The Pharos Lighthouse In Alexandria

Second Sun and Seventh Wonder of Antiquity
1. Auflage 2024
ISBN: 978-1-032-56936-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 230 Seiten, Format (B × H): 244 mm x 162 mm, Gewicht: 510 g

Reihe: Routledge Monographs in Classical Studies

This comprehensive and insightful book brings scientific rigor to the problems of reconstructing the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and understanding how it functioned as the archetypal lighthouse in antiquity, when it was described as a “second Sun”.

Conceived by Alexander the Great and designed by Sostratus, the Pharos lighthouse stood as an iconic landmark of Alexandria for sixteen centuries until felled by a calamitous earthquake in the fourteenth century. The study of this great lighthouse has been neglected relative to other ancient Wonders such as the Great Pyramid of Giza. This book reconstructs the tower, its lustrous light, stunning statues and astounding story in diligent detail through archaeological evidence and surviving antique texts and images, providing a fresh evaluation of the Pharos, its history, and its legacy. The Roman writer Achilles Tatius termed the Pharos a “second Sun”; this expression is explained and explored here for the first time, and has dramatic implications for the nature of the Pharos’ light. The volume also explores how the creation of the Pharos was a key stimulus for Alexandrian science and astronomy in antiquity.

The Pharos Lighthouse in Alexandria provides a fascinating new study of this monument of interest to students and scholars of Hellenistic art, architecture, and science, and readers seeking to learn more about one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Zielgruppe

General, Postgraduate, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Chugg, Andrew Michael

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Geschichte der Architektur, Baugeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Geschichte der klassischen Antike Römische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Altes Ägypten & Ägyptische Archäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Geschichte der klassischen Antike Griechische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. The Genesis of the Pharos; 2. The Fame of the Pharos; 3. The Fate of the Pharos; 4. Fantasies of the Pharos; 5. The Form of the Pharos; 6. The Technical Task of Contriving Tall Towers; 7. The Pharos’ Height from the Range of its Light; 8. The Crowning Statue & Other Adornments; 9. The Light of the Pharos; 10. A Framework for Reconstruction; 11. Towards a Virtual Pharos; 12. The Modern Legacy of an Antique Wonder; Appendix A: Evidence & Antique Testimony; Appendix B: Alfred Butler on the Pharos.

Über Autor(innen)

Andrew Michael Chugg is the author of books on The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great and Alexander’s Lovers as well as articles and papers on ancient history subjects. He is an historian and a scientist, being also an expert on electromagnetics and ionising radiation at MBDA UK Ltd.