7+Wonders-+Lighthouse+at+Alexandria

//**Lighthouse at Alexandria** //

The Lighthouse at Alexandria stood on the island of Pharos, which was the harbor of Alexandria. ("Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Lighthouse at Alexandria" 325) Alexandria was the Hellenistic capital of Egypt (Curlee 18) which was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. ("The City of Alexandria, Egypt") Trade boomed in Alexandria's ports thanks to its giant lighthouse. This lighthouse was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. (Schecter 23) Without Alexander the Great, there would be no Alexandria.



Alexander the Great was born in Pella, Macedonia. Pella was the capital kingdom of Macedonia. His father was Philip II who was the conquerer of Greece and his mother was Olympias.In 338 B.C., 18 year old Alexander commanded the infantry in the batle of Chaeronea and two years later at age 20, he became the king of Macedonia. When he was king, he demolished revolting cities, conquered Anatolia, and entered Egypt and became pharoh. He also conquered all of the Persian Empire. Alexander the Great died in Babylon on June 10, 323 B.C. He is considered one of the greatest generals in history. ("Alexander the Great" 253) Although he was a man of many feats, one of his greatest accomplishments was founding the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria, Egypt was founded in 331 B.C. by Alexander the Great. Alexandria's ports made it a great trading city. It was also the second biggest city in Egypt. Due to its culture it distance itself from the rest of the country although it was only 225 km. from Cairo. ( "The Pearl of the Mediterranean") Although it was known for many different things, it was most renowned for the Lighthouse at Alexandria.

The Lighthouse at Alexandria
The Lighthouse at Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was the most famous of the ancient lighthouses. It was completed by the Egyptians during the reign of Ptolemy II. ( "Notable Lighthouses" 295) It was the only wonder out of the seven with a practical use. This use was to guide ships into the harbor(Woods 23), which it did for 1,500 years. ( "Notable Lighthouses" 295) The lighthouse was over 440 feet tall and it became so famous that the word pharos came to mean lighthouse. The design of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was incerdibly amazing for the ancient world. The seventh wonder was designed by Socrates, a Greek architect. ("Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Lighthouse at Alexandria" 325) Ptolemy II wanted the lighthouse to be beatiful and gigantic, along with it being something people would recognize and admire. (Woods 24) There were three sections to the lighthouse. The bottom of it was a sqaure, the middle was 8-sided, and the top of this gigantic pharos was a circle. A fire, may have been amplified by mirrors which was provided from the top. ("Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Lighthouse at Alexandria" 325) A statue of Zeus also stood on the top. (Curlee 22)



Conclusion
The Lighthouse at Alexandria was finally toppled by an Earthquake in 1303 A.D. ("The Great Lighthouse of Alexandria") All of the other ancient wonders were built to honor someone or something. The Pharos at Alexandria was built to help people safely reach the ports of Alexandria and it did just that for 1,500 years. Not only was it the first lighthouse of the ancient world (Woods 21) or most famous, it is the model for modern day lighthouses.(Schecter 17) The Lighthouse at Alexandria was the seventh wonder of the ancient world and it definantly was a wonder both in the ancient world and today.



**Works Cited** Chris Scarre. "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Lighthouse at Alexandria." //World Book.// 2010 ed. 2010. Curlee, Lynn. //Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.// New York: Jacket Publishing, 2002. Eugene Borzo. "Alexander the Great." //World Book.// 2010 ed. 2010. Jeremy D'enfrenant. "Notable Lighthouses." //World Book.// 2010 ed. 2010. Author Unknown. "The City of Alexandria, Egypt." //touregpyt.net.// []. (1996-2011.) Author Unknown. "The Pearl of the Mediterranean." //alexandriaegypt.com.//[]. (1998-2008.) Schecter, Vicky. //Alexander the Great Rocks the World.// Plain City: Darby Creek Publishing, 2006. Woods, Michael, and Woods, Mary. //Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.// Minneapolis: 21 st Century Books, 2009.