This celebrated work of antiquity was built by Sostratus, by order of
Ptolemy Philadelphus. It was a species of tower, erected on a high
promontory or rock, on the above mentioned island, then situated about a
mile from Alexandria. It was 450 ft. high, divided into several stories,
each decreasing in size; the ground story was hexagonal, the sides
alternately concave and convex, each an eighth of a mile in length; the
second and third stories were of the same form; the fourth was a square,
flanked by four round towers; the fifth was circular. The whole edifice
was of wrought stone; a magnificent staircase led to the top, where
fires were lighted every night, visible from the distance of a hundred
miles, to guide the coasting vessels. Sostratus is said to have engraved
an inscription on stone, and covered it with a species of cement, upon
which he sculptured the name of Ptolemy, calculating that the cement
would decay, and bring to light his original inscription. Strabo says
it read, _Sostratus, the friend of kings, made me_. Lucian reports
differently, and more probably, thus, _Sostratus of Cnidus, the son of
Dexiphanes, to the Gods the Saviors, for the safety of Mariners_. It is
also said that Ptolemy left the inscription to the inclination of the
architect; and that by the _Gods the Saviors_ were meant the reigning
king and queen, with their successors, who were ambitious of the title
of Soteros or Savior.
DINOCRATES' PLAN FOR CUTTING MOUNT ATHOS INTO A STATUE OF ALEXANDER THE
GREAT.
According to Vitruvius, this famous architect, having provided himself
with recommendatory letters to the principal personages of Alexander's
court, set out from his native country with the hope of gaining, through
their means, the favor of the monarch. The courtiers made him promises
which they neglected to perform, and framed various excuses to prevent
his access to the sovereign; he therefore determined upon the following
expedient:--Being of a gigantic and well proportioned stature, he
stripped himself, anointed his body with oil, bound his head with poplar
leaves, and throwing a lion's skin across his shoulders, with a club in
his hand, presented himself to Alexander, in the place where he held his
public audience. Alexander, astonished at his Herculean figure, desired
him to approach, demanding, at the same time, his name:--"I am," said
he, "a Macedonian architect, and am come to submit to you designs worthy
of the fame you have acquired. I have modelled Mount Athos in the form
of a giant, holding in his right hand a city, and his left a shell, from
which are discharged into the sea all the rivers collected from the
mountain." It was impossible to imagine a scheme more agreeable to
Alexander, who asked seriously whether there would be sufficient country
round this city to maintain its inhabitants. Dinocrates answered in the
negative, and that it would be necessary to supply it by sea. Athos
consequently remained a mountain; but Alexander was so pleased with the
novelty of the idea, and the genius of Dinocrates, that he at once took
him into his service. The design of Dinocrates may be found in Fischer's
History of Architecture. According to Pliny, Dinocrates planned and
built the city of Alexandria.