Monday, August 13, 2007

The Mausoleum of Maussollos


Maussollos ruled an area of western Turkey around 375 B.C. As a show of wealth he built a large tomb for himself and his wife. He spared no expense, hiring two different architects and four of the most prominent sculptors of the time. A golden chariot was on the very top. The site became famous and eventually, any ornate tomb was called a 'mausoleum' after this man.
The tomb was eventually destroyed by earthquakes. The marble and plaster were taken for other buildings. Recovery efforts started in the 19th century. Eventually, some of the statues ended up in the British Museum.

The most obvious equivalent that's still around is the Taj Mahal (blogged about here). It's the largest, most decorated tomb in the world. Possibly the only one that would qualify as any kind of tomb where people visit more for the structure than for the person interred there. There are a number of modern structures that are based on the Mausoleum, one of them being Grant's Tomb in New York.

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