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Article: Fit for a king.(tomb of King Mausolus)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- September 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It stood breathtakingly tall for its day--14 stories high. With a pyramid at its summit and a huge, ornamental four-horse chariot above that, the gigantic rectangular tomb was magnificent. Built for King Mausolus, it towered over his seaport capital, Halicarnassus, and soon became known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. As the years passed, the name of its occupant came to be used for the lavish structure itself. The English word "mausoleum" was coined to mean "a large, imposing tomb."
To learn when, why, and by whom Mausolus' tomb was built, we must travel back in time to the fourth century B.C. and the kingdom of Carla in southwest Asia Minor ...