Pharos of Alexandria

A detailed Summary of Pharos of Alexandria

Amazing Ancient Structures: Pharos of Alexandria

The Pharos of Alexandria is the seventh wonder of the world. My dad is very amazed by the Seven Wonders of the World and had asked me about them a while back. Since I didn't know about them, he checked out a book that I had also looked through. These seven structures then caught my interest and I took this opportunity to research one of them. I chose to research the Pharos of Alexandria because it is not as popular as the other six Wonders such as the Great Pyramid and the Colossus.

Shortly after the death of Alexander the Great, his commander Ptolemy Soter assumed power in Egypt. He had witnessed the founding of Alexandria, and established his capital there. Off of the city's coast lies a small island, Pharos. A legend says its name is a variation of Pharaoh's Island. The island was connected to the mainland by means of a dike, the Heptastadion, which gave the city a double harbor. Because of dangerous sailing conditions and flat coastline in the region, the construction of a lighthouse was necessary.

The project was set up and initiated by Ptolemy Soter around 290 BC, but was completed after his death, during the reign of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. Sostratus,

On top of this section was an eight-sided tower. On top of the tower was a cylinder that extended up to an open cupola where the fire that provided the light burned. On the roof of the cupola was a large statue of possibly Poseidon. The lower portion of the building contained hundreds of storage rooms.

There are stories and much uncertainty about the form and function of the Pharos. For instance, if the beacon on the summit was a simple wood fire, then how was a constant source of fuel provided in a land with so few trees? Also, there are stories that the mirrors in the lighthouse could be used as a weapon to concentrate the sun and set enemy ships ablaze as they approached. Another tale says that it was possible to use the mirror to magnify the image of the city of Constantinople from far across the sea to observe what was going on there. Furthermore, ancient texts regularly mention a statue as standing on the top of the tower, but if this was placed above a perpetually burning fire it would surely crack. There is a debate as to whom this statue represented. For so long it was supposed to be Poseidon, god of the seas, but later scholarship has opted for Zeus. Then others suggested that there were two statues, of Castor and Pollux.

Society in the past was greatly affected by the lighthouse of Alexandria. For the sailors in the past it ensured a safe return to the Great Harbor. The Architects also saw great meaning in it for it was the first lighthouse in the world and the tallest building in existence, with the exception of the Great Pyramid.

The design was not like the slim single column of most modern lighthouses, but more like the structure of an early twentieth cent

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1146
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History