By Adriana Buckley

1. The Lighthouse of Alexandria By Adriana Buckley

2. Location The Lighthouse of Alexandria is about 6779 miles southeast of Olympia. It is located in Alexandria, Egypt, which is in Africa. It’s absolute location is 31˚ N, 29˚E. When traveling to the lighthouse, you might pass through Sudan or Libya. The Lighthouse of Alexandria is west of Lake Idku and northwest of the cities Damanhur and Tanta.

3. Description The Lighthouse of Alexandria’s structure is described as that of an early 20th century skyscraper. Explorers reported it to be 300 cubits high. But because the cubit measurement varied from place to place, it stood anywhere from 450 to 600 feet high, although 450 is more likely. It was constructed in 3 stages. The base was made of marble blocks glued together by lead mortar, and was 200 feet high by 100 feet square. Inside was a spiral ramp to carry up materials by horse pulled cart. On top was an eight sided tower with a dumbwaiter inside to carry fuel up to the fire. Finally, a cylinder stretched up to a cupola where a fire burned. A Poseidon statue stood on the roof of the cupola. It was said that a mirror of metal was used to project the firelight into a beam.

4. Why famous/created The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built for a reason. The city of Alexandria needed something to guide trade ships into it’s harbor and it needed a symbol for itself. The Greek architect Sostrates of Knidos built it in 290 B.C., and it took 20 years to finish. It was known for being one of the 7 wonders of the world. It was also known for being the first lighthouse in the world and for being the second tallest building in existence. The lighthouse was also apparently a tourist attraction. Food was sold on the observation platform on the bottom level, and a small balcony provided a view from about 300 feet up.

5. Visiting Today The Lighthouse of Alexandria lays on the harbor floor. It toppled during an earthquake after being damaged by tremors. But even though people can’t see it today, they would still want to if they could. It provided a view of the harbor from 300 feet up. The interior structure was very intricate, with spiraling ramps and dumbwaiters. The structure was also not like that of lighthouses today. It was also told that ships could see the smoke or light from the lighthouse up to 100 miles away! The Lighthouse of Alexandria was magnificent and served a useful purpose for many years.

6. Cool Facts • The Lighthouse of Alexandria was so tall because the Egyptians understood that the earth was curved. If an object was short, the curvature of the earth blocked it. If an object was tall, then it could be seen from farther away. • The Lighthouse of Alexandria toppled because it was built on a mixture of sand and water. When tremors occurred, it shook the sand and the water apart. The ground was then softer and less stable, so when the earthquake struck, the lighthouse was bound to topple.

7. Reflections • I learned that the Egyptians were much more advanced than I thought because they understood about the curvature of the earth. I also learned that the Lighthouse of Alexandria was the first lighthouse in the world. This was important because now I have more knowledge about the past that I can use. • I think that what I did well was researching my topic because I learned a lot about it. • I think that I might try to do a better job on finding the location of my place because I only found the exact location of the city and not the place. • My favorite part was animating and finding pictures of my place. I also enjoyed researching my project because there were a lot of very interesting facts about the lighthouse of Alexandria.

8. Map

9. Pictures

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