entirely of marble. The facade of the temple was also decorated with marble sculpture, and in front of the temple was a paved courtyard. The temple was raised on a high platform with marble steps, and when the sun shone directly on the white marble, the entire complex would have shone brilliantly.
The works of art housed inside the temple were those of the most famous sculptors in the ancient world, and typically consisted of images of Amazon warriors, since they were believed to be Ephesus’ founders. Archaeological excavations around the temple site have revealed a wealth of gold and silver jewelry, which would have been presented at the temple as offerings; a large number of Artemis statuettes have also been identified.
In 356 BC, a man named Herostratus burned the temple down, for the sole reason of gaining personal fame – at any cost. Interestingly enough, Alexander the Great was born on the same night, which the Roman historian Plutarch would later conclude was the reason that Artemis was
“too busy taking care of the birth of Alexander to send help to her threatened temple”.
The temple itself was not restored until after Alexander’s death in 323 BC, however even from the reconstructed building, only one column survives.
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Tomorrow: The statue of Zeus
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