finished essay
Explain the history of the Pharos light house in Alexandria
The Pharos lighthouse has a long history it was built in the beginning of the third century B.C and had a structural life of 1 438 years, however the story of the lighthouse has lived on much longer than the life of the structure. There are also some mysteries that surround the light house that may never be known.
The Pharos lighthouse (or the lighthouse at Alexandria) is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It stood in Alexandria in Egypt, and was constructed under the rule of Ptolemy I Sorter and was finished in the reign of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. It was originally built so that sailors could find the port at Alexandria during the day since the Egyptian coast is very flat and barren. Tower was also used as a lighthouse to guide sailors in at night (the Pharos lighthouse was the first lighthouse to exist). Ptolemy Philadelphus also wanted the lighthouse to be a monument of the city Alexandria. A modern estimation of the cost of the lighthouse is two million US dollars ($13,505,620.12 Australian) (Michael Woods, Mary B. Woods).
The Pharos lighthouse was constructed on an island called Pharos which the beginning of the harbour at Alexandria. The lighthouse was thought to have been constructed at the beginning of the third centaury B.C. it took approximately 12-20 years to complete and was thought to have been finished in 283 B.C.; it was designed by a Sostratos, a Greek that lived in Asia Minor. The lighthouse was constructed of solid red granite and Egyptian stone covered in white marble. The blocks of stone were joined by molten lead; this was presumably done so that the massive structure would not fall down from the heavy pounding of the sea and so that it could hold up its own weight. The light house had four main parts
• the base
• a rectangular body
• an octagonal cylinder
• cylinder which was the top of the building
The height of the lighthouse was estimated to be 450-600 ft tall. In 796 AD the lighthouse lost it upper tier this was because it went without maintenance for about a century. Then at about 868-884 AD Sultan Ibn Tulun said that he built a mosque in the place of the lighthouse however the report that Sultan Ibn Tulungives gives disagrees with Idrisi’s report, a Spanish traveler who visited the lighthouse in 1115 AD and counted all the stairs of the lighthouse and measured the height of the balconies during his stay in Alexandria. Idrisi is report says that the structure was still used as a lighthouse when he visited. Idrisi also reported that the story of a mosque being built was a story to cover up the partial destruction of the lighthouse because of a rumour of a neighbouring port saying that the there was treasure underneath the lighthouse and Sultan Ibn Tulun ordering its destruction until he found out that he had been tricked.
Between 950 – 956 AD large cracks began to appear on the surface of the lighthouse so to repair this problem the height of the lighthouse was reduced to 22 metres in height. In 1272 Salah el-Din made a large reconstruction effort to save the lighthouse however his attempt was pointless because on the August 8th, 1303 a large earthquake disturbed the entire eastern Mediterranean and the last of the seven wonder of the ancient world was almost totally destroyed, Ibn Battuta was a traveller who visited Alexandria twice ,he stated on his initial visit in 1329 he could climb the ramp and get to the door of the tower but on his second visit in 1346 the tower was so destroyed that he could not go near it. The ruins of the lighthouse stayed on the island of Pharos for about 100 years until Mamluk Sultan Qait Bey ordered that a fort be built on the island of Pharos apparently using some of the stone that was used in the lighthouse.
In 1962 a scuba diver searching for fish found massive fragments of a statue. Naval divers and experts from Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria were sent to confirm the find. They found that the fragments were part of a giant statue of Poseidon which was part of the Pharos lighthouse. In 1994 a team of marine archaeologists did an investigation of the lighthouse. During their investigation they found many broken fragments of columns that were part of the lighthouse
Most records of the lighthouse date from the middle ages and are combined with myths about the light source and size of the lighthouse. Much of the ancient records provide little detail about the design or the source of the light, though there is discussion about the lighthouse being a large tourist attraction and that after its completion many people would go to the second level of the lighthouse where food and drinks were sold. Most reliable information about the lighthouse comes from a German scholar called Hermann Thiersch and an Arabic traveller called Abou Haggag Youssef Ibn el-Andaloussi who visited the lighthouse in 1165 AD however by this time the lighthouse had stood for a few hundred years and the very top of the light house had been destroyed by earthquakes.
There is still one mystery that surrounds the light house of Alexandria is what the fire was burnt to produce its light. A mirror was used to reflect the light produced by the fire, it is believed that the fire may have burnt oil or possibly even dried animal dung as it is still used as a source, however a wood fire could not be used as wood in Egypt was scarce and most wood was imported and as such was to precious to burn.
It is evident that the Pharos lighthouse has had a long and complex history that spanned over one millennium, and that there are still a large number of mysteries and surround it that many never be known.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
ive finished my essay however i think the introduction and is a bit weak and i need to put in a conclusition but im not sure what to put in it
ESSAY
Explain the history of the Pharos light house in Alexandria
The Pharos lighthouse has a long history it was built in the beginning of the third century B.C and had a structural life of 1 438 years, however the story of the lighthouse has lived on much longer than the life of the structure. There are also some mysteries that surround the light house that may never be known.
The Pharos lighthouse (or the lighthouse at Alexandria) is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It stood in Alexandria in Egypt, and was constructed under the rule of Ptolemy I Sorter and was finished in the reign of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. It was originally built so that sailors could find the port at Alexandria during the day since the Egyptian coast is very flat and barren. Tower was also used as a lighthouse to guide sailors in at night (the Pharos lighthouse was the first lighthouse to exist). Ptolemy Philadelphus also wanted the lighthouse to be a monument of the city Alexandria. A modern estimation of the cost of the lighthouse is two million US dollars ($13,505,620.12 Australian) (Michael Woods, Mary B. Woods).
The Pharos lighthouse was constructed on an island called Pharos which the beginning of the harbour at Alexandria. The lighthouse was thought to have been constructed at the beginning of the third centaury B.C. it took approximately 12-20 years to complete and was thought to have been finished in 283 B.C.; it was designed by a Sostratos, a Greek that lived in Asia Minor. The lighthouse was constructed of solid red granite and Egyptian stone covered in white marble. The blocks of stone were joined by molten lead; this was presumably done so that the massive structure would not fall down from the heavy pounding of the sea and so that it could hold up its own weight. The light house had four main parts
• the base
• a rectangular body
• an octagonal cylinder
• cylinder which was the top of the building
The height of the lighthouse was estimated to be 450-600 ft tall. In 796 AD the lighthouse lost it upper tier this was because it went without maintenance for about a century. Then at about 868-884 AD Sultan Ibn Tulun said that he built a mosque in the place of the lighthouse however the report that Sultan Ibn Tulungives gives disagrees with Idrisi’s report, a Spanish traveler who visited the lighthouse in 1115 AD and counted all the stairs of the lighthouse and measured the height of the balconies during his stay in Alexandria. Idrisi is report says that the structure was still used as a lighthouse when he visited. Idrisi also reported that the story of a mosque being built was a story to cover up the partial destruction of the lighthouse because of a rumour of a neighbouring port saying that the there was treasure underneath the lighthouse and Sultan Ibn Tulun ordering its destruction until he found out that he had been tricked.
Between 950 – 956 AD large cracks began to appear on the surface of the lighthouse so to repair this problem the height of the lighthouse was reduced to 22 metres in height. In 1272 Salah el-Din made a large reconstruction effort to save the lighthouse however his attempt was pointless because on the August 8th, 1303 a large earthquake disturbed the entire eastern Mediterranean and the last of the seven wonder of the ancient world was almost totally destroyed, Ibn Battuta was a traveller who visited Alexandria twice,he stated on his initial visit in 1329 he could climb the ramp and get to the door of the tower but on his second visit in 1346 the tower was so destroyed that he could not go near it. The ruins of the lighthouse stayed on the island of Pharos for about 100 years until Mamluk Sultan Qait Bey ordered that a fort be built on the island of Pharos apparently using some of the stone that was used in the lighthouse.
In 1962 a scuba diver searching for fish found massive fragments of a statue. Naval divers and experts from Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria were sent to confirm the find. They found that the fragments were part of a giant statue of Poseidon which was part of the Pharos lighthouse. In 1994 a team of marine archaeologists did an investigation of the lighthouse. During their investigation they found many broken fragments of columns that were part of the lighthouse
Most records of the lighthouse date from the middle ages and are combined with myths about the light source and size of the lighthouse. Much of the ancient records provide little detail about the design or the source of the light, though there is discussion about the lighthouse being a large tourist attraction and that after its completion many people would go to the second level of the lighthouse were food and drinks were sold. Most reliable information about the lighthouse comes from a German scholar called Hermann Thiersch and an Arabic traveller called Abou Haggag Youssef Ibn el-Andaloussi who visited the lighthouse in 1165 AD however by this time the lighthouse had stood for a few hundred years and the very top of the light house had been destroyed by earthquakes.
There is still one mystery that surrounds the light house of Alexandria is what the fire was burnt to produce its light. A mirror was used to reflect the light produced by the fire, it is believed that the fire may have burnt oil or possibly even dried animal dung as it is still used as a source, however a wood fire could not be used as wood in Egypt was scarce and most wood was imported and as such was to precious to burn.
ESSAY
Explain the history of the Pharos light house in Alexandria
The Pharos lighthouse has a long history it was built in the beginning of the third century B.C and had a structural life of 1 438 years, however the story of the lighthouse has lived on much longer than the life of the structure. There are also some mysteries that surround the light house that may never be known.
The Pharos lighthouse (or the lighthouse at Alexandria) is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It stood in Alexandria in Egypt, and was constructed under the rule of Ptolemy I Sorter and was finished in the reign of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. It was originally built so that sailors could find the port at Alexandria during the day since the Egyptian coast is very flat and barren. Tower was also used as a lighthouse to guide sailors in at night (the Pharos lighthouse was the first lighthouse to exist). Ptolemy Philadelphus also wanted the lighthouse to be a monument of the city Alexandria. A modern estimation of the cost of the lighthouse is two million US dollars ($13,505,620.12 Australian) (Michael Woods, Mary B. Woods).
The Pharos lighthouse was constructed on an island called Pharos which the beginning of the harbour at Alexandria. The lighthouse was thought to have been constructed at the beginning of the third centaury B.C. it took approximately 12-20 years to complete and was thought to have been finished in 283 B.C.; it was designed by a Sostratos, a Greek that lived in Asia Minor. The lighthouse was constructed of solid red granite and Egyptian stone covered in white marble. The blocks of stone were joined by molten lead; this was presumably done so that the massive structure would not fall down from the heavy pounding of the sea and so that it could hold up its own weight. The light house had four main parts
• the base
• a rectangular body
• an octagonal cylinder
• cylinder which was the top of the building
The height of the lighthouse was estimated to be 450-600 ft tall. In 796 AD the lighthouse lost it upper tier this was because it went without maintenance for about a century. Then at about 868-884 AD Sultan Ibn Tulun said that he built a mosque in the place of the lighthouse however the report that Sultan Ibn Tulungives gives disagrees with Idrisi’s report, a Spanish traveler who visited the lighthouse in 1115 AD and counted all the stairs of the lighthouse and measured the height of the balconies during his stay in Alexandria. Idrisi is report says that the structure was still used as a lighthouse when he visited. Idrisi also reported that the story of a mosque being built was a story to cover up the partial destruction of the lighthouse because of a rumour of a neighbouring port saying that the there was treasure underneath the lighthouse and Sultan Ibn Tulun ordering its destruction until he found out that he had been tricked.
Between 950 – 956 AD large cracks began to appear on the surface of the lighthouse so to repair this problem the height of the lighthouse was reduced to 22 metres in height. In 1272 Salah el-Din made a large reconstruction effort to save the lighthouse however his attempt was pointless because on the August 8th, 1303 a large earthquake disturbed the entire eastern Mediterranean and the last of the seven wonder of the ancient world was almost totally destroyed, Ibn Battuta was a traveller who visited Alexandria twice,he stated on his initial visit in 1329 he could climb the ramp and get to the door of the tower but on his second visit in 1346 the tower was so destroyed that he could not go near it. The ruins of the lighthouse stayed on the island of Pharos for about 100 years until Mamluk Sultan Qait Bey ordered that a fort be built on the island of Pharos apparently using some of the stone that was used in the lighthouse.
In 1962 a scuba diver searching for fish found massive fragments of a statue. Naval divers and experts from Greco-Roman Museum in Alexandria were sent to confirm the find. They found that the fragments were part of a giant statue of Poseidon which was part of the Pharos lighthouse. In 1994 a team of marine archaeologists did an investigation of the lighthouse. During their investigation they found many broken fragments of columns that were part of the lighthouse
Most records of the lighthouse date from the middle ages and are combined with myths about the light source and size of the lighthouse. Much of the ancient records provide little detail about the design or the source of the light, though there is discussion about the lighthouse being a large tourist attraction and that after its completion many people would go to the second level of the lighthouse were food and drinks were sold. Most reliable information about the lighthouse comes from a German scholar called Hermann Thiersch and an Arabic traveller called Abou Haggag Youssef Ibn el-Andaloussi who visited the lighthouse in 1165 AD however by this time the lighthouse had stood for a few hundred years and the very top of the light house had been destroyed by earthquakes.
There is still one mystery that surrounds the light house of Alexandria is what the fire was burnt to produce its light. A mirror was used to reflect the light produced by the fire, it is believed that the fire may have burnt oil or possibly even dried animal dung as it is still used as a source, however a wood fire could not be used as wood in Egypt was scarce and most wood was imported and as such was to precious to burn.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
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