Details

Subject(s)

• Pharos Lighthouse (Alexandria, Egypt) [Browse]
• Alexandria (Egypt)—Antiquities [Browse]
• Architecture, Ancient—Egypt—Alexandria [Browse]

Series

• Routledge monographs in classical studies. [More in this series]
• Routledge monographs in Classical studies

Summary note

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents

• The Genesis of the Pharos
• The Fame of the Pharos
• The Fate of the Pharos
• Fantasies of the Pharos
• The Form of the Pharos
• The Technical Task of Contriving Tall Towers
• The Pharos' Height from the Range of its Light
• The Crowning Statue & Other Adornments
• The Light of the Pharos
• A Framework for Reconstruction
• Towards a Virtual Pharos
• The Modern Legacy of an Antique Wonder.

Show 9 more Contents items

Other title(s)

Second sun and Seventh Wonder of antiquity

ISBN

• 9781032569369 (hardcover)
• 1032569360 (hardcover)
• 9781032569376 (paperback)
• 1032569379 (paperback)

LCCN

2023047596

OCLC

1401907123

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