Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Mausoleum at Halicarnassus"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Ridiculous History
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
• Description: History is beautiful, brutal, and often ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.
• Episode: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
• Release Date: April 22, 2025

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Introduction to the Episode

Ben Bolan welcomes listeners back to "Ridiculous History" on April 17th, marking the continuation of their series on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. He humorously references previous episodes and sets a light-hearted tone for the discussion about the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

Ben Bolan [00:00]: "Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show, fellow ridiculous historians. Thank you as always so much for tuning in."

Noel Brown adds his usual banter, setting the stage for an engaging exploration devoid of typical podcast interruptions like ads or outros.

Linking Modern Wonders to Ancient Ones

The hosts draw parallels between ancient wonders and modern-day Las Vegas landmarks, highlighting places like the Luxor and Paris Hotel, which echo the grandeur of ancient structures.

Noel Brown [02:14]: "Just so. If you go to Las Vegas today, you will see multiple sort of homages to great wonders to the ancient world."

They emphasize how the concept of constructing awe-inspiring architecture persists through time, transitioning smoothly into their main topic.

Introduction to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Ben Bolan introduces the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, emphasizing its architectural ambition and the vanity of its patron, King Mausolus.

Noel Brown [09:34]: "Among the seven wonders of the ancient world, the mausoleum at Halakarnassus stood as a testament to both architectural ambition and one king's eternal vanity."

The Mausoleum, built in what is now Bodrum, Turkey, was an immense tomb approximately 148 feet tall, dominating the ancient landscape.

Historical Context and Construction

The hosts delve into the historical backdrop of Halicarnassus, an ancient Greek city with a strategic harbor, making it a prime location for such an ambitious project.

Ben Bolan [10:11]: "Halicarnassus is a weird word. What does that mean? An ancient Greek city. As he said, it's in modern day Bodrum Turkey."

They discuss the roles of Mausolus and his sister-wife, Artemisia II, highlighting their contributions to infrastructure and public works, albeit with extravagant spending habits.

Ben Bolan [21:01]: "He was not. He may have been brave, clean and reverent, to quote the Boy Scouts, but he was not thrifty."

Architectural Marvels and Artistic Contributions

The Mausoleum was adorned by some of the most renowned Greek sculptors of the time, including Leochares, Bryaxis, and Timotheus, making it not just a tomb but a masterpiece of art and architecture.

Noel Brown [22:26]: "The mausoleum. They're not calling it that quite yet though, let's just be clear. Were adorned with these relief carvings created by four of the most famous Greek sculptors of the day."

Ben Bolan elaborates on the structural aspects, mentioning the use of lead dowels and iron clamps in construction, a revolutionary technique at the time that inadvertently caused long-term lead contamination.

Ben Bolan [30:14]: "They are using a lot of lead in the construction. They got lead dowels, they got iron clamps, but they're using molten lead to fasten these blocks together."

Decline and Legacy

The Mausoleum stood for nearly 2,000 years until it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes between the 11th and 15th centuries CE. Some of its sculptures survived and are now housed in the British Museum.

Noel Brown [38:53]: "I'm thinking of that beautiful song Fame, where they just. The refrain is someone yelling fame."

The hosts compare the Mausoleum's lasting cultural impact to modern structures like the Taj Mahal, emphasizing its role in etymology and architecture.

Ben Bolan [40:42]: "The mausoleum is now a word for a very fancy grammar indeed."

Pop Culture References and Modern Connections

Throughout the episode, Ben and Noel sprinkle in references to popular culture, such as the movie "300," Batman franchises, and video games like Civilization 6, making the historical content relatable and engaging.

Noel Brown [13:33]: "Your mileage may vary as to where they actually were hanging."

They also touch upon the influence of classical architecture on modern structures like the Brandenburg Gate and the Washington Monument, tying ancient history to contemporary designs.

Noel Brown [33:04]: "The mausoleum or this grand burial monument, it really makes me think of a lot of neoclassical types of monuments throughout the world."

Interactive and Gaming Aspects

The episode concludes with discussions on how the Mausoleum is represented in the popular strategy game Civilization 6, highlighting its in-game benefits and encouraging listeners to engage with historical wonders through gaming.

Ben Bolan [42:05]: "Civ 6 is really where the Moslem will shine bright."

Conclusion and Teasers for Future Episodes

As the episode wraps up, Ben and Noel express excitement for upcoming topics, including other wonders and a meta-episode on what qualifies a structure as a wonder. They also acknowledge their team members and tease future collaborations and episodes.

Ben Bolan [43:36]: "We also, yeah, again, we have a meta episode on what makes a wonder a wonder."

Notable Quotes

1. Ben Bolan [09:48]: "Crazy."
2. Noel Brown [12:21]: "I'm gonna hunt monsters together, guys. It's a blast."
3. Ben Bolan [22:04]: "I like Scop. Yeah, we're gonna talk about that in a future episode."
4. Noel Brown [33:04]: "The mausoleum or this grand burial monument, it really makes me think of a lot of neoclassical types of monuments throughout the world."
5. Ben Bolan [40:42]: "The mausoleum is now a word for a very fancy grammar indeed."

Key Takeaways

• Architectural Significance: The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was not only a tomb but a symbol of architectural innovation and artistic excellence, adorned by renowned sculptors of its time.

• Cultural Impact: Its legacy persists in modern architecture and language, influencing structures worldwide and contributing to the term "mausoleum."

• Historical Context: The construction and eventual destruction of the Mausoleum reflect the political and economic dynamics of ancient Caria under Mausolus and Artemisia II.

• Enduring Fascination: The Mausoleum remains a subject of intrigue both in historical studies and popular culture, demonstrating the timeless human fascination with monumental architecture.

Final Thoughts

Ben and Noel successfully intertwine historical facts with humor and contemporary references, making the story of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus both informative and entertaining. Their engaging dialogue and relatable analogies ensure that listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of this ancient wonder while being thoroughly entertained.

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Note: The timestamps provided in the quotes correspond to the moments they were mentioned in the transcript, offering listeners a way to reference specific parts of the episode.

Transcript

[Ben Bolan]

Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the show, fellow ridiculous historians. Thank you as always so much for tuning in. We are recording this on Thursday, April 17th and we are pleased as punch to return to our continuing series on wonders of the ancient world. That's our super producer, Mr. Max Williams.

[Noel Brown]

It's him, yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Also doing double duty as our research associate for this one. You're Noel Brown.

[Noel Brown]

It's me. You're Ben Bolan.

[Ben Bolan]

That is what they call me, yes. Outside of Vegas. Oh my gosh, dude. I was re listening to part two of our Paul is dead conversation. At the very end of that episode. Everybody re listen back astute ridiculous historians. You will hear Noel and I refer to the fact that I do have a different Persona in Vegas, which I feel like we need to clarify that I stumbled into it.

[Noel Brown]

As you recall, Noel, that's how you walk in Vegas. It's the only way to be.

[Ben Bolan]

And, and we wish, wish the the identity of Greg prime the best. We're not here to talk about Vegas, which is maybe a wonder of the modern world.

[Noel Brown]

You're not allowed to talk about Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Not to be broadcast or podcast.

[Ben Bolan]

That was, that was one of their big. That was one of their like creepiest tourism mottos, right? For a while.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. It implies like, you know, go ahead, do crimes. It's cool. We won't tell.

[Ben Bolan]

So if you. Exactly. Just so. If you go to Las Vegas today, you will see multiple sort of homages to great wonders to the ancient world.

[Noel Brown]

Like the. What is it? There's the Lux.

[Ben Bolan]

Luxor.

[Noel Brown]

The Luxor is what it's called. It looks like a pyramid. There's a Eiffel Tower in First Nationworld. There's a whole Paris hotel. That's actually pretty cool. Walking through some of those hotels is worth your time. It's almost like a Disney fied kind of experience. There's a lot of attention to detail. You got to appreciate it at least.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you don't have to be suckered in by the circus of Vegas, but.

[Noel Brown]

You do have Circus Circus of Vegas.

[Ben Bolan]

There we go. But you do have to recognize there is a reason that this thoroughly American metropolis put so much time into building wonders, constructing the concept of wonder. It is loosely, I would say inspired by the very real subject of our exploration today, the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now previously we did, I think, a very fair, very level headed exploration of one of the most controversial wonders of the world, the hanging gardens of quote unquote Babylon.

[Noel Brown]

That's right. Your mileage may vary as to where they actually were hanging.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah. And now we're returning to this series and we're gonna go a little meta with it in future episodes. But we're returning. As longtime ridiculous historians may know, we're very close to our cartoonish goal of doing one episode per every state in these United States. We're picking up more Continuing this is the second piece of our series on the wonders of the ancient worlds.

[Max Williams]

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[Ben Bolan]

Looking through the research and learning from these ancient primary sources, the one thing it reminds me of is the concept of amazing architecture in graveyards. What's the weirdest, most amazing graveyard you have visited?

[Noel Brown]

I just roamed through one recently when I was in Philadelphia. I had a day off and I just took a wander around kind of the city center area, which is where a lot of the historical sites are, and just happened upon the graveyard where Benjamin Franklin is entombed. Paid the five bucks to get him. They charge you to get in. Charge US dollars. Five bones to check out the bones. And you did get a little commemorative map. And I recently got a fun little mirrorless DSLR camera. So I took some graveyard pics and I had a blast. Oh, I'll send them to you soon. I'm gonna actually do a photo set. I haven't filled up my cards yet, but it's pretty sick. By the way, it's like it shoots in really, really high res so you can take a picture of like a whole vista and then in post zoom into like the eye of a pigeon somewhere in the background. It's a lot of fun. I also wandered through the Philly Chinatown, which is worth everyone's time.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, I know that.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. But Benny Franks is buried in this graveyard and I can't recall the name. And there' you know, United States governmental luminaries entombed there as well. But there were definitely some pretty ostentatious mausoleums as we also have here in Atlanta at the. What's that cool cemetery called?

[Ben Bolan]

Well, there's Oakland.

[Noel Brown]

That's the one.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, there's Oakland. There are a couple of others that I like, but I feel as though if I go too deep into this, I will sound creepy. I love a New Orleans graveyard. I love haunted af. Right. You know, I used to live in Central America and they have a lot of similar things. There's actually. If anybody wants to go on a rabbit hole, do check out in. In Latin America, do check out the various ostentatious burial places for former cartel members. They're as big as condos. In some cases they're as big as houses. The architecture is amazing and there's a peaceful thing to mausolims. But as we are going to learn in this episode on an ancient wonder of the world, the word Moslem comes from a very specific branch of etymology. It all goes back to one of the wonders that people have a hard time naming at Trivia when they're interview with their friends. It's the mausoleum at Halicarnassus Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

And every time I hear it or read it, I want to say, that is Helicarnassus.

[Ben Bolan]

I like that. I think it's good. I think you should keep that one.

[Noel Brown]

Well, I am. It's part of who I am.

[Ben Bolan]

Ben, let's go to Adnan Qiblawi, writing for Artnet. He's got a great quotation that sets us up for this.

[Noel Brown]

That's right. He says, among the seven wonders of the ancient world, the mausoleum at Halakarnassus stood as a testament to both architectural ambition and one king's eternal vanity. What? Kings with ego, with vanity.

[Ben Bolan]

Crazy.

[Noel Brown]

They probably think this song is about them and this podcast, and it kind of is. Built in what is now Bodrum Turkey, or Bodrum Turkey, this monumental tomb rose approximately 148ft into the Mediterranean sky. About the height of a modern 14 story building dominating the landscape of ancient Halicarnassus.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, so here's the thing. Before we get into the story of this giant tomb made for a guy who might have been a little bit into himself. Scooch, scooch. We've got to give some context. Okay, so we have to go to the BCE era before common era. And our first question there is, hey, Halicarnassus. Halicarnassus is a weird word. What does that mean? An ancient Greek city. As he said, it's in modern day Bodrum Turkey. And right now, modern experts don't know a ton about, as Loren would say, the actual facts, existence of Halicarnassus. We know that it did exist. It had a large, pretty advantageous harbor. It was in prime position on the sea routes. If you look at it on paper, just like the Darien Gap.

[Noel Brown]

Can I just say that the Gulf of Ceramicus is not one that I'm familiar with. Not a gulf that I am aware of until now. And also, doesn't that kind of sound like a name of like a place in like Elden ring or something?

[Ben Bolan]

100%, a little bit.

[Noel Brown]

The Gulf of Ceramicus. It sounds like a scary place.

[Ben Bolan]

It's more Elden Ring than Elder scroll, for sure.

[Noel Brown]

Definitely.

[Unknown]

It also sounds like an Elden Ring. Like their creature would like scoop your brains out on one hand and kill you.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

Elden Ring.

[Ben Bolan]

Elden Ring. Famously non stressful fun game.

[Noel Brown]

Famously too stressful for me to finish. And I will tell you guys, I may have mentioned this not to go too off track, but I have found the perfect Goldilocks zone of a video game. For me that scratches all the itches ticks, all the boxes. And I'm just loving every minute of it. And that game is Monster Hunter Wilds. It's all the fun parts of games like Elden Ring. None of the head slammed against wall frustration of it.

[Ben Bolan]

I know.

[Noel Brown]

You keep talking about it. Oh, I love it. I love it with all my heart. You gotta join. We gotta hunt monsters together, guys. It's a blast.

[Ben Bolan]

So a person who also like the love you have for Monster Hunter is similar to the love that some of the rulers of Halicarnassus had for their regional power in the world. One of their most famous rulers was a woman, Artemisia the First. She served under Xerxes. Everybody remembers him from the documentary 300.

[Noel Brown]

From 300.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah.

[Noel Brown]

I was wrong. Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Artemisia the first.

[Noel Brown]

Big on earrings, big on facial piercings. Apparently Xerxes. Oh yeah, from the doc, you know.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Noel Brown]

Famously accurate.

[Ben Bolan]

I love the immortals in that one. I love the like the vague superpowers in that one. I don't.

[Noel Brown]

It's a fun looking movie, but it is a load of comic book. Yeah, it. It is if it was a comic book, right? And they did a. You know, I think it may be one of the only Zack Snyder pictures that I think suits him the best. Like it was. I've not been a fan of a lot of his other stuff, but that one feels right for him. I think he did a good job.

[Ben Bolan]

The historical Xerxes, it occurs to me, is a great pitch for our friend Ben Thompson over a badass.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, heck yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

If he hasn't covered it yet. And as is Artemisia one very much a badass in her own right. So Xerxes, with the help of Artemisia I, they invade Greece in about 480 BC. And these are facts coming to us for our [e-mail] Again with royals, they tend to not be super creative with naming. So we're not focusing on Artemisia the first. We're focusing on Artemisia, street name the second, and her husband, Mazolus. Spoiler. Who Also, how Game of Thrones is this dude? Also her husband and her biological brother.

[Noel Brown]

Okay, okay, no judgment. Maybe a little judgment.

[Ben Bolan]

They just went a little Olive Garden with romance, you know what you mean?

[Noel Brown]

Unlimited breadsticks.

[Ben Bolan]

Sort of when you're here, your family.

[Noel Brown]

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[Noel Brown]

Mausolus, according to Britannica, was a Persian satrap. Satrap a governor. When I looked at it on paper it looks like a Persian strap, which sounds like a lot of fun, though virtually, they say, an independent ruler of Caria rather in southwestern Anatolia from 377 76ish to 353 BCE.

[Ben Bolan]

And this guy, I love that we're bringing up Satrap. It's one of those relatively archaic words for authorities, sort of similar to being a suzerain. This guy. Yeah. Imagine the governor of your province or your state or what have you, functioning essentially as a small king. That is what maul like in stature. He's got a short king, short king spring. He's got a short reach for sure. But within his reach he has an iron grasp. Well said, Ben. Well said. Oh, well, no, the thing is this guy, slowly over his career as a despot, he expands his control to some surrounding areas. And then Mausolus, just spelling this out so we can all get the etymology. M A U S O L U S. He dies. He dies before he does all the stuff he wanted to do. And when he dies, he's still a big deal. And during this time, as later occurs in different points of history, people want to sort of give the flowers, they want to pay the respects. They want to build a cartoonish Vegas level doing a callback. A cartoonish Vegas level monument to this dead ruler.

[Noel Brown]

Well, it is funny. I think we've talked about it in our discussions over on stuff they don't want you to know about. The Georgia Guidestones, if anyone isn't familiar with that, do recommend looking into that story and checking out our episodes. But the official industry term to this day for tombstones, they don't call it tombstones, they call them monuments.

[Ben Bolan]

Right? Yes. I appreciate you pointing that out because you want to be careful and respectful with. With the survivors of someone who has passed. To understand how this all this in the weeds geopolitics of bygone eras. To understand how it results in a wonder of the world. We have to know a little bit about Mausolus's financials. So him and his bit of a.

[Noel Brown]

Big spender, a bit of a guy.

[Ben Bolan]

You know, he was not. He may have been brave, clean and reverent, to quote the Boy Scouts, but he was not thrifty. He and his sister wife, true term Artemisia II in particular, they spent tons of money doing their version of MTV Cribs with their capital overall, they constructed defensive walls, they made a theater, they made multiple templ, made other public buildings. We could actually. Despotism aside, we could argue that they were improving the quality of life for people in the Capitol.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, they're definitely focused on infrastructure and public works. But of course, as you can imagine, these spending habits also extended to their private domicile and their personal shopping habits, let's call them, were pretty outlandish and extravagant.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah. And so it comes to pass, in 353Bce, Mausolus dies. And when he dies, his widow, Artemisia II becomes the ruler of the land. And she says, I like spending money. I miss my brother. Or I miss my husband too.

[Noel Brown]

Little retail therapy, right? I mean.

[Ben Bolan]

Yes, exactly. I'm going to do the ancient equivalent of showing up to Target with no shopping list. Just vibes.

[Noel Brown]

Target, Neiman Marcus, they like it. Saks Fifth Avenue.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Balenciaga. There we go. So she says, we're gonna build this magnificent tomb to honor my brother. Or wait, my husband.

[Noel Brown]

My boo.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, my boo. Thang. So to create this enormous opulent structure, Artemisia II contacts the most talented, prolific, well known Greek artist and architects of the day and brings them to Halicarnassus.

[Noel Brown]

That's right. We're talking about, of course, you already know, Satrios of Paros and Pytheos of Praen, Prain, Pryn, Praen. The four walls of the structure in question here, the mausoleum. They're not calling it that quite yet though, let's just be clear. Were adorned with these relief carvings created by four of the most famous Greek sculptors of the day. That would include Scop, who was the artistic foreman, let's just say, of the reconstruction of the Temple of Artemis. Which we're gonna talk about. Yeah, we're gonna talk about that in a future episode. And this is of course in a thesis.

[Ben Bolan]

And those other. The other four sculptors, sort of the Beatles of the construction of the mausoleum. The Beatles are Leochares, Braxis and Timotheos. So four really big names, legends in their time. Spo. Spoiler alert, folks. As often happens, this ruler, Artemisia II dies and she dies before the construction of this opulent tomb is complete. She actually only outlives her brother or her husband, Mausolus by about two years. And after she expires, she is cremated, as was her partner. And the ashes of both spouses are placed in this tomb, which is still under construction. So there are these big to dos, these big funeral ceremonies. There are a lot of sacrifices of animals, not humans, so far as we know. And the steps leading to. I love the point you made. What would later be called the Moslem. The steps leading to this memorial site are covered with stones and rubble to close off any untoward access to the interior.

[Noel Brown]

Indeed, to keep out the rabble, you know, we can't have anybody tagging this glorious testament to the greatness of these despots. So to add an additional closing note on this part, Max mentions in the research, much of the building process is not 100% known in terms of, you know, the actual methods that were used to construct them, which is often the case of some of these ancient structures. It is, however, believed that the Construction began in 353bce, right before Mausolus death, and finished in 351bce, shortly after Artemisia death. Artemisius death. And yeah, it's important to say that while it's not known for certain, it is believed that much of the manual labor was performed, of course, surprise, surprise. By slaves.

[Ben Bolan]

By it is believed, we also mean it is true.

[Noel Brown]

Have you seen that? There's a really great little. I mean, it's effed up, but the show's effed up. Wonder shows in. There's a little clip where it's these kids. They kind of have these kids songs. They're singing messed up stuff. And there's one where it's like, slaves built the pyramids. Slaves built the Parthenon.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, so it was like fame built the American.

[Noel Brown]

No, it's just like a funny little goofy kids song. But they're talking about how slaves built everything. And then it ends with thank you, slay.

[Ben Bolan]

I'm thinking of that beautiful song Fame, where they just. The refrain is someone yelling fame.

[Noel Brown]

Well, sure, that's. Yeah. David Bowie and John Lennon.

[Ben Bolan]

So, next question. What did this edifice, this. I mean, it is full of sculptures. What did this structure look like? We do have good news. We teased it at the top. Unlike our first episode in this series on the hanging gardens of Babylon, the mausoleum at Halicarnassus is much more well established in the historical record. We know exactly where it was constructed. There are primary sources with direct firsthand accounts of the tomb. In short, we know that it existed where and when it is purported to exist.

[Noel Brown]

That's right. Unlike the famed hanging gardens. Right. So with that, let's get into some elder talk. Pliny the Elder, to be specific, the Roman scholar who we often quote because he was a great historian, a great documenter, cataloger of history, and he was also a naval commander. He provided our most detailed contemporary accounts of many things from this era, including the mausoleum of Halicarnassus. According to his account, the monument's base was nearly square with a perimeter measuring 411ft. It was adorned with 36 columns that circled the structure and created sort of what you might refer to as a colonnade. That supported a pyramid shaped roof made up of 24 steps.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, so ziggurat esque.

[Noel Brown]

There you go.

[Ben Bolan]

And for everybody outside of the United States and Namibia at this point, if we could do a quick ancient historic inflation calculator or comparison.

[Noel Brown]

Flesh and a boob.

[Ben Bolan]

So 411ft is a little more than 125 meters. So this is very, very big for the time.

[Noel Brown]

That's right. They're going large or going home. On top of this structure that we've described was kind of what you would call the coup de grace. The whole on top of the tree, a structure known as a quadriga, which is made up of four horse chariot situations carved from white marble. These must have been glorious to behold. The chariots carrying figures thought to be Mausolus himself and Artemisia ii.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, yeah, very. Again, very modest, very humble. Nobody has problems. No one's going hungry or hoping for freedom. This is, this is also as cold as it sounds. This is fantastic marketing and intimidation because if you were a ship coming into this beautiful sheltered harbor, you are going to see these sculptures as you approach. And the monument again, it's leviathan. It's gigantic scale. People are figuring out how to to build this thing in a way such that it doesn't immediately collapse. So shout out to all the engineers in the crowd for sure. The foundation is about 2ft or I'd say like about 0.6 meters deep into the ground. And they had to dig down into the ground because they were carrying 2,000, estimated 2,000 tons of marble blocks in the construction. And marble also, of course, it's peak opulence. It's quite expensive. It's not super easy to work with. These guys are still also, by the way, think you would love this. Ridiculous historians. They're using a lot of lead in the construction. They got lead dowels, they got iron clamps, but they're using molten lead to fasten these blocks together. And this is like nobody knows about the long term knock on effects of lead exposure at this point. So this is a revolutionary technique.

[Noel Brown]

We did recently cite a study indicating that the IQ of folks from this era in this part of the world definitely saw a decline over time that was likely a knock on effect of lead contamination. To your point, Ben, introducing Instagram teen accounts. A new way to keep your teen safer as they grow. Like making sure they've got the right gear for writing, knee pads and helmet.

[Ben Bolan]

Done.

[Noel Brown]

See you, dad. New Instagram teen accounts. Automatic protections for who can contact your teen and the content they can See.

[Dr. Camellia Clark]

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[Max Williams]

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[Unknown]

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[Noel Brown]

You know, it's funny, when we're hearing this description of this mausoleum or this grand burial monument, it really makes me think of a lot of neoclassical types of monuments throughout the world. And even here in the United States, like in Berlin, there's the Brandenburger Gate or the Brandenburg Gate, which is it has these horses on top very much. Seemingly inspired by this kind of Thing. And even in New York City, you've got the Grand Army Plaza, which got this, like, egress. A lot of this stuff you realize was definitely a nod to some of these classical architecture. I guess that's where neoclassical comes from.

[Ben Bolan]

The original version of the Washington Monument was something quite similar. And when I accidentally got baptized as a Buddhist in Salt Lake City fairly recently, again accidentally, I was thinking of something similar. If you go to the big LDS temple there in Salt Lake City, you will see atop it a golden statue of the angel Moroni. And it's very similar. This idea of sort of propagating visibility. Look upon our works and as we said, they're pulling the brightest minds of their generation to decorate and ornament this monument. Each of the four sculptors we previously mentioned are assigned one of the four facades of the building. So to your earlier point, they have a bunch of like Baker's dozens of freestanding sculptures. These are gonna depict battles between the Greeks and the Amazons. They're super intricate. Think like Angkor Wat level intricate. Some of the spoiler, the monument does get destroyed, but some of the sculptures made it to the British Museum, including one that is thought to be a statue of the dead man himself, Mausolus. However, speaking of humility and embellishment, Noel, this statue is 10ft tall. I don't think Mausolus was 10ft tall.

[Noel Brown]

No, remember, he was a short king. We talked about that. So can you go visit this thing? Well, first of all, let's get it out of the way. I think it's clear the term mausoleum, which we use to this day to describe large burial sites usually reserved for multiple bodies. Oftentimes they are for entire families. You know, you'll have like different little slots within these mausoleums where various members of a lineage will be stored. Kind of have them reserved for when folks pass. Second question. Now that we got that one out of the way, can you go see this thing?

[Ben Bolan]

I mean, asterisk. Yes, asterisk. So you are going to be unfortunately disappointed. It's going to be a deeper disappointment than the first time I visited the famous London Tower. Right. And just not cool. Not cool. Well, no, it's cool. It's beautiful. And obviously I love the ravens. I love the corvids. I kicked it with them for a while, for a few days. But the first thing you'll realize when you go to the Tower of London is that tower meant a very different thing pre skyscraper technology, you know what I mean?

[Noel Brown]

So it just doesn't quite have the wow Factor. Yeah, I mean, Understood. We've been spoiled. Burj.

[Ben Bolan]

Dubai it is not. But this is not to say that the mausoleum is not a immensely impressive piece of construction because it did stand the test of time for nearly 2,000 years. Even Alexander the Great comes by and decides not to destroy it. Europeans in the medieval era would come by and they would see it and they would say, oh, that's cool.

[Noel Brown]

That Alexander the Great bit reminds me of the part in Batman where the Joker and his henchmen are smashing up the museum. And then he comes across a Francis Bacon painting that's kind of effed up, and he goes, well, wait, leave that one. I like it.

[Ben Bolan]

Wait, which Batman franchise was that one?

[Noel Brown]

Tim Burton, Batman. When they're doing with the prince, it's Party Man. And they're in the museum and they're spray painting and slicing up the paintings, and then they come across this Francis Bacon painting who's a notoriously macabre kind of painter. And the Joker says, no, leave that one.

[Ben Bolan]

I love that. I love all the Joker adaptations except for one. And I'm gonna be diplomatic.

[Noel Brown]

The one with the face tattoo.

[Ben Bolan]

Being diplomatic. But I think we're on the same page.

[Unknown]

The one with the condoms getting sent to the fellow actors.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because he was doing method.

[Ben Bolan]

I don't know.

[Noel Brown]

Super cool.

[Ben Bolan]

Sometimes people use doing method acting as an excuse to just be pills. Daniel Day Lewis would never. I'm saying. Anyway, the monument itself, it doesn't fall to human shenanigans. It doesn't fall to human villainy. It falls to passage of the living, natural world. A series of earthquakes between the 11th and 15th centuries CE. So this is around for so, so long. And even when it's kind of a wreck and ruin, people are still on board with it. I mean, it's a lot of marble. You know what I mean?

[Noel Brown]

Yeah. There's still some tasty bits that you can.

[Ben Bolan]

So in 1494, again, CE, the Knights of St. John go to the site, the construction destruction site of the mausoleum. They take these marble blocks, and the ones that they're able to recover and move, they use to fortify their castle of St. Peter. And it's. They're able to do this. Marble is super heavy. Right. But they're able to do this because the castle is nearby. And in doing so, they accidentally preserve pieces of this wonder of the world.

[Noel Brown]

Sure. And as they're excavating the site, they also accidentally happen upon a secret chamber that's filled with beautiful sculptures and statues. They initially believe that they'd found the actual burial chamber. But Mausolus's actual facts. Lauren Vogelbaum Burial site remains lost to history.

[Ben Bolan]

Ooh, history. Yeah, it's very.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah.

[Ben Bolan]

Okay, now we know only ruins remain. Shout out to Ozymandias. The Moslems foundations, the remnants of the debris. They're at the original site. And right now, you will find more of an impact in culture than you will find in the soil. Similar to the Taj Mahal, this is a gargantuan monument to one man's ego. And it's the reason that mausoleum is now a word for a very fancy grammar indeed.

[Noel Brown]

Love a mausoleum. They're a lot of fun, and they're also, you know, very Tim Burtony. There's a certain kind of, I don't know, Gothic spookiness to them. Like, I believe I remember. Oh, gosh, we don't talk about Neil Gaiman anymore. But the graveyard book was really cool. And in the graveyard book, I believe a mausoleum was sort of like the entrance and exit to, like, the. The underworld.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, sure.

[Noel Brown]

Ghosts and haunts. And that one.

[Ben Bolan]

Oh, it reminds me of the excellent Clive Barker book Nightbreed.

[Noel Brown]

Yeah, of course. That's right.

[Ben Bolan]

There's all.

[Noel Brown]

That's very similar.

[Ben Bolan]

Yeah, the graveyard city. Now, of course, as we are going to wrap up every episode in this series on Wonders of the World, one of the big questions for our fellow gamers out there is obviously, should I build this wonder the mausoleum of Halicarnassus or Mausoleum at Halicarnassus? Should I build it in the game? It gives you scientific and seafaring traits in some iterations, or it gives you culture and points for an artist thing. It increases your gold income. However, as a research associate, Max needs everyone listening to know Civ 6 is really where the Moslem will shine bright. Ooh.

[Noel Brown]

Okay, so they've upgraded it a little. Little bit.

[Unknown]

You know, it's like one of the most overpowered wonders in Civilization 6 because it has, like, two abilities, and each of them individually will make it one of the best wonders in the game. Because what it does especially, you have to build it adjacent to a harbor in a city on the coast. So, like, that's one cool thing they introduced in Civ 6, where it's like, you can't just build things in random places. Like, you can't put the pyramids in time, tundra and stuff like that, which is like, okay, that makes sense. But in other words, to have this one, you have to have a lot of coastal and all your coastal Tiles just get beasted out. So it makes the city into a super city, but it also gives you an extra charge on a great engineer going forward on all your great engineers going forward. So let's just say you have a great engineer. Eiffel is one of the great engineers you can get who gives you a bunch of production for building wonders. Literally, you can just beast out like three wonders with this thing along. And for some reason, the AI never want to build it.

[Ben Bolan]

Right, Right. So it's advantageous. Now, of course, we have saved clearly the most pivotal and impactful question for the end. However, we have good news, folks. This is not the end of the series. We have additional wonders to explore. Technically 5. We're also going to have. Have a little bit of a meta episode about what makes a wonder a wonder. We have so much more to get.

[Noel Brown]

To, to call back to Clive Barker. So many wonders to show you. Right?

[Ben Bolan]

Yes, yes. Very, very Hellraiser. I love it. No, I love it. We also, yeah, again, we have a. We have a meta episode on what makes a wonder a wonder. We can't wait to hang out with you later this week when we talk about another wonder of the modern world with perhaps some damning consequences. We're doing a ridiculous history of Tupperware.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, my gosh, I love that Tupperware burp. Huge thanks to Max Williams, our super producer, who also served as our research associate extraordinaire on this episode. Huge thanks to Alex Williams, who composed our theme.

[Ben Bolan]

Big, big thanks, of course, to the Puzzler and the Quister. That would be the devil and the angel on our, on the shoulders of our show. That's AJ Bahamas Jacobs, host of the Puzzler. And that's Jonathan Strickland.

[Noel Brown]

Isn't AJ Joining us pretty soon?

[Ben Bolan]

AJ is joining us pretty soon. He's. He's got some. He's got some banger research to share with us. And of course, we. We can't wait to hang with him. Also, big thanks to Rachel Big Spinach Lance, the number one world expert on underwater explosions, which I still love being able to say, yes, it's a very.

[Noel Brown]

Niche expertise and we're here for it.

[Ben Bolan]

And of course, Chris Rociotes Eve's Jeffcoat here in spirit. And big thanks to you, Noel. I'd love to. I can't wait to see what wonders we explore in the future.

[Noel Brown]

Oh, I thought you were going to say to see what my mausoleum looks like.

[Ben Bolan]

Join dark. No, that'd be rude.

[Noel Brown]

It's gonna be. It's gonna be rad. We've already. I'm already designing it. We'll see you next time, folks. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Dr. Camellia Clark]

Hey, Janiece Torres here and I'm Austin Hankwitz. We're the hosts of Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories, stories produced by Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks. Catch up on seasons one and two and join us for a brand new season of the podcast as we talk to small business owners about how they manage and grow their businesses with the help of platforms like Intuit QuickBooks.

[Noel Brown]

Listen to mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.

[Unknown]

Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cindy Crawford]

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[Noel Brown]

Can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats.

[Ben Bolan]

What do we mean by almost?

[Noel Brown]

Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get a chicken parmesan delivered. A cabana?

[Ben Bolan]

That's a no.

[Noel Brown]

But a banana? That's a yes. A nice tan? Sorry, nope. But a box fan? Happily, yes.

[Ben Bolan]

A day of sunshine?

[Noel Brown]

No. A box of fine wine? Yes.

[Ben Bolan]

UberEats can definitely get you that.

[Noel Brown]

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