Mausoleum

A storage structure for the dead which was above ground; a large, impressive sepulchral monument. The original mausoleum was the gigantic tomb of Mausolus, ruler of Caria, in southwest Asia Minor, built at Halicarnassus c 353-350 BC. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The word later came to be used for any tomb built on a monumental scale, such as Augustus in the Field of Mars and Hadrian on the banks of the Tiber (now the Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome). As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it was famous not only for its vast dimensions, but also for the refinement of its decoration and sculptures. Attributed to the architect Pythius, it seems to have been constructed entirely of white marble, and reached a total height of some 40 meters. It consisted of a massively broad and high plinth, surmounted probably by a temple with Ionic peristyle, topped by a pyramid, and the whole capped with a gigantic chariot-and horse group. Some time before the 15th century, it collapsed due to earthquake damage. The colossal statues identified as those of Mausolus and Artemisia were brought to the British Museum, together with sculpture and frieze details. Probably the most ambitious mausoleum is the white marble Taj Mahal at Agra, in India, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, who died in 1631. Other famous mausoleums are those of Vladimir Lenin and Napoleon III.

Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, Halicarnassus also spelled Halikarnassos, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The monument was the tomb of Mausolus, ruler of Caria, in southwestern Asia Minor. It was built in his capital city, Halicarnassus, between about 353 and 351 BCE by his sister and widow, Artemisia II. The building was designed by the Greek architects Pythius (sources spell the name variously, which has cast doubt on his identity) and Satyros. The sculptures that adorned it were the work of four leading Greek artists—Scopas, Bryaxis, Leochares, and (most likely) Timotheus—each of whom was responsible for a single side.

[Greek mausoleion], Properly used of the great tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus but also used of various grand tomb structures. The Mausoleion at Halicarnassus was erected, or at any rate finished, by Mausolus’s sister-wife and successor, Artemisia II, shortly after his death in 353 BC. As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it was famous not only for its vast dimensions, but also for the refinement of its decoration and sculptures. Several differing reconstructions have been proposed on the basis of the con- flitting reports that survive in ancient authors, such as Pliny. Attributed to the architect Pythius, it seems to have been constructed entirely of white marble, and reached a total height of some 40 metres. It consisted of a massively broad and high plinth, surmounted probably by a temple with Ionic peristyle, this itself topped by a pyramid, and the whole capped with a gigantic chariot-and-horse group designed by the architect himself. Some time before the 15th century it had collapsed due to earthquake damage. Following excavation of the site in 1857 by Sir C. Newton, the colossal statues often identified as those of Mausolus and Artemisia were brought to the British Museum, together with sculpture and frieze details.