The Pharos of Alexandria, an ancient lighthouse, aided seagoing vessels in approaching Alexandria and served as a model for ancient harbor architecture.
Date: Constructed c. 300-285 b. c.e.
Category: Science and technology; art and architecture Locale: Alexandria, Egypt
Summary A prominent landmark of Hellenistic Alexandria was its famous lighthouse, or Pharos (FAR-uhs), erected at the beginning of the third century b. c.e. on the small island of the same name at the entrance to the double harbor of the city. The architect, Sostratus of Cnidus, employed
This medieval drawing is a representation of the lighthouse at Pharos, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Granite to construct the three-tiered lighthouse, crowned with a statue of Zeus the Savior (alternatively, the statue might have been Alexander the Great or Ptolemy Soter). According to ancient records, the Pharos reached around 440 feet (134 meters) and was celebrated as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World for its great height. The light of the signal fire maintained at the top was directed out to sea by an intricate curved metal mirror and was visible to mariners about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from shore.
According to some sources, an earthquake toppled the third tier of the monumental edifice in 796 c. e., and later rebuilding enabled the structure to survive at a reduced height until its complete destruction following another earthquake in 1303. Although the dates of the lighthouse’s destruction are not certain, parts of the Pharos are known to have been standing in the twelfth century.
Significance The Pharos of Alexandria reflected the desire of Hellenistic rulers to create imposing monuments demonstrating their cities’ wealth, power, and prestige.
Further Reading
Clayton, Peter A., and Martin J. Price, eds. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Reprint. New York: Routledge, 1998.
Empereur, Jean-Yves. Alexandria Rediscovered. Translated by Margaret Maehler. London: British Museum Press, 1998.
Fraser, P. M. Ptolemaic Alexandria. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1972.
Stevenson, D. Alan. The World’s Great Lighthouses from Ancient Times to 1820. Mineola, N. Y.: Dover, 2002.
Williams, Peter. Beacon on the Rock: The Dramatic History of Lighthouses, from Ancient Greece to the Present Day. New York: Barron’s,
2001.
William E. Dunstan
See also: Alexander the Great; Alexandrian Library; Art and Architecture;
Ptolemy Soter.
World History
