Week 14 - 4.1.12 - 4.7.12 - Pharos
Materials: Copper, Sterling Silver, Stainless SteelSteel Bolts
Pendant Dimensions: 1.73” H x 1.17” W x .495” D
The Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was a tower built between 280 and 247 BC on the island of Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt. Its purpose was to guide sailors into the harbor at night. With a height variously estimated at somewhere between 393 and 450 feet, it was for many centuries among the tallest man-made structures on Earth and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Constructed from large blocks of light-colored stone, the tower was made up of three stages: a lower square section 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 and a fire that was lit at night. According to reports, a large curved mirror was used to project the fire's light into a beam. It was said ships could detect the light from the tower at night up to one hundred miles away. There are stories that this mirror could be used as a weapon to concentrate the sun and set enemy ships ablaze as they approached. Another tale says that it was possible to use the mirror to magnify the image of the city of Constantinople, which was located far across the sea, and observe what was going on there.
The connection of the name with the function became so strong that the word ‘Pharos’ became the root of the word ‘lighthouse’ in the French, Italian, Spanish and Romanian languages.
$300.00