Lighthouse of Alexandria

E24539

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was an ancient marvel of engineering and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, serving as a towering beacon for ships approaching the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt.


Statements (46)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
ancient lighthouse
architectural structure
approximateCompletion around 280 BC
approximateRankByHeight among tallest structures after the Great Pyramid of Giza
architecturalStyle Hellenistic architecture
associatedWithCityFoundedBy Alexander the Great
builtDuringReignOf Ptolemy II Philadelphus
commissionedBy Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt
constructionStart 3rd century BC
continent Africa
country Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt
culturalSignificance symbol of Alexandria
symbol of maritime power
destroyedBy earthquakes
destructionPeriod between 10th and 14th centuries AD
estimatedHeight 100 meters
120 meters
approximately 110 meters
functionedAs daymark
nighttime beacon
gaveRiseToTerm pharos (meaning lighthouse)
hasPart cylindrical upper section
lantern at the top
octagonal middle section
square base
heritageStatus archaeological remains underwater
influenced design of later lighthouses
knownFrom ancient literary sources
medieval Arabic descriptions
listedIn Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
locatedIn Alexandria
Egypt
locatedOn Pharos Island
materialUsed light-colored stone blocks
stone
namedAfter Pharos Island
nearbyBodyOfWater Mediterranean Sea
notableFeature one of the tallest man-made structures of the ancient world
overlooks Harbor of Alexandria
purpose aid to navigation
harbor beacon
status destroyed
surveyedBy underwater archaeologists in Alexandria harbor
usedLightSource fire
reflective mirror


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