Wonders _
Pharos of Alexandria. Imaginado por Martin Heemskerck.
A fanciful 16th century interpretation of the Pharos by Martin Heemskerck.
Supposedly, the light from the tower could be seen from almost 100 miles out to sea, though this seems a little far fetched. Even Thiersch's work is suspect, with a hot fire burning beneath a copula supported on columns. One must wonder how the stonework would not crack under the heat of a constant fire. Yet, in several texts a statue is mentioned that surmounted the lighthouse and from a poet named Poseidippos of Pella, who lived in Alexandria during the third century BC, we learn that this statue almost certainly depicted Zeus the Savior, though he may have been accompanied by Poseidon, the lord of the waves. However, others have suggested that two statues depicted the Dioscuri, who were the twin sons of Zeus and Leda and protectors of seafarers. In fact, a gem which has recently been examined suggests that in fact the beacon on the lighthouse may have been open and the statue, or perhaps a number of statues may not have surmounted the building but stood on a lower level.
Irregardless of the beacon and statues, many scholars now believe that the lighthouse did not take on a purely Greek style, as it has so often been portrayed. The Ptolemies mixed their own culture with that of the Egyptians, and in building the lighthouse, it is now believed that they probably borrowed from the pharaonic tradition, using Egyptian stone, though the stone may have been covered in white marble. It must have been a very solid building, for it survived for nearly two millennia (until the fourteenth century AD), making the better of violent storms and even large titles waves, such as one that affected the eastern Mediterranean in 365 AD. Only earthquakes finally got the better of it. Between 320 and 1303 AD, there were twenty-two earthquakes that shook Alexandria that were severe enough to be mentioned by ancient writers. During this period, we have considerable records regarding the structure's life.
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Sobre uma base quadrada erguia-se uma esbelta torre octogonal de mármore com cerca de 130 metros de altura, que por mais de cinco séculos guiou todos os navegantes num raio de 50 quilômetros da antiga capital egípcia. Situava-se na ilha de Faros (origem do termo farol), próxima ao porto de Alexandria, Egito. Em seu interior ardia uma chama que, através de espelhos, iluminava a grande distância . A luz refletida chegava a 50 quilômetros, daí a grande fama e imponência daquele farol, que fizeram-no entrar para a lista das sete maravilhas do mundo antigo.
Essa obra, feita toda em granito, começou a ruir no século XIV, em 1303 e 1323 quando terremotos e deslizamentos tragaram boa parte de Alexandria, acabando com o brilho da “Cidade dos Mil Palácios”. É, talvez, com exceção das pirâmides, a única maravilha que possui alguns vestígios arqueológicos encontrados.
Pharos of Alexandria. Imaginado por Martin Heemskerck.
A fanciful 16th century interpretation of the Pharos by Martin Heemskerck.
Supposedly, the light from the tower could be seen from almost 100 miles out to sea, though this seems a little far fetched. Even Thiersch's work is suspect, with a hot fire burning beneath a copula supported on columns. One must wonder how the stonework would not crack under the heat of a constant fire. Yet, in several texts a statue is mentioned that surmounted the lighthouse and from a poet named Poseidippos of Pella, who lived in Alexandria during the third century BC, we learn that this statue almost certainly depicted Zeus the Savior, though he may have been accompanied by Poseidon, the lord of the waves. However, others have suggested that two statues depicted the Dioscuri, who were the twin sons of Zeus and Leda and protectors of seafarers. In fact, a gem which has recently been examined suggests that in fact the beacon on the lighthouse may have been open and the statue, or perhaps a number of statues may not have surmounted the building but stood on a lower level.
Irregardless of the beacon and statues, many scholars now believe that the lighthouse did not take on a purely Greek style, as it has so often been portrayed. The Ptolemies mixed their own culture with that of the Egyptians, and in building the lighthouse, it is now believed that they probably borrowed from the pharaonic tradition, using Egyptian stone, though the stone may have been covered in white marble. It must have been a very solid building, for it survived for nearly two millennia (until the fourteenth century AD), making the better of violent storms and even large titles waves, such as one that affected the eastern Mediterranean in 365 AD. Only earthquakes finally got the better of it. Between 320 and 1303 AD, there were twenty-two earthquakes that shook Alexandria that were severe enough to be mentioned by ancient writers. During this period, we have considerable records regarding the structure's life.
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Sobre uma base quadrada erguia-se uma esbelta torre octogonal de mármore com cerca de 130 metros de altura, que por mais de cinco séculos guiou todos os navegantes num raio de 50 quilômetros da antiga capital egípcia. Situava-se na ilha de Faros (origem do termo farol), próxima ao porto de Alexandria, Egito. Em seu interior ardia uma chama que, através de espelhos, iluminava a grande distância . A luz refletida chegava a 50 quilômetros, daí a grande fama e imponência daquele farol, que fizeram-no entrar para a lista das sete maravilhas do mundo antigo.
Essa obra, feita toda em granito, começou a ruir no século XIV, em 1303 e 1323 quando terremotos e deslizamentos tragaram boa parte de Alexandria, acabando com o brilho da “Cidade dos Mil Palácios”. É, talvez, com exceção das pirâmides, a única maravilha que possui alguns vestígios arqueológicos encontrados.