The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Abstract

AbstractThe monumental tomb of King Mausolus, renowned for its size and sculptures, was the focal point of Halicarnassus (Bodrum), the newly constructed capital of Caria. The tomb had a solid core of volcanic rock that was completely concealed beneath sculptures and friezes of marble. Decorative elements of the building were painted in bright colours, as was common in antiquity. Marble was transported from quarries all around the Aegean, and shipwrecks show us how this was done. The Mausoleum was brought down by an earthquake in the Middle Ages that also damaged the nearby fort of the Crusaders, who then plundered the site for blocks to rebuild their fort. However, some of the ruins were buried fortuitously under deep soil eroded from the hill to the north and preserved until excavated in the 19th century.