Sometimes
called the "Pharos of Alexandria"
in reference to Pharos, the island on
which it resided, The Lighthouse of Alexandria
was built in the 3rd century BC and is
traditionally considered one of the Seven
Wonders of the World. It ceased operating
and was largely destroyed as a result
of two earthquakes in the 14th century;
it's remains were found by divers in 1994
and subsequently more of it was revealed
by satellite imaging. Its tower is estimated
to have been 134 m (440 ft) high, easily
one of the tallest man-made structures
on Earth at the time. Built out of blocks
of white stone, the tower was made up
of three stages: a lower square with a
central core, a middle octagonal section,
and, at the top, a circular section. At
its apex was positioned a mirror which
reflected sunlight during the day; a fire
was lit at night. As it can be seen from
images of the Lighthouse on Roman coins
struck by the Alexandrian mint, there
were four statues of tritons blowing horns,
one on every corner of the building. Also,
in the Roman period, there was a statue
atop the tower.
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