The Mausoleum.. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world

The Mausoleum was built around 4th C BC to house the remains of King Mausolus,
ruler of Caria region. It was truly monumental structure, eclipsing any other contemporary
tomb both in size and grandeur: standing almost 45 m (148 ft) high, it covered an area of
more than 1216 sqm ( 13,089 sq ft) and used to dominate Bodrum harbour.

Although little remains of the Mausoleum today, many details of its construction are
known from historical accounts and archaeological excavations.

Five of the best sculptors of the Greek world were reputedly employed in decorating the
Mausoleum: Scopas, Bryaxis, Leochares, Timotheos and Praxiteles. Four were each
responsible for one side of the tomb, while the fifth fashioned the huge four-horse
chariot on the very top of the stepped pyramid.

In 19th C an English man named Newton excavated the site. In the 1960s, the first official
excavation was conducted by Danish Archaeologists and they discovered the foundations
that we see today. Most of the important sculptures can be seen in Mausoleum Room of
the British Museum.