MausolusMausolos

The son of Hekatomnus; he became the satrap of the king of Persia for the district of Karia (Caria) in 377 BCE with the city of Halikarnassus (Halicarnassus) as his capitol.

As a native of Karia, Mausolus was a Persian by birth but his interests and loyalties were Greek; he conquered many of the coastal towns to the south in Lykia (Lycia) and, in 357 BCE, he organized the revolt that caused the islands of Kos (Cos), Rhodes and Khios (Chios) to break their ties with the Athenian Confederacy.

Mausolus was married to his sister, Artemisia, who, after he died at a relatively young age, honored him with a tomb that was so spectacular that his name has become synonymous with all above-ground tombs; we call such tombs Mausoleums.

The tomb was completed by Artemisia circa 353 BCE and, because of its spectacular size and lavish decorations, became one of the Seven Wonders of the World.