The Lighthouse of Alexandria, known as the Pharos, stood on a small island at the entrance to the harbour of Alexandria in Egypt and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built in the reign of the early Ptolemaic kings, and tradition names Sostratus of Cnidus as its architect. Ancient writers describe a tall, multi-tiered tower with a fire and mirror at the top, probably over a hundred metres high, which guided ships for centuries. It was badly damaged by earthquakes in the medieval period and finally collapsed, and around 1480 the Mamluk sultan Qaitbay used its stones to build a fort on the site. Divers have since found large blocks from the lighthouse in the harbour.
Before and after
- from 282 BCE to 133 BCEAttalid dynasty
- from 281 BCE to 62 CEKingdom of Pontus
- from 280 BCE to 146 BCEFounding of Achaean League
- from 280 BCE to 275 BCEPyrrhic War
- from 279 BCE to 1480Construction of Lighthouse of Alexandria
- 276 BCEBirth of Eratosthenes
- from 274 BCE to 168 BCESyrian Wars
- c. 270s BCEAristarchus of Samos proposes that the Earth orbits the Sun
- from 267 BCE to 261 BCEChremonidean War
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- c. 1,200 BCEIron Age
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- 6th century BCEConstruction of Parthenon
- from 206 BCE to 220 CEHan dynasty
- 81 CEConstruction of Colosseum
- from 476 CE to 1492Middle Ages
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 3rd century BCE.