To be part of the list of the 7 wonders of the world it is necessary that the monument concerned is impressive, of big size. If the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is there, it is not for nothing, but on the other hand, compared to the other monuments, it can not be said that it denotes particularly. While he is tall, but not exceptional.
Dimensions
The mausoleum was in a courtyard of 242.5m long by 105m wide, which still delimits an area of 2.5 hectares. In the center was the mausoleum proper, a one-block building of 43m high divided into three parts: The 13m building, the 12m colonnade and the 12m roof, all topped with a 3m quadriga . The dimensions of the building are unknown to us, the old documents do not necessarily agree. What is certain is that the archaeological excavations have allowed the updating of foundations from 2.4 to 2.7m deep on a rectangle of 33 by 39m (exactly 38.4m long by 32.5m wide) . According to Pliny, the mausoleum was 19 cubits to the north and south, was slightly shorter on the other fronts, and was 125 meters long and 11.4 meters high (25 cubits). Only one other author gives the dimensions of the Mausoleum, Hyginus. He was a grammarian who lived under Augustus. He describes the monument as being constructed of brilliant stones, 24 meters (80 feet) high and 410 meters (1,340 feet) in circumference.
Some numbers
Here are some figures about the size of the Halicarnassus Mausoleum.
- Lenght: 38,4m
- Width: 33,5m
- Height: 43m (sans le quadrige sommital)
- Lenght of the court: 242,5m
- Width of the court: 105m
- Height of the tomb: 13m
- Height of the colonnade: 12m
- Height of the roof: 12m
- Height of the top quadriga: 6m
Dates concerning the mausoleum.
- Start date of construction: Probably before 353 BC
- End of construction: 350 BC
- Period of Destruction: Beginning in the 12th century
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