One of the wonders of the world is the Alexandrian lighthouse. World history in faces

Alexandrian lighthouse was one of the highest artificial structures almost 1000 years old and survived almost 22 earthquakes! Interesting, isn't it?

In 1994, French archaeologists discovered several ruins in the waters off the coast of Alexandria. Large blocks and artifacts were found. These blocks belonged to the Alexandria lighthouse. Built by the first Ptolemy, Lighthouse of Alexandria, also called Pharos lighthouse was the only ancient miracle with the actual purpose of helping sailors and ships enter the harbor. It was located on the island of Pharos in Egypt and was a perfect example ancient architecture... The lighthouse was a source of income and a landmark for the city.

History

◈ Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria in 332 BC.

◈ After his death, Ptolemy I Soter declared himself as a pharaoh. He built the city and commissioned a lighthouse.

◈ Pharos was a small island associated with Alexandria by a mound called Heptastadion.

◈ Alexander named 17 cities by his own name, but Alexandria is the only city that has survived and is flourishing.

◈ Unfortunately, Alexander could not see this beautiful structure in his city, since he died in 323 BC.

Construction

◈ The Alexandria Lighthouse was built between 280 and 247 BC. It is about 12 to 20 years for construction. Ptolemy I died before its completion, so it was discovered by his son Ptolemy of Philadelphia.

◈ The construction cost was about 800 talents, which is equivalent to $ 3 million today.

◈ The lighthouse was approximately 135 meters high. The lowest part was square, the middle one was octagonal, and the top was round.

◈ Limestone blocks were used to build the lighthouse. They were sealed with molten lead to withstand strong waves.

◈ Spiral staircases led to the top.

◈ In a huge curved mirror, light was reflected during the day, and at night there was a fire at the very top.

◈ The light of the lighthouse could be seen according to various sources at a distance of 60 to 100 km.

◈ Unconfirmed sources say the mirror was also used to identify and burn enemy ships.

◈ 4 statues of the god Triton stood at the four corners at the top and a statue of Zeus or Poseidon in the center.

◈ The designer of the lighthouse was Sostrat of Cnidus. Some sources attribute sponsorship to him as well.

◈ Legend has it that Ptolemy did not allow Sostratus to inscribe his name on the walls of the lighthouse. Even then, Sostratus wrote "Sostratus, son of Dextiphon, dedicated to the savior gods for the sake of the seas" on the wall, and then put plaster on top and wrote the name of Ptolemy.

Destruction

◈ The lighthouse was badly damaged by an earthquake in 956 and then again in 1303 and 1323.

◈ Although the Lighthouse survived nearly 22 earthquakes, it finally collapsed in 1375.

◈ In 1349, the famous Arab traveler Ibn Battuta visited Alexandria, but was unable to climb the lighthouse.

◈ In 1480, a remnant of stone was used to build Fort Kite Bay at the same site.

◈ Now on the site of the lighthouse there is a military fortress of Egypt, so researchers cannot get there.

Meaning

◈ The monument has become an ideal model of a lighthouse and is of great architectural importance.

◈ The word "Pharos" - the lighthouse comes from the Greek word φάρος in many languages ​​such as French, Italian, Spanish and Romanian.

◈ The Lighthouse of Alexandria is mentioned by Julius Caesar in his works.

◈ The lighthouse remains the civic symbol of the city of Alexandria. His image is used on the flag and seal of the province, as well as on the flag of the University of Alexandria.

One of the most outstanding monuments the ancient world is now underwater in ruins. But everyone can swim around the ruins with equipment.

Tower on Foros, salvation for the Greeks,

Sostrat Deksifanov,

The architect from Cnidus, erected,

O Lord Proteus!

Posidippus .

We will now be transported to the delta Nile to see the seventh wonder of the world. But finding the seventh wonder of the world is a hopeless task. Lighthouse on the island Foros near Alexandria has long disappeared without a trace.

Lighthouse on the island of Foros

It disappeared so that not a single stone remained of it. But such information has survived about it as the fact that it was built by a cnidus architect Sostratus and the fact that he was taller than the highest pyramid. And this building cost 800 talents. Its name still lives in the dictionaries of coastal peoples:

The French call the lighthouse “ phare ", Spaniards and Italians" faro ", The Greeks" pharos ", the British" pharos ”.

during his conquest of the world, he not only destroyed cities, but also built them. He founded Alexandria near Issy, Alexandria of Troad, Alexandria near the Tigris (later Antioch), Alexandria of Bactria, Alexandria of Armenia, Alexandria of the Caucasus, Alexandria" on the edge of the world " and many others. In 332 BC. he founded the Egyptian Alexandria - the capital of the Hellenic world of Egypt. Previously, on the site of this Alexandria, there was an old fishing settlement Rakotis. It was here that he came from Memphis one day in spring Alexander the Great along with their military leaders, historians, zoologists, botanists and dancers. Among these people came here Deinocrates- an architect known to us from Ephesus and Rhodes, he accompanied Alexander from Macedonia. In Ephesus, Deinocrates received his first assignment - to rebuild. But the "great day" of Deinocrates came only when Alexander conquered Egypt.The king saw near the island of Foros, next to an ancient Egyptian settlement Rakotis a natural harbor, on the shore of which there was a wonderful place for a port market, around the fertile Egyptian lands and the proximity of the Nile. It was here that the king ordered Deinocrates to build Egyptian Alexandria, ordered and left, returned here after 10 years and in a golden sarcophagus (the sarcophagus of Alexander, his commander Ptolemy ordered to put in royal palace in Alexandria, in that part of it that was called Sema and where the sarcophagi of all subsequent kings will subsequently stand).
Immediately after Alexander's departure, they began to build the city. After Alexander's death Babylonia, Alexandria was chosen as his residence by the Macedonian commander Ptolemy, who conquered Egypt (first ruling here on behalf of the unborn son of Alexander, and from 305 BC on his own behalf) and founded the last, no longer Egyptian, dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs. And gradually the city became so famous for its grandeur and beauty that under the king Ptolemies X II and his sister Cleopatra(who treacherously tortured her two brothers, Ptolemy X II and NS III to vacate the throne for his son Ptolemy X IV whom she gave birth to from Julius Caesar) the Romans wanted to capture him. Over time, the Romans annexed Alexandria along with all of Egypt to Roman Empire.

With the coming of the Macedonian commander Ptolemy to power in Egypt and with his founding in Alexandria, the capital of the last Egyptian kingdom, as well as the capital of the entire Hellenistic world, the era of ancient culture began, which is commonly called the Alexandrian culture. The flowering of this culture, which is a synthesis of Greek culture with the culture of the Eastern peoples, fell on the domination of the first three Ptolemies: Ptolemy ISoter(323-285 BC), Ptolemy IIPhiladelphia(285 - 246 BC) and Ptolemy IIIEverget(246 - 221 BC) Descendants of the Macedonian courtier Laga gained tremendous power over millions of people. They were real pharaohs. Of course, they fought bloody wars with other heirs of the Great Alexander, but they also made a great contribution to the development of Hellenic culture. For example: Ptolemy I was one of those few rulers who understand that science brings the same glory as war, and also cheaper and less risk. It was during their reign that two great structures were created.

In 308 BC, under Ptolemy I was opened here Alexandria mousseion("Temple of the Muses") - one of the main scientific and cultural centers of the ancient world, and with it the no less famous Library of Alexandria, in which there were almost 700 thousand volumes of Greek and Oriental books (most of the books of which were acquired under Ptolemy II Philadelphia). Under the mousseion, scientists lived and worked, who were supported by the state. Ptolemy I Soter himself was the author "The Campaigns of Alexander the Great"... Ptolemy's generosity attracted not only scientists, but also artists, sculptors, and poets to Alexandria. The Ptolemies made Alexandria a world scientific center.

The second magnificent structure of the Ptolemies is the lighthouse on the islandPharos... He described him to us Straboin the seventeenth volume of his"Geography"... This skyscraper of the ancient world was built on a rock in the middle of the sea and, in addition to its practical functions, served as a symbol of the state.

As Strabo writes, he built it Sostratus from Cnidus, a son Dexifana and “friend of kings” (the first two Ptolemies). Before the lighthouse, Sostratus had already built a "hanging boulevard" on the island of Cnidus (a similar hanging structure). It is also known that Sostratus was an experienced diplomat.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria stood for about 1,500 years, helping to navigate the Mediterranean "cybernetos", so the ancient Greeks called the helmsmen. Under the Byzantines, in the 4th century, it was damaged by an earthquake and the fire went out forever. In the 7th century, under the Arabs, this structure served as a daytime lighthouse. At the end of the 10th century, the lighthouse survived another earthquake and remained from it Part 4. In the middle of the XIII century, it was no longer needed as a daytime lighthouse: the coast approached the island so much that the Ptolemaic harbors turned into a sand quarry. The Colosseum, and the destruction of the lighthouse was completed by an earthquake in 1326. Today, the island of Pharos is completely connected to the mainland, besides, its outlines have completely changed and therefore the place where the lighthouse stood today has not yet been identified. high lighthouse in the world, disappeared without a trace.

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The Seven Wonders of the World is a list of the most famous landmarks of the ancient world. The Lighthouse of Alexandria is rightfully called one of them - this is the last of the classic wonders of antiquity. Basic information and Interesting Facts about this structure, its creation, functions and sad fate can be found on the Internet (as well as a photo of the reconstructed lighthouse), but the impressions of historic site seen with my own eyes cannot be compared with anything.

The history of the lighthouse on the island of Pharos is firmly connected with the founding in 332 AD of one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world - Alexandria, named after the great conqueror Alexander the Great. For all the time of his campaigns, he managed to found about 17 cities with the same name, but only Alexandria in Egypt managed to survive to our time.

Founding of Alexandria

Alexander the Great approached the choice of a place for the future city with great responsibility. He did not want to locate it in the Nile Delta, so he decided to start construction a little further south, not far from Lake Mareotis. It was planned that there would be two ports in Alexandria - one for merchant ships coming from Mediterranean Sea the other is for ships sailing from the Nile River.

After the death of the great Alexander, the city passed under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter, the pharaoh of Egypt, who ruled at that time. This was the time of prosperity for Alexandria - it became the largest shipping port. In 290 BC, Ptolemy ordered to build a huge lighthouse on the island of Pharos, which would facilitate the way for sailors at night and in bad weather.

Construction of the Pharos lighthouse

The construction of the Alexandria lighthouse began in the 4th century BC. It is believed that this masterpiece of architectural thought was built by Sostratus, a native of Cnidia. Construction work has been going on for over 20 years. The Lighthouse of Alexandria is the first building of this type in the world and the tallest structure of the ancient world. This is the answer to the question why the Pharos lighthouse is included in the seven wonders of the world. This magnificent skyscraper was a symbol of power and might, prosperity and greatness, like light in darkness.

The height of the Alexandria Lighthouse is about 600 feet, or 135 meters. At the same time, it looked somewhat different than most of the architectural monuments of that time. It was a three-tiered building with a square at the base, the walls of which were erected from slabs of marble, interconnected with a solution with the addition of lead.

We bring to your attention interesting facts about the Alexandria lighthouse, which is part of the seven wonders of the world.

• At the top of the lighthouse there was a fire, the reflections of which were directed into the sea with the help of specially polished metal plates.
• The light from the lights of the Alexandria lighthouse was visible at a distance of more than 60 km.
• The Pharos lighthouse also served as an outpost and observation tower - its height made it possible to see enemy ships long before they approached the city.
• At the top of the building, in addition to metal reflecting plates, there were also interesting technical devices of that time - clockwork mechanisms, weather vanes and much more.
• After the completion of the construction, Sostratus of Cnidus carved his name in one of the walls, and then covered it with plaster and wrote the name of Ptolemy I Soter on it. The architect was well aware that the plaster will wear off over time, and the stone will preserve the name of the real creator of the lighthouse for centuries.

The Alexandria lighthouse was most fully described many years later - already in 1161 AD - by the Arab traveler Abu el-Andalussi. He noted the most significant facts and mentioned that in addition to its main function, the lighthouse also served as a very prominent and popular attraction.

The fate of the Alexandria lighthouse

The lighthouse on the island of Pharos has illuminated the sailors' journey for a millennium and a half. But, unfortunately, he was powerless in front of the forces of nature. Quite strong tremors in 356, 956 and 1303 AD inflicted severe damage on it, and the earthquake of 1326 finally destroyed the seventh wonder of the world - the Lighthouse of Alexandria. His remains were dismantled by Muslims to build their fortress. They were discovered many centuries later - in 1994, and later the image of the building was restored using computer modeling. But such photos are still not able to convey the greatness and power that the Pharos lighthouse possessed.

A hundred years after the destruction on the site of the Alexandria lighthouse, a powerful fort was erected to protect Alexandria from the sea. It has survived and exists in our time - now it houses the Alexandria Historical Museum.

The Pharos lighthouse got its name from the island on which it was located - Pharos. And later on this place the city of Alexandria was spread. Hence his middle name. The lighthouse is included in the list of the well-known "seven wonders of the world". And like most of them, the Pharos structure has not survived to our times.

The lighthouse was built in the 3rd century BC. The name of its creator long time remained unknown. As it turned out later, the architect was a certain Sostrat of Cnidus. He himself signed his creation, carving on one side of the lighthouse a mention that he devotes his work to "the gods-saviors for the sake of sailors." But for some reason Sostratus later covered the inscription with plaster. And only when, after several centuries, the layer of the mixture fell off, the world learned the truth.

The Pharos lighthouse has been under construction for almost 20 years. The result is a truly magnificent structure. Its height was 117 meters. And at that time it was the tallest building in the world. The architecture of the lighthouse consisted of three towers, stacked on top of each other and on a single massive foundation. The smallest and most spacious tower housed a military garrison. The workers who served the building also lived there. The second level is a technical room. And finally, the top of the structure is the lighthouse itself. It was a cylinder in which a fire burned at night, helping sailors to safely moor to the bay.

And all this splendor was crowned with an imposing statue of the god Poseidon - the lord of the seas. The height of the sculpture, according to documentary evidence, was at least 7 meters.

How the Pharos lighthouse worked

In the work on the lighthouse, Sostratus applied the most advanced technologies of the time. In the upper part of the tower, he installed bronze mirrors, which reflected the light from the fire and amplified it many times. The light was so bright that the sailors saw it 50 kilometers from the island. The lighthouse served as a landmark during the day. Firstly, it was clearly visible due to the height of the building. And secondly, the same mirrors reflected sunlight perfectly.

In addition, there were three more statues on the lighthouse, which served not only as decoration. So, one of them constantly pointed to the sun, and at night dropped her hand. Another sculpture recorded the direction of the wind. And the third told travelers the time, beating every hour. Unfortunately, today it is impossible to say how these statues were arranged. Only an external description has survived.

Paradoxical as it may sound, the lighthouse itself is to blame for the destruction of the lighthouse. The fact is that for his work a lot of firewood was required, which was delivered to the top of the structure along a special spiral ramp. And then the workers threw the ash into the sea. And after almost 15 centuries, the bottom of the island was so clogged up that it was dangerous to moor to it. Accordingly, the navigators began to look for other routes, and the lighthouse, left idle, began to collapse. The bronze mirrors were melted down, and the stones from which the structure was built were taken away for other needs. The "wonder of the world" was finally finished off by a powerful earthquake, which wiped it off the face of the earth.

Modern Pharos lighthouse

Today, only the basement floor of the Pharos lighthouse has survived. And it is fully integrated into the modern base of the Egyptian Navy, Kite Bay. Tourists who visit Alexandria can still be shown a few wrecks that were recently raised from the bottom of the sea. It is possible that other fragments also rest at depth, but the operation to find and raise them is too difficult and expensive, therefore this moment almost nobody does it.

But there is good news. The Egyptian government recently decided to rebuild the Pharos lighthouse and create an exact copy. And given the current pace of construction, giant structure may appear in a few years. And then it will become one of the main attractions not only of Alexandria and Egypt, but of the whole world.

Alexandrian lighthouse

In the III century. BC NS. on small island Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea, near the coast of Alexandria, a lighthouse was built so that ships could safely pass the reefs on their way to the Bay of Alexandria. At night, they were helped in this by the reflection (to enhance the brightness, the light of the fire was reflected from the bronze plates) of the flames, and during the day - by a column of smoke. The structure was named after the island. On its construction, ™ various sources, took from 5 to 20 years, and it was completed about 280 BC. e., during the reign of Ptolemy II, king of Egypt.

The Pharos lighthouse consisted of three marble towers, which stood on a base of massive stone blocks. The first tower was rectangular and contained rooms where workers and soldiers lived. Above this tower was a smaller, octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the upper tower.

The upper tower was shaped like a cylinder, in which a fire was burning, which helped the ships safely reach the bay. The total height of the lighthouse was 117 m.

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