The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (circa 353 BC) was a monumental marble tomb,decorated by the leading sculptor of the age, for King Mausolus of Caria in AsiaMinor; only fragments remain.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, also in Asia Minor,derived its name from King Mausolus of Caria.

After his death in the middle ofthe 4th century BC, his queen, Artemisia, employed Greek architects to constructa superb monument over his remains. It was a great rectangular pile of masonry, surmountedby an Ionic colonnade supporting a rooflike pyramid. At the apex stood a four-horsechariot in which were statues of the king and queen. So famous was this structurethat the word mausoleum came to be applied to any monumental tomb. Some relics ofthe original Mausoleum are preserved in the British Museum.

Only crumbling fragmentsremain of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus on the coast of Asia Minor. It was raisedto the memory of King Mausolus of Caria by his devoted Queen, Artemisia.

Posted in: Seven Wonders