The Celsus Ephesus Library

Many thought that such monumental architecture would establish their place within the history books. This fascination with gigantism was spurred in part by the size of the cities themselves, some of which were in the hundreds of thousands, with required the extra space in order to accommodate more individuals. Museums and libraries, such as the famous library in Alexandria, were constructed larger than ever before in order to store texts and relics from bygone ages. These objects helped the Hellenistic rulers assert themselves using imperial imagery to legitimize their claims to power.

It is considered the sixth wonder, only thought to be slightly older than the Lighthouse of Alexandria (Banks “Preface”). The Colossus is also considered the wonder with the shortest lifespan of about half a century (Editors Ch. 9). As an offering to their sun god, Helios, the Rhodians had the Colossus built so that they would forever remember winning the war against Antigous, who sent his son Demetrius, and an army of forty-thousand men, to punish the Rhodians for supporting Ptolemy (“The Colossus of Rhodes”). The great structure was placed on the Island of Rhodes, which was “located off the southwestern tip of Asia Minor where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean” (Krystek “Colossus…” 1). “The sculptor, Charles of Lindus, took twelve years to complete the statue, finishing it about 280 BC” (“Colossus” C-481a). “The statue was one hundred and ten feet high and stood upon a fifty-foot pedestal near the harbor mole (“Colossus of Rhodes” 1). From the war machines that Demetrius left behind, bronze was melted down for the exterior, while the framework was composed of iron (“Colossus of Rhodes” 1). Around 226 BC an earthquake hit the Island of Rhodes and the statue fell into the sea leaving only the some of the base intact (Krystek “Colossus…” 1). “In the seventh century AD the Arabs conquered Rhodes and broke the remains of the Colossus up into smaller pieces and sold it as scrap metal” (“Colossus of Rhodes”

The Elbers papyrus (1500 B.C) is an oldest medical documents, which, is preserved for modern usage and was made by the Egyptian priests. According an ancient history, it is the greatest recognized and the most vital pharmaceutical record. There are 800 prescriptions made from 700 drugs which indicates the treatments of numerous disorders. 1

Just like any library, ancient special libraries, also known as archives, where created to preserve and keep records of specific materials, such as business documents that were written on clay tablets at that time or papyrus scrolls that were about personal or business matters. At first, general libraries were mainly focused on providing educational materials for the adult population; however, libraries have gone through great transformations. Now-a-days, the libraries’ purpose has widened and now they focus on providing any needed information, educational or leisure materials to people of all ages and types of their communities (Rowland, Collection). Also, now public libraries have partnerships with school libraries and academic

Founded in 1959, The El Paso Museum of Art has been a pillar of the community (reword). The museum mission is to preserve, interpret, and exhibit artwork that strengthens the Museum’s permanent collection. The museum also offers programs and training devoted to education the public in regards to the regions cultural diversity. The El Museum of Art also displays films, lectures, and concerts to the general public. The museum permanent collection includes more than 5,000 works of art. The museum is funded under the jurisdiction of the City of El Paso. More than 80,000 visitors a year travel to view the El Paso Museum of Art.

Located in the Quad, standing tall is a building that represents critical and memorable moments in history. The University of Alabama is home to the beautiful Amelia Gorgas Library. This is where students can go study, relax, eat, check out books, and socialize. The library was built in 1939 and is located at the site of the first original library on campus. During the Civil War the original building was known as the Rotunda. It was a military school for the confederate army. In 1865 Rotunda was burned down by troops sent to destroy the educational buildings on campus. In its place Gorgas library was built. As you stand on the concrete steps looking down at the semi-circle court in front of Gorgas, there are remains from the original building. Architects purposely made these designs to show tribute to

This library was funded by steel industry tycoon Andrew Carnegie, who had money given to towns across the country with the goal of achieving better education across the United States. The building elements of the design of this building were done for the purpose of constructing an environment that attests to this goal. The primary builder decided to design her building with a connection to architecture during the Greek Empire. One building that our group saw particular similarities to was the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The connection between the Parthenon and Carnegie Library contextually was done for the purpose of adding in historical qualities to downtown Bozeman. The connection to the respected empire of Greece shows that the library is educated on some of the life in ancient Greece, especially pertaining towards the art and architectural style of the period, and also serves as a sort of a preview to the wealth of information that lies inside of the building. Another contextual element that draws these two buildings is the purpose of their construction. The Parthenon was erected in Athens as a way to honor their patron deity Athena, as well as housing many important artifacts that served as symbols of Athens victories over the Persians. The designer of The Carnegie Library used these qualities to try and build the library to resemble a temple. This design choice shows where the designers intended the library to serve as a place to worship knowledge, rather than the conventional religion or

Hephaestus is the Greek god of fire and the forge. There are two theories of his birth. The first theory is that he is the son of Zeus and Hera. The second theory has him born to Hera by herself. Both situations end up with Hephaestus being thrown from Mount Olympus. Most people believe he was thrown off by Hera because he was an ugly child. Other people believe he was thrown to Earth because he took Hera’s side of an argument and Zeus became infuriated with him for taking her side.

Hephaestus is credited of being the son of the king and queen of the gods, Zeus and Hera. He is the greek god of many different things, such as blacksmiths, forgery, fire, and volcanoes. Since he is the god of blacksmiths and forgery, he was able to craft many of weapons for the other gods. These weapons include Achilles armor, Hermes winged helmet and sandals, and Aphrodite's girdle. He also built the gold and silver dogs that guarded Alkinoos. “He made the golden and silver lions and dogs at the entrance of the palace of Alkinoos in such a way that they could bite the invaders.” (Wikipedia, 2). Though he was able to build all of these things, he was never without an obstacle throughout his life. Hephaestus had to deal with many things in

With the rise of Alexander “The Great” begins the Hellenistic Age which is used to describe a time which Greek culture spread to places like Egypt and Asia. Due to this Greek culture had changed from what it was during Classical Greece as they were able to achieve much more with this new diverse culture. The Classical Age of Greece is known for its work in philosophy and the arts. The work of Greek philosophers of this time such Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle cannot go unnoticed in these contexts as their accomplishments still have lasting effects on our world today. Along with the great work of these philosophers, came other great works in architecture and drama. Beginning in 448 B.C. Pericles began the construction of the Acropolis,

Money was donated from the rich to support schools, which directed their focus towards music, Physical education, and literature. The majority of schools were for everyone but there where some schools dedicated to the elite. With the increase in education, there were several different advances. “The Hellenistic era was a period of considerable cultural accomplishment in many fields- literature, art, science, medicine, and philosophy.” (Spielvogel 101) The library at Alexandria is touted as possibly the greatest collection of scrolls in history. It became a beacon for scholastic learning. During this period literature saw a huge increase. Unfortunately, most writings from this time have been

There are a number of art and architectural features found in the Athenian Agora, Kerimeikos and the Acropolis. The Agora or market place has a number of buildings such as the Tholos, The Eponymous Heroes and the Strategion. The Kerimeikos or Ceramicus was the potters ' quarter of the city, from which the word "ceramic" is derived, and was also the site of an important cemetery and numerous funerary sculptures erected around the area. The Acropolis had many major buildings, the most prominent of them being the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike. An evaluation of primary and secondary literary sources gives insight into the main purposes of the buildings and the art within such as pottery and sculptures found within the context of these sites. To an extent the art and architecture in these sites reflect the significant cultural practices and beliefs of the ancient Athenians as it gives insight into what they truly valued.

Thetis and Peleus were a famous couple in Greek mythology. Peleus married Thetis, daughter of Nereus. Both Zeus and Poseidon had been rivals for her love, but when it was prophesied that the son born to Thetis would be mightier than his father, they lost interest in courting her. Thetis was a Nereid, one of the daughters of Nereus and Doris, while Peleus was a mortal, son of King Aeacus and Endeis. All the gods were invited at the wedding, except Eris, the goddess of detestation. So she decided to get revenge, by throwing among the guests a golden apple, with the words "to the fairest". Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite argued amongst themselves about who the apple was meant for. Zeus didn't have the courage to get involved into this squabble, so

The Acropolis is a rock formation reaching 400ft above ground level and is about 7 acres big. It clearly highlights the highest level of human creativity and was a source of pride for Athenians, not just because it was the biggest building of its age but because it represented power and wealth. These temples were not meant to be meeting places but homes for the communities god or goddess and a place to keep offerings. The Greek government owned the Parthenon, but it was commissioned by Pericles the great Greek statesman. The architects working on this grand design were called Iktinos and Kalilkrates two famous architects and the sculptor was Phidias who built the Athena Parthenos.

There are seven most remarkable structures of ancient times and I’m going to write about four out of the seven. The statue of Zeus, which was created in 432 B.C., by Phidius, the lighthouse Of Alexandria that was created by Sostratus in 290 B.C. and took 20 years to complete. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus that was first created in 800 B.C. by Croesus and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus that was built around 353 and 350 B.C. These are only four out of the seven wonders I will be writing about who commissioned and created each one of them. How they were built, where they were located, when was it constructed, why they were considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and what happened to them.