Painting by The Bridgeman Art Library/Getty Images
The famous tomb at Halicarnassus—now the city of Bodrum—was built between 370 and 350 B.C. for King Mausolus of Caria, a region in the southwest of modern Turkey. Legend says that the king's grieving wife Artemisia II had the tomb constructed as a memorial to their love.
The tomb was most admired for its architectural beauty and splendor. The central burial chamber was decorated in gold, while the exterior was adorned with ornate stone friezes and sculptures created by four Greek artists.
The mausoleum stood intact until the early 15th century, when Christian Crusaders dismantled it for building material for a new castle. Some of the sculptures and frieze sections survived and can be seen today at the British Museum in London, England.
At the British Museum is a fragmentary horse from the colossal four-horses chariot group which topped the podium of the the Mausoleum at Halicarnassos. H. (7 ft. 7 ½ in.)
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus at Bodrum in 2009
Wikimedia Commons by Dorushiva 2009
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