Characteristics

• Maussollos was ruler of Caria (part of Persian Empire) from 377 to 353 B.C.
• Capital was Halicarnassus, which is modern day Bodrum, Turkey
• He married his sister, Artemisia
• Wanted a spectacular monument for he and his wife to be remembered for wealth and power
• Tomb called Mausoleum, after the himself, and this word is still used for any large tomb
• Ashes placed in golden caskets in a burial chamber at the base of the building
• Row of stone lions guarded the chamber
• The top has a stepped pyramid with a statue of a horse-drawn chariot
• 800 yrs later, earthquake shook it to the ground
• Raided by pirates for its gold

Technology

• The construction of the tomb may or may not have started in Maussollos's lifetime, but it was finished around 350 BC
• It was designed by Maussollos's
• The building was supported with many columns
• It took at least three years to build
• Sculptures Bryaxis, Leochares, Scopas, and Timotheus built the statues decorating the tomb

Wonder Qualities

• The structure itself is not what necessarily makes this tomb a wonder
• The decorations inside the tomb makes it truly remarkable
• Dozens of statues adorned the Mausoleum
• This was the first large burial place in Greece during its time period that was not dedicated to the Gods
• The name of the tomb, mausoleum is used today as a word for a large tomb