A story about the mausoleum in Halicarnassus. The Mausoleum in Halicarnassus is a unique creation of the best ancient Greek architects. Luxurious tomb for the king

“, the first association that arises in our compatriots’ heads when they hear this word is on Moscow’s Red Square.

is a monument-tomb or burial structure where the remains of famous and famous people are kept. But how did the name “mausoleum” come about? It turns out that the word “mausoleum” comes from the name of the Carian king Mausolus.

Mausolus - King of Caria

Once upon a time on the southwest coast of the peninsula Asia Minor there was a state Kariya. This state was ruled from 377 to 353 in the era BC by the king Mavsol with his sister Artemisia, who was also his wife. Contemporaries called Mavsol a cruel and greedy tyrant, but they talked about the king’s great passion for high art. Wanting to perpetuate his name in history, the Carian king, during his lifetime, decided to build a huge tomb for himself in the city Halicarnassus(modern Bodrum). According to Mavsol's idea, the funerary monument was to become a unique structure in the very center of the city. The construction of the tomb was supervised by Mausolus’s wife, Artemisia. For the construction of the funeral monument, the queen invited the famous Greek architects Pytheas and Satyr, as well as the most famous sculptors of that time - Leocharos, Briaxides, Timotheos and the famous Skopas, who decorated another wonder of the world with his bas-reliefs. The tomb turned out to be so beautiful and majestic that it soon began to be called a wonder of the world.

Many subsequent rulers tried to build the same tomb for themselves, so for such buildings they came up with the name “mausoleum” named Mausola.

Prosper Merimee This is how he spoke about the Carian king:

“Mausolus knew how to squeeze the juices out of the peoples under his control, and not a single shepherd of the people, in the language of Homer, knew how to shear his flock more smoothly. In his domains, he extracted income from everything: even for burial he established a special tax... He introduced a tax on hair. He accumulated enormous wealth. These riches and the constant relations of the Carians with the Greeks explain why the tomb of Mausolus was ranked among the seven wonders of the world."

One of the Seven Wonders of the World - Halicarnassus Mausoleum

The Halicarnassus mausoleum was very different from the buildings of its era. Classical Hellenic temples had a rectangular base, and the height of the building did not exceed the length of the facade. The mausoleum at Halicarnassus had an almost square base, and the height of the building significantly exceeded the length of the facade. The three-tiered mausoleum served not only as the tomb of the king, but also as a dynastic monument and sanctuary.

The first tier of the mausoleum was a massive base made of brick with marble cladding. The second tier looked like an ordinary Greek temple with giant columns: 36 columns along the perimeter supported the roof in the form of a pyramid. The pyramid roof consisted of 24 steps. At the top of the pyramid were huge statues of the royal couple in a chariot drawn by four horses. The total height of the building was approximately 46 meters.

The remains of the royal couple were kept in marble sarcophagi in a tomb located at the base of the mausoleum. The ashes of the king and queen were guarded by stone lions. The inside of the building was decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the legends and myths of ancient Greece. Outside, the walls of the mausoleum were decorated with sculptures of gods and representatives of the Greek epic. In the corners of the structure, giant stone sculptures of guardian warriors performed their duty. The Halicarnassus mausoleum, like, fascinated with its grandeur and beauty.

Mausolus did not live to see the completion of the construction of his tomb. After the death of the king, Artemisia, who was madly in love with her husband, devoted all her strength and resources to the construction of the mausoleum, which became a monument to their love. However, the queen herself died before the construction was completed.

Pliny the Elder This is how he described the Halicarnassus mausoleum:

“From the south and north, its extent is 63 feet, from the front and back sides the total length is already 440 feet, it reaches a height of 25 cubits, surrounded by 36 columns. This coverage was called pteron. Skopas made reliefs from the east, and from the north - Briaxides, from the south - Timotheos, from the west - Leochares. Even before they had finished the work, the queen died. Above the pteron rises a pyramid, equal in height to the lower part, tapering in twenty-four steps into a pointed meta. At the top is a marble quadriga, which created Pytheas. Together with her, the entire structure reaches a height of 140 feet."

The temple of the god of war Ares and the sanctuary of Aphrodite and Hermes, located in Halicarnassus next to the mausoleum, seemed unsightly buildings against the backdrop of the tomb of Mausolus.

For almost two millennia, people admired and admired the Halicarnassus Mausoleum. In the 13th century, the legendary tomb collapsed after a strong earthquake. In the 15th century, the ruins of the mausoleum were dismantled by the Knights of St. John for the construction of the fortress of St. Peter ( Bodrum Castle).

Halicarnassus Mausoleum today

To our greatest regret, now only a handful of stones remain from the legendary mausoleum.

Nowadays, on the site where the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus once stood, there is a museum where one can only imagine how beautiful and majestic this wonder of the world was. In the open-air museum, you can examine fragments of walls and bas-reliefs, and also imagine what the mausoleum looked like by studying the models presented here.

Some of the objects that were found during archaeological excavations on the territory of the Halicarnassus Mausoleum are stored in the British and Istanbul Museums.

Ruins and Museum of the Halicarnassus Mausoleum on the map of Turkey

Today, in different parts of our planet, you can find buildings whose appearance resembles the features of the legendary Mausoleum, which speaks of the genius of ancient architects.

mausoleum in Halicarnassus - another of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The city called Halicarnassus does not exist now. That is, there is a city in this place, but it is called Bodrum. Numerous tourists come to this Turkish town to see what remains of this Wonder of the World - the mausoleum in Halicarnassus.

Now the ruins of the Mausoleum are a museum. Compared to other ancient Wonders of the World, the Mausoleum at Helicarnassus is “preserved” well - many statues and fragments of bas-reliefs are exhibits in the local museum in Bodrum.

In the 4th century BC. Halicarnassus was the capital of the province of Caria, which was then part of the Persian Empire. It was one of the most beautiful cities in the region. Situated on the Mediterranean coast in Asia Minor, Halicornas was practically inaccessible from the sea. His fleet could easily, if necessary, blockade the small channel that led to the harbor.

The city reached its greatest prosperity during the reign of Mausolus from 377 to 352 (353) BC.

King Mavsol He was both an excellent diplomat and an excellent warrior. He knew how to use a mercenary army and navy for his purposes. Mausolus practically achieved the independence of Halicarnassus from Persian rule, and also captured the entire southeastern part of Asia Minor.

The king was married to his sister Artemisia. Such marriages in noble families were often practiced, not only among the Carian rulers, but also among the Roman ones.

Mausolus and Artemisia ruled Caria together for 24 years. According to contemporaries, Artemisia loved Mausolus very much.

In the center of Halicarnassus, shortly before the death of the king, a place was allocated for the Mausoleum (the name came from the name of King Mausolus). Construction was led by Artemisia. She did not take into account the costs and threw all her strength and resources into the construction of a tomb, which the world had never seen before.

The Mausoleum was designed by the famous Greek architects Satyr and Pytheas. The sculptors Scopas, Leochares, Timofey, Briaxides decorated the majestic building.

For the first time in Greek architecture, the Mausoleum combined all three famous styles - Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.

A stone platform was erected in the center of the complex, which served as a pedestal for the temple.

The pedestal had the shape of a rectangle with dimensions of approximately 19x11 meters. On it stood a tomb-temple surrounded by 36 Ionic columns supporting a roof in the shape of a 24-step pyramid. The spaces between the columns and the outer walls of the Tomb were richly decorated with sculptures. Fragments of marble lions and mythological figures found here during excavations indicate that the sculptures were made by great masters. The top of the pyramid is crowned with a platform on which stood a marble quadriga - a chariot drawn by four horses, driven by Mausolus and Artemisia. The total height of the Mausoleum from the base to the top of the sculptural group is 46 meters.

The mausoleum was not yet completed when in 353 BC. Mavsol died. The ruler's corpse was cremated. The grief-stricken widow ordered some of the ashes to be mixed with aromatic substances and water, and then drank it, hoping to reunite with the spirit of her deceased husband. Artemisia ruled for another 2 years until death overtook her. The queen's body was also burned and then buried next to her husband. After the couple found their final resting place, the entrance to the tomb was walled up with stones.

The mausoleum in Halicarnassus stood for many centuries. Halicarnassus had already been destroyed and turned from a luxurious city into a small coastal settlement, and the majestic Mausoleum still towered over it. An earthquake in the 13th century destroyed the king's tomb, and in the 15th century the mausoleum was destroyed by the Rhodian knights, who took its stones to build the fortress of St. Peter. Thus, part of the fortress walls turned out to be made of green stone blocks, characteristic of the main part of the mausoleum.
A few years later, the knights discovered the tomb of Mausolus and Artemisia in ruins. But they left the burial unguarded overnight, and it was plundered by looters, who were attracted by gold and jewelry.

In the 19th century, travelers to Asia Minor noticed that the walls of the Turkish fortress of Bodrum were made not so much of stone blocks as of marble. This is not surprising: the remains of ancient cities often served as building material, first for the Byzantines, and then for the Arabs and Turks. But the marble slabs of the walls of Bodrum were very beautiful and unusual.
When rumors of this reached the English ambassador in Turkey, he came to the city and bought permission to break out twelve slabs from the walls in order to transport them to the British Museum. English scientists, based on surviving descriptions and reviews from contemporaries, soon realized that this was part of the famous frieze of Skopas - “Amazonomachy”.

Convinced that the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus should be sought in Bodrum, Sir Charles Thomas Newton, curator of the British Museum, hurried there. The first thing he saw when he landed on the shore were two marble lions embedded in the wall of the fortress.
During the nine months spent in Bodrum, Newton found many fragments of the mausoleum, and under a layer of earth and debris - four more slabs by Skopas. When the excavations came to an end, two-meter statues of Mausolus and Artemisia, which had previously stood in a chariot, were discovered, split into many pieces, as well as a marble horse head almost a meter long with a bronze gilded bridle and pendant decorations.
In 1857, these finds were transported to the British Museum.

In the 19th century, the remains of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus were excavated. The ideas that were embodied during its construction inspire many modern architects, in particular the idea of ​​​​the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was taken for the construction of the Grant Mausoleum in Manhattan and the Masonic Temple in Washington.

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

During the reign of Mausolus, Caria was already a colony of the Persian Empire, but the king repeatedly attempted rebellion. The power and influence of Mausolus were so strong that even after the suppression of the unrest, he remained on the throne. In 377, he succeeded his father, Hecatomnus of Milas, on the throne. Mausolus was married to his sister Artemisia. Nowadays this seems wild, but then such marriages in noble families were often practiced, not only among the Carian rulers, but also among the Roman ones.

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

During the time of Mausolus, Halicarnassus became the capital of the province - and one of the most beautiful cities in the region. The ruler adored everything Greek, so he built Caria in the image and likeness of the Hellenic 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. Situated on the Mediterranean coast in Asia Minor, Halicornas was practically inaccessible from the sea. Mausolus's fleet could easily, if necessary, block the small channel that led to the harbor. In addition, workers deepened the city bay and used sand to build protective breakwaters in front of the canal.

Talented architects planned the city - laid out streets and squares, built residential buildings. On one side of the harbor a massive, fortified palace was erected for Mausolus. It was located so that the towers had a view of both land and sea, this made it possible to react in time if the enemy was approaching. 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 mansion, the royal complex also included a Greek-style theater, a temple to the Greek god of war Ares, and sanctuaries of Aphrodite and Hermes.

Mausolus decided to build the Halicarnassian mausoleum even 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 decorated with marble. In the center of the city, shortly before the death of the king, a place was allocated for the Mausoleum. The construction was headed by his beloved wife Mavsol. She did not take into account the costs and threw all her strength and resources into the construction of a 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 motivated 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

For the first time in Greek architecture, the architecture of the Halicarnassus mausoleum combined three different orders: 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 were Ionic. At the base of this gigantic structure lay a five-tiered rectangle, lined with white marble slabs and decorated on top with a 117 m long sculptural frieze - marble reliefs. On the base there was a peripterus - 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, and the height of the platform reached 20 meters. On the platform there was a pyramidal structure, which was almost equal in height to the base; towards the top, it, as befits a pyramid, narrowed. 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 installed between the columns.

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

Horses, with sculptures of Mausolus (by Pytheas) and his wife Artemisia (by Skopas). In the peripterus tomb there were marble sarcophagi of the king and queen. At the foot of the tomb there were marble statues of horsemen and lions by Leochares, Timothy, Briaxides. Construction was completed only under the grandson of King Mavsol. The structure was so unlike all previous tombs that it was called “mausoleum” after the name of its 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 base to top. The architecture of the tomb clearly showed Asian, oriental features. This is evidenced by the pyramidal, tapering roof and the massive square base, trimmed with slabs of marble, polished to a shine. The beauty of the Mausoleum lay not only in its interesting architectural design, but also in its rich decoration. In addition, each side of the quadrangular tomb had its own sculptor working on it - which could not but affect the integrity of the perception of the building. Of course, the Mausoleum was decorated 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. It, 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. A structure reminiscent of a Greek temple, surrounded by columns and statues, rose above a massive stone base. At the top of the building was a step pyramid. It was crowned, at a height of 43 meters above the ground, by a sculpture of a chariot drawn by horses. There were probably statues of the king and queen on it.

The mausoleum stood in close proximity to the temples of the Greek gods. At that time, it was surprising that the tomb of the king of the earth was much superior in decoration and appearance 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 including the tomb in the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The mausoleum was not yet completed when in 353 BC. Mavsol died. According to Kyrian custom, the ruler's corpse was cremated. The grief-stricken widow ordered some of the ashes to be mixed with aromatic substances and water, and then drank, hoping in this way to reunite with the spirit of her deceased husband. Artemisia replaced her husband on the throne and ruled for another 2 years, until death from melancholy (or illness) overtook her. The queen's body was also burned and then buried next to her husband. After the couple found their final resting place, the entrance to the tomb was walled up with stones. There is a version that even then the tomb was not completely completed; finishing work was completed only in 350 BC. Historical sources are confused about dates, and this is understandable; too much water has flown under the bridge since then.

What happened to the tomb, and what fate befell the city of Halicarnassus? The mausoleum stood for many centuries. It 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 was transformed from a luxurious city into a small coastal settlement. Mavolei, despite this, continued to stretch over the ruins, proudly, pompously as before. For sixteen centuries, the monument to vanity and love delighted the eyes of conquerors and ordinary people. Few travelers have not visited the former capital of Caria to see one of the Wonders of the World with their own eyes.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the crusaders, the knights of the Order of Malta, arrived in Asia Minor. They contributed a lot to the destruction of the Mausoleum. The soldiers stole the marble slabs and stones, 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 merciless towards the Tomb - time and natural disasters led to the fact that by the end of the sixteenth century only the foundation remained of 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 survive 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 destroyed sculptures; most of the mausoleum was dismantled by the Knights of St. John for the construction of St. Peter's Castle in Bodrum. Much of the ancient marble turned to 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 warriors of the Order of Malta also took part in the plunder. One way or another, it was the crusaders who found the burial chambers. However, the question remains - were they the first to enter the bowels of the holy of holies? According to archaeological data obtained during excavations taking place on the territory of the Mausoleum in the 60s of the 20th century, some secret underground passages were discovered that ran under the tomb. They were apparently dug by robbers, 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 precisely because of the originality of its design and interior decoration. The study of the ancient monument began in 1846 by an expedition of the British Museum led by Charles Newton. He carried out excavations 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 standing in the aforementioned chariot.

Another 300 years passed before archaeologists began excavations here. They discovered parts of the Mausoleum's foundation, as well as statues and reliefs that had not been broken or stolen. Among them were huge statues that archaeologists believe depicted the king and queen. In 1857, these finds were transported 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 reconstructing the mausoleum in its original form were developed. One of these projects was used to build the Grant Mausoleum in Manhattan, New York.

Perhaps our contemporaries would not have had a chance to see even 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 several plots of land that more or less matched the description made in ancient times by the historian Pliny.

As a result of excavations carried out by Newton, the destroyed base of the Mausoleum, many fragments of sculptures, including parts of the same quadriga that once towered on the roof of the tomb, were discovered. Newton also found statues of Mausolus, Artemisia and a huge horse's head made of marble. Another valuable find was several decorative slabs with bas-reliefs, in which the researchers recognized the style of one of the most famous sculptors of those times, Skopas. Newton had the good fortune to see similar slabs in the decoration of the very fortress that the crusaders 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, are 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 at Helicarnassus has been “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. Thus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus served as the prototype for the City Hall in Los Angeles, the Civil Court Building in St. Louis, the Warriors' Memorial in Indiana, St. George's Church in London and the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. In addition, in Istanbul there is a small copy of the Tomb, built today. 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 enormous St. Peter's Castle still stands in Bodrum, and the stones of the Halicarnassian miracle are visible in its structure. On the territory of the mausoleum itself there are only traces of the once majestic structure and a small museum telling the history of Halicarnassus. The main fragments are preserved in the British Museum.

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

Finally, another structure in Melbourne, built in the likeness of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

Halicarnassus Mausoleum

Halicarnassus, the capital of the Carian kingdom, was one of the most famous cities in Greece. Herodotus, the author of the famous “History,” was born and spent his youth here. Travelers were attracted by the ancient glory and architecture of one of the most beautiful cities in Asia Minor. The place of pilgrimage was the huge temple of the war god Ares with a majestic statue made of marble and gilded wood. Women strove for the temple of Aphrodite - the goddess of love and beauty - near which a wonderful fountain flowed, returning love to the abandoned, giving happiness to those who love and awakening feelings in those whose hearts had not yet known the power of Aphrodite. But most of all, the tomb of King Mausolus (who died in 353 BC), which was considered one of the wonders of the world, attracted people to Halicarnassus. This tomb combined the features of a Greek temple and an eastern pyramid.

King Mausolus annexed a number of nearby regions and islands to Caria. The entire subject population was subject to numerous taxes, and the funds thus received were spent on the construction of a magnificent tomb, which at the same time was supposed to serve as a temple in which the king would be honored even after death. For its construction, Mausolus invited the best architects and sculptors of that time to Caria: Satyr, Pytheas, Scopas, Leoxapa, Timothy and Briaxidas.

According to the project, the mausoleum was supposed to be a rectangle 66 meters wide, 77 meters long and 46 meters high. According to composition, it was divided into three parts. A rectangular pedestal in the form of a stepped pyramid - the actual tomb of the king and queen - should be crowned with a ribbon of marble reliefs encircling it. The second floor was supposed to be made in the form of a colonnade surrounding the temple premises. Its roof was supposed to be a pyramid of 24 steps. And at the top of the pyramid they were going to place a marble sculptural quadriga - a chariot drawn by four horses. They intended to install 15 columns in the upper and lower rooms. In the lower part they should be Dorian - more massive, in the upper one - lighter, Corinthian. The outer colonnade should be composed of 36 Ionian columns. Thus, when building the mausoleum, they planned to use all three architectural orders.

It was planned to build the mausoleum in the center of the city, on one of its widest streets, and according to the plan, it was supposed to become the main attraction of Halicarnassus.

Halicarnassus Mausoleum (reconstruction)

Marble for the construction of the mausoleum was mined in quarries. The blocks were cut down and sawed out with a special saw and lowered down on special wooden carts. Here the primary processing of marble was carried out in order to reduce its weight during transportation. Then the blocks were transported on carts drawn by oxen to the stone-masonry workshops. When the individual parts were ready and the marble blocks were polished, the construction of the pedestal walls and the installation of columns on the second floor began. In order to raise the columns upward, wooden platforms on supports and special inclined planes, also made of wood, were built. A massive, richly decorated cornice was installed on the columns.

In the midst of work, King Mausolus suddenly died. His widow, Queen Artemisia, continued the work begun by her husband. The architect and sculptor Pytheas had to sculpt a huge statue of the king from marble. The queen's statue was apparently created by the famous sculptor Skopas, although a number of scholars question his authorship. He also probably made part of the relief frieze that decorated the western wall of the tomb. This frieze depicts a very popular mythological plot of Amazonomachy: the battles of Greek heroes with female warriors.

King Mausol. Marble statue from the Halicarnassus Mausoleum (height 3 m)

At the bottom: Battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. Frieze of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus

The friezes of the southern and eastern sides were created by the sculptors Briaxides, Timothy and Leoxar and depicted the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs. And although the construction was not yet completed, crowds of curious travelers began to flock to Halicarnassus.

Queen Artemisia did not live to see the completion of construction. The work continued under their son and Mausolus (who became the ruler of Halicarnassus), and ended under their grandson. The tomb aroused admiration and was revered as a wonder of the world.

After the defeat of the Persians by the army of Alexander the Great, Halicarnassus was plundered and destroyed by Macedonian soldiers. But the mausoleum, oddly enough, was not touched. It stood in the deserted city for 1800 years, until the 15th century, and, despite frequent earthquakes, remained unharmed. In the 15th century, the coast of Asia Minor was captured by the crusaders, who dismantled the mausoleum and built a stronghold on the ruins of Halicarnassus - St. Peter's Castle. The creations of the great masters of antiquity were used to build the walls of the fortress. After the Crusaders were expelled from Asia Minor by the Turks, the Turkish fortress of Budrun appeared on the site of ancient Halicarnassus.

In the middle of the 19th century, travelers noticed that within the walls of the Turkish fortress there were slabs with ancient bas-reliefs depicting the battle of heroes with the Amazons. A total of 12 such slabs were counted. The British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire obtained permission to break them out of the wall and send them for examination to the British Museum. Scientists have recognized the famous frieze of Skopas, which once adorned the walls of one of the famous wonders of the world - the tomb of King Mausolus.

The famous archaeologist and curator of the British Museum, Charles Newton, went to Budrun. After he discovered two marble statues of lions in the walls of the fortress, which once stood at the foot of the mausoleum, his last doubts disappeared.

For nine months, while the issue of permission to remove fragments of the tomb from the walls of the fortress was being resolved, Newton looked for the place where the tomb once stood. During this time, fragments of a marble chariot, fragments of statues of people, horses and lions were extracted from the thickness of silt and construction debris. As a result of persistent and painstaking work, the statue of King Mausolus, reaching 3 meters in height, as well as the statue of Artemisia, more than 2.5 meters in height, were almost completely restored.

After the mausoleum was found, a thorough study of its remains began. All references to the mausoleum by ancient authors were collected. Based on this material, scientists together with architects tried to restore the appearance of the tomb of King Caria. And here there were some disagreements.

According to one version, the mausoleum was a temple with a roof in the form of a stepped pyramid, on top of which stood a quadriga in the form of a chariot and four horses, in which there were huge statues of Mausolus and Artemisia. The temple itself, according to these researchers, stood on a high pedestal, in the hall of which the sarcophagi of the king and queen were placed. And around the pedestal, which was the first floor, there were statues of lions and horsemen. But this option met with serious objections from authoritative scientists who carefully studied all written sources and archaeological materials on this problem and carried out mathematical calculations.

They proposed their own version, according to which the mausoleum consisted of two pyramids (upper and lower) and a temple with a colonnade. The lower pyramid served as the base of the temple, and the upper one was the roof of the entire structure. It was crowned with a quadriga on top, but there were no statues of the king and queen. This, according to scientists, is fully consistent with the Greek tradition, according to which it was customary to place an empty chariot on funeral structures, which symbolized the death of the owner.

But the main argument in favor of the fact that the statues were not placed on a chariot, but stood on a low pedestal, is the manner of their execution. This is especially striking when comparing them with the figure of a horse from a quadriga. The horse is made taking into account the fact that it will be looked at from below from a great distance. And the statues of the royal couple were created from a normal perspective, without taking into account the location features. After its dimensions were calculated from the fragments of the chariot, it became clear that the statues were too heavy and massive for it. In addition, the statues have carefully designed facial features, clothing details and even shoes, which would be completely unnecessary if they were placed in a quadriga at a great height. And then there would be no point in finishing the lower part of the statues at all, since the sides of the chariot would hide it up to the hip line.

All this indicates that the statues of the king and queen were not placed in a chariot, but stood on a pedestal somewhere on the lower platform, among many other statues, the fragments of which were discovered in the thickness of silt and construction debris, which hid the place where Here stood one of the greatest wonders of the Ancient World. This point of view is recognized as the most correct today.