Where is the wonder of the world mausoleum. Mausoleum of Halicarnassus: history of construction and architecture. The device and architectural design of the Halicarnassus mausoleum

MAUSOLEUM IN HALICARNASSUS- one of the most majestic monuments of Greek architecture of the late classics, a magnificent tomb built in the 4th century. BC. in the capital of a small Carian state, Halicarnassus (southeast of Asia Minor). Considered one of the so-called "seven wonders of the world". The mausoleum was built by order of the ruler of Caria, Mausolus (ruled 377-353 BC), who, during his lifetime, began the construction of this tomb in Halicarnassus for himself and his wife Artemisia II. The construction was later called the mausoleum (Greek Mausoleion) after the name of King Mausolus. The king himself did not live to see the completion of construction.

Mausolus was the ruler of Caria, which was part of the Persian Empire, from 377 to 353. BC. The capital of the region was Halicarnassus, which became under the name of the tourist center in modern Turkey.

During the reign of Mausolus, Kariya was already a colony of the Persian Empire, but the king repeatedly attempted to rebel. The strength and influence of Mausolus were so strong that even after the suppression of unrest, he remained on the throne. In 377, he succeeded his father on the throne - Hecatomnes from Milas. Mausolus was married to his own sister Artemisia. In our time, this seems savagery, but then such marriages in noble families were often practiced, and not only among the Carian rulers, but also among the Romans.

Brother and sister (husband and wife) ruled Kariya jointly for 24 years. Artemisia, according to her contemporaries, loved Mausolus very much, however, like he did her. The tsar did not remove his wife from state affairs, although, undoubtedly, the leading role in this tandem belonged to him.

Halicarnassus in the time of Mausolus became the capital of the province - and one of the most beautiful cities in the region. The ruler adored everything Greek, therefore he equipped Kariya in the image and likeness of the Elinn settlements. The subjects, however, like the king, spoke Greek, Greek inscriptions were engraved on the coins, and Mausolus himself put into practice some principles of democratic governance.

The capital of Caria, Halicarnassus was as safe as it was magnificent. Located on the Mediterranean coast in Asia Minor, Halicornasus was practically inaccessible from the sea. Mausolus' fleet could easily, if necessary, block the small channel that led to the harbour. In addition, the workers deepened the city bay, and the sand was used to build protective breakwaters in front of the canal.

Talented architects planned the city - paved the streets and squares, built houses. On one side of the harbor a massive, fortified palace was erected for Mausolus. It was located in such a way that from the towers a view would open both on land and on the sea, this made it possible to respond in time if the enemy approached. For greater protection, the palace and part of the settlement were surrounded by stone walls, the perimeter of which reached 6 km. In addition to the choir, the royal complex also included a theater in the Greek style, a temple to the Greek god of war Ares, the sanctuaries of Aphrodite and Hermes.

Mausolus decided to build the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus before his death, on the advice of his wife Artemisia. The building was designed by the Greek architects Satyr and Pytheas, many of the best sculptors of that time were also invited.

Mausolus and Artemisia spent colossal sums on the improvement of the city. Funds came to the treasury in the form of taxes. Halicarnassus was decorated with statues, buildings and temples, many of which were finished with marble. In the center of the city, shortly before the death of the king, a place was taken under the Mausoleum. The construction was headed by the beloved wife of Mausolus. She did not take into account the costs and threw all her strength and means into the construction of the tomb, which the world had never seen before. The queen wanted to show the world how rich their family was, perhaps it was vanity that moved Artemisia, and not love at all, however, time hid the true motives from us.

The mausoleum was located on a hilltop near Halicarnassus. In the courtyard there was a stone platform on which the grave was located. A stone staircase led to the top of the platform, with sculptures of lions on the sides, as well as statues of gods and goddesses.

In the architecture of the Halicarnassus mausoleum, for the first time in Greek architecture, three different orders were combined: Greek, Ionic and Corinthian. The lower floor was supported by 15 Doric columns, the inner columns of the upper floor were Corinthian and the outer ones Ionic. At the base of this gigantic structure lay a five-tiered rectangle, lined with white marble slabs and decorated on top with a sculptural frieze 117 m long - marble reliefs. A peripter was placed on the base - a tomb with a cella for sacrifices, it was surrounded by 39 eleven-meter columns.

Pliny the Elder testified that the total length of the pteron was no less than 440 feet, while the platform reached a height of 20 meters. On the platform was a pyramidal structure, which in height was almost equal to the base, towards the top, it narrowed, as befits a pyramid. The walls of the tomb were decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Greek mythology. The pyramidal roof of the tomb was supported by 36 7-meter columns, 9 on each side. Statues were placed between the columns.

A marble quadriga crowned the pyramid. The quadriga is a stone chariot drawn by four massive horses, also carved in marble. The role of the drivers was assigned, of course, to the statues depicting Mausolus and his wife Artemisia. The height of the sculptural composition was 6 meters.

The roof of the mausoleum was a stepped pyramid of 24 steps, on top of which stood a quadriga - a marble chariot drawn by four horses, with sculptures of Mausolus (by Pytheas) and his wife Artemisia (by Scopas). In the tomb of the peripter stood the marble sarcophagi of the king and queen. At the foot of the tomb there were marble statues of horsemen and lions by Leocharus, Timothy, and Briaxides. Construction was completed only under the grandson of King Mausolus. The structure was so different from all the previous tombs that it was called the "mausoleum" after the name of the creator.

The mausoleum had colossal dimensions for those times - it occupied an area of 5000 square meters. and had a height of 46 meters from the base to the top. The architecture of the tomb clearly showed Asian, oriental features. This is evidenced by the pyramidal, tapering roof, and the massive square base, finished with marble slabs, polished to a shine. The beauty of the Mausoleum was not only in an interesting architectural solution, but also in rich decoration. In addition, a "own" sculptor worked on each of the sides of the quadrangular tomb - which could not but affect the integrity of the perception of the building. Of course, the Mausoleum was designed in the same style, but the author's handwriting, one way or another, could be traced.

The burial chamber was located on the first floor - at the base. She, like the sarcophagus, was made of white alabaster and decorated with gold. The second floor resembled a Greek temple in its structure and was most likely used for sacrifices.

The ashes of the royal couple were kept in golden urns in the tomb located at the base of the building. A row of stone lions guarded this room. Above the massive stone base rose a structure resembling a Greek temple, surrounded by columns and statues. At the top of the building was a stepped pyramid. It was crowned, at a height of 43 meters above the ground, by a sculptural image of a chariot drawn by horses. On it, probably, there were statues of the king and queen.

The mausoleum stood in close proximity to the temples of the Greek gods. At that time, it was surprising that the tomb of the earthly king in decoration and appearance was much superior to the sanctuaries of the rulers of heaven. Perhaps it was this discrepancy that attracted the attention of contemporaries to the Helicarnassus Mausoleum, and it also served as the reason for entering the tomb into the list of the Seven Wonders of the World of the ancient world.

The mausoleum was not yet completed when, in 353 BC. Mausolus died. According to Cyrian custom, the corpse of the ruler was cremated. Part of the ashes, heartbroken widow, ordered to be mixed with aromatic substances and water, and then drank, hoping in this way to reunite with the spirit of her dead husband. Artemisia replaced her husband on the throne and ruled for another 2 years, until death from longing (or illness) overtook her. The queen's body was also burned and then buried next to her husband. After the couple found their last refuge, the entrance to the tomb was walled up with stones. There is a version that even then the tomb was not completed to the end, finishing work was completed only in 350 BC. Historical sources are confused in dates, and this is understandable, too much water has flowed under the bridge since then.

What happened to the tomb, and what fate befell the city of Halicarnassus? The mausoleum stood for many centuries. He survived both the conquest of the city by Alexander the Great in 334 BC, and the attack of pirates at the beginning of the first millennium AD. Halicarnassus had already been destroyed and turned from a luxurious city into a small coastal settlement. Mavoley, despite this, continued to prostrate over the ruins, proudly, pompously as before. For sixteen centuries, the monument of vanity and love delighted the eyes of the conquerors and the townsfolk. A rare traveler did not stop by the former capital of Caria to see one of the Wonders of the World with his own eyes.

At the beginning of the 15th century, crusaders, knights of the Order of Malta, arrived in Asia Minor. They contributed a lot to the destruction of the Mausoleum. Marble slabs and stones were taken away by the soldiers, using them to decorate the castle-fortress of St. Peter. The fort was erected on the very spot where the palace of Mausolus and Artemisia once stood. However, not only people were ruthless to the Tomb - time and natural disasters led to the fact that by the end of the sixteenth century only the base remained from the tomb.

It is not known exactly how many centuries the mausoleum stood and when it was destroyed, but according to scientists, it managed to withstand 19 centuries, after which it collapsed during an earthquake in the 13th AD. All that remained by the 19th century was the foundation and a few ruined sculptures, most of the mausoleum was dismantled by the knights of St. John for the construction of St. Peter's Castle in Bodrum. Most of the ancient marble was turned into lime, and the underground chambers were looted.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Mausoleum was desecrated, and the golden bowls with the ashes of Artemisia and Mausolus disappeared. At the same time, the crusaders accused local Muslim residents of sacrilege, although it is possible that soldiers of the Order of Malta also took part in the looting. One way or another, it was the crusaders who found the burial chambers. However, the question remains - were they the first to enter the bosom of the sanctuary? According to archaeological data obtained during excavations taking place on the territory of the Mausoleum in the 60s of the XX century, some secret underground passages were discovered that ran under the tomb. They, apparently, were dug by robbers, and long before the Crusaders appeared in Bodrum (formerly Halicarnassus). The vandals did not need the ashes of the kings - they were much more interested in jewelry and gold.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is considered one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, not because of its size or grandeur, but because of the originality of its design and interior decorations. The study of the ancient monument began in 1846 by an expedition of the British Museum led by Charles Newton. He excavated and discovered parts of the relief of the wall of the mausoleum, as well as the remains of the roof, as well as a chariot wheel with a diameter of 2 meters that adorned the roof. Also found were statues of Mausolus and Artemisia, who stood in the aforementioned chariot.

Another 300 years passed before archaeologists began excavations here. They uncovered parts of the base of the Mausoleum, as well as statues and reliefs that had not been smashed or stolen. Among them were huge statues, depicting, as archaeologists believe, the king and queen. In 1857 these finds were transferred to the British Museum in London. In recent years, new excavations have been carried out, and now only a handful of stones remain at this site in Bodrum.

After analyzing the found artifacts, a number of projects for the reconstruction of the mausoleum in its original form were developed. According to one of these projects, the Grant mausoleum in Manhattan, New York was built.

Perhaps our contemporaries did not even see fragments of the destroyed Mausoleum, if not for the efforts of the leadership of the British Museum, and the archaeologist Sir Charles Thomas Newton, who arrived in Bodrum in 1852 to find the legendary tomb of Mausolus. The researcher did not know the exact location of the tomb, so he had to buy up several plots of land that more or less fit the description made back in ancient times by the historian Pliny.

As a result of the excavations carried out by Newton, the destroyed foundation of the Mausoleum was discovered, many fragments of sculptures, including parts of the same quadriga that once towered on the roof of the tomb. Newton also found statues of Mausolus, Artemisia and a huge marble horse head. Another valuable find was several decorative plates with bas-reliefs, in which the researchers recognized the style of one of the most famous sculptors of those times, Skopas. Such slabs, Newton had the good fortune to see, and in the decoration of the very fortress that the crusaders had once built. The excavations were finally completed in 1966-1977 - they were led by Christian Jeppesen from the Danish University of Aarhus.

Now the fort, like the ruins of the Mausoleum, is a museum and a place of "pilgrimage" for numerous tourists. Compared to some other ancient Wonders of the World that have died in time, the Mausoleum in Helicarnassus is “preserved” well - many statues, fragments of bas-reliefs and other decorative elements are on display both in the local museum in Bodrum and in the British Museum.

Modern architects bring to life the ideas of ancient architects. So, the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus served as a prototype for the City Hall in Los Angeles, the Civil Court Building in St. Louis, the War Memorial in Indiana, St. George's Church in London and the Temple of Remembrance in Melbourne. In addition, in Istanbul there is a reduced copy of the Tomb, built in our days. There are many similar examples of borrowing ideas in modern architecture, and this once again proves the genius of ancient masters.

The main difference between the mausoleum at Halicarnassus and other ancient wonders, such as the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, or the temple of Zeus at Olympia. was that there were statues of ordinary people and animals - the mausoleum was not dedicated to the Greek gods

The huge castle of Saint Peter still stands in Bodrum and the stones of the Halicarnassus miracle are visible in its structure. On the territory of the mausoleum itself, only traces of the once majestic building and a small museum telling about the history of Halicarnassus remained. The main fragments are preserved in the British Museum

Many buildings around the world were built on the model of the Halicarnassus mausoleum. The most famous of them are the aforementioned building in Manhattan, and the Masonic Temple in Washington:

In conclusion, another building in Melbourne, built in the likeness of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus:

Interesting facts about the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus

The description of the construction by Pliny the Elder, as well as Vitruvius, has been preserved. In general, the building consisted of three tiers. The first one played the role of a powerful plinth, built of brick with marble facing.

Along the perimeter it was surrounded by statues with representatives of the Greek epic. The base was three-level, which made the mausoleum a symbol of power and durability.

The second tier had the significance of a temple. It was surrounded by 36 columns that supported the upper part of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus - the pyramid. The pyramid itself consisted of 24 steps that led to the top. It was there that the main statue was placed: a chariot with King Mausolus and Queen Artemisia.

The original idea was as follows: in the lower part of the mausoleum there was a direct tomb of the ruler of Caria and his wife, while in the middle there was a temple with a sculpture of Mausolus to worship the deceased king.

Surprisingly, both statues of Mausolus and Artemisia have survived quite well to this day. The same goes for the chariot that was once on top of the fifth wonder of the world mausoleum at Halicarnassus. All these historical artifacts are kept in the British Museum.

They say that Mausolus, the ruler of Caria, was such an imperious and proud ruler that during his lifetime he decided to build himself a chic tomb. Maybe not as huge as that of the Egyptian rulers, but no less luxurious and magnificent. In a word, a real wonder of the world.

According to the idea of the ruler of Caria, the tomb will not only serve as a tomb for him and his wife, but also be a temple in which local residents will pay homage to the deceased ruling couple. Neither the wrath of the Greek gods, whose temples were nearby, nor public opinion, he was not afraid - and allocated the best place in the city for the construction, inviting the most famous architects and sculptors of ancient Hellas.

Mausolus ruled from 377 to 353. BC e in Kariya (modern Bodrun, Türkiye). Many historians agree that he was an extremely wise and perspicacious ruler - despite the difficult political situation, for many years he managed to stay in power and maintain the relative independence of his country.

He also moved the capital of Caria from the ancient city of Milas to the young but promising Halicarnassus, located on the Mediterranean coast, in which he lived and ruled with his wife Artemisia, who is also his sister (it should be noted that such marriages among aristocrats like Caria , and Rome, were not uncommon).

Together they lived for almost a quarter of a century, and contemporaries claim that Artemisia loved her husband very much - even though he was so cruel that he was known as a tyrant, and ruled imperiously and stubbornly, trying not to bend under the pressure of Persia (at that time - this state was its colony).

On the other hand, perhaps it was this character trait that gave him the opportunity to maintain the relative independence of his state and even capture part of Asia Minor (it is interesting that he did not have a regular army and always used mercenary troops).

Mavsol was an ardent admirer of Greek culture, and therefore gathered around him many talented Greeks, both writers and architects, thanks to whom the capital of Caria was known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

What did Halicarnassus look like?

The capital of Caria was located at the foot of the mountains on the Mediterranean coast, and a small but well-fortified harbor was built on the coast. A bazaar was located not far from the pier, where they also traded overseas curiosities. Behind the market square, towards the mountains, wide streets with residential buildings were built.

The palace of Mausolus was located so that all approaches to Halicarnassus were clearly visible from it - both from land and from the sea (therefore, in the event of an attack, Mausolus would have learned about it almost immediately).

The house of the ruler and the buildings around it (and this is mainly a theater and temples of the gods) were surrounded by stone walls, the length of which was about six kilometers. They were erected for one single purpose - to ensure the best security of the ruler.

The central street went under a slight slope towards the mountains. At the end of it, already on the slope, was the temple of Ares, on the right - Aphrodite and Hermes. The main building of Halicarnassus - the mausoleum, was located in the middle of the main street.

The world's first mausoleum

To build a mausoleum in Halicarnassus (construction began around 359 BC), the ruler and his wife invited the most eminent architects and sculptors of Greece, who, working on the building project (mainly the architects Satyr and Pytheas), took the decision to combine the three traditional styles of Greek architecture - Corinthian, Doric and Ionic.

The unique tomb turned out to be the first building in the world where all the main architectural trends of ancient Hellas were used in decoration (moreover, after the work was completed, the features of Asian temples were also visible in the mausoleum). And the amazing tomb went down in history as one of the Seven Wonders of the World - not so much because of its size and beauty, but because of its unique design and interior design.

An interesting fact is that each sculptor was assigned his own area of work:

The mausoleum in Halicarnassus was decorated on the east side by Skopas;
from the west - Leohar;
from the north - Briaxid;
from the south - Timothy;
the marble chariot on the roof was made by Pytheas.

The height of one of the seven wonders of the world was 46 m, and the base area had parameters of 66 by 77 m. The mausoleum was guarded from the outside by horsemen and lions. The first floor from the side of the facade was richly decorated with sculptures of gods, and in the middle - mythical statues and bas-reliefs (hunting, war with the Amazons, the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs). The mausoleum at Halicarnassus had three tiers.

The first floor was built of bricks and decorated with white marble slabs from the inside. Here, in one of the rooms, there was a tomb, where the ashes of Mausolus were first buried, then Artemisia, after which the entrance to the room was walled up.

On the second floor there was a sanctuary with 36 columns, each of which was about seven meters high - a place for worship of the deceased ruling couple. Especially for this, the sculptures of Mausolus and Artemisia made by Skopas were installed here (it is noteworthy that both statues have survived to this day and are currently considered the best sculptures of Greek culture of the 4th century BC).

A roof was installed on the columns, built in the form of a stepped pyramid (24 steps in total). At its top was a huge marble chariot with four harnessed horses, the drivers of which were Mausolus and Artemisia (according to approximate data, the height of the monument was about six meters).

Death of Mausolus

The ruler of Caria never saw his tomb: he died a few years earlier, without waiting for the completion of construction work, approximately in 353 BC. His body was cremated before being buried. According to rumors, Artemisia loved her husband so much that she ordered some of his ashes to be mixed with aromatic substances and water - and drank the mixture in the hope that she would leave after him.

This did not happen, and she outlived her husband by another two years. This time was enough for her to almost complete the construction of the wonder of the world - the work in the middle was already completed, and the sculptors were just working on the bas-reliefs from the outside of the building. Like the body of Mausolus, the remnants of the ruler were burned and buried near her husband, and the construction of the mausoleum was completed around 531 BC.

The collapse of the mausoleum

The mausoleum in Halicarnassus existed in the world for quite a long time - about nineteen centuries. He not only survived the capture of the country by Alexander the Great, but also saw the decline of the capital and its transformation into a small settlement. But in the XIII century, a strong earthquake did its job, and almost completely destroyed it.

And after some time, in the 16th century, the crusaders who came here finally dismantled the tomb and used marble slabs and stones to build the church of St. Peter, which still stands today.

The contents of the mausoleum, including the golden urns with the remains of the long-dead couple, have disappeared forever. The facts show that it is not worth blaming the knights completely: archaeological excavations have shown that secret passages under the mausoleum appeared much earlier than the crusaders came here - and it is unlikely that they appeared just like that, there was definitely something to profit from here.

Fast forward to the ancient city of Halicarnassus. It was the capital of Caria and, as is due to the capital of the state, was famous for its beauty and grandeur. Temples, theaters, palaces, gardens, fountains, a living harbor guaranteed honor and respect for the city. But special attention here was occupied by the tomb of King Mausolus, one of the seven wonders of the world in the ancient world. So, the wonder of the world mausoleum in Halicarnassus.

Mausoleum in Halicarnassus: the history of creation and a brief description

King Mausolus ruling Caria in the 4th century BC (377-353 years), according to the experience of the Egyptian pharaohs, he began the construction of his tomb during his lifetime. It was supposed to be a unique building. Located in the center of the city, among palaces and temples, it symbolizes the power and wealth of the king. And to worship the late king, it must combine both the tomb and the temple. The best architects and sculptors were allocated for the construction - Pythius, Satyr, Leohar, Skopas, Briaxides, Timothy. After the death of the king, his wife, Queen Artemisia, approached the construction of an eternal monument to the great husband even more intensively.

The building was completed in 350 BC. Its appearance combined several architectural styles of that time at once. There were three levels in the mausoleum with a total height of 46 meters. The first tier was a massive plinth made of bricks lined with marble. Further on it towered a temple with 36 columns. The columns supported the roof in the form of a pyramid with 24 steps. At the top of the roof was a sculpture of King Mausolus and Artemisia in a chariot drawn by 4 horses. Around the building were statues of horsemen and lions. The beauty of the structure was fascinating, it is no coincidence that the mausoleum in Halicarnassus quickly entered the seven wonders of the world of the ancient world.

Statue of the Chariot with Mausolus and Artemisia

The tomb of Mausolus and his wife was located in the lower tier. To worship the king, an upper room was built with columns and a statue of Mausolus. The statue has survived to this day, and fully reflects the image of the despot king. The sculptor in the facial features subtly conveyed the character of Mausolus - evil, cruel, capable of getting everything he needs. No wonder he was a very rich man. Next to the statue of Mausolus was a statue of Queen Artemisia. The sculptor embellished her, filed in a stately, soft image. The famous sculptor of that time Skopas worked on it. Both of these statues are now considered among the finest in Greek culture from the 4th century BC. Separately, it is worth mentioning the upper part of the base of the mausoleum. The sculptors decorated it with scenes from the Greek epic - the battle with the Amazons, hunting, the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs.

Statues of Mausolus and Artemisia

Mausoleum - a word that came from the name of King Mausolus, is now a household word among all peoples.

After 18 centuries, the mausoleum was destroyed by an earthquake. Later, its ruins were used to build the castle of St. Peter by the Knights of St. John. When the Turks arrived, the castle became the fortress of Budrun, currently called Bodrum. Excavations here were carried out in 1857. Relief slabs, statues of Mausolus and Artemisia, a statue of a chariot were found. They are currently on display at the British Museum.