The Mausoleum of Belevi - Historical Building Research

The mausoleum in Belevi is one of the few well preserved monuments of early Hellenism. The square structure consists of a massive lower level crowned by a Corinthian peristasis. The building reached monumental proportions which, in classical and Hellenistic times, was surpassed only by its precursor, the type-forming Maussolleion at Halikarnassos. This royal tomb was administered over the decades as part of the Austrian-led Ephesus research project. Still unfinished after the publication of 1979 the research required reworking and re-evaluation of the monument with modern methology and with points of present interest. An extensive documentation and analysis of the in-situ finds as well as of displaced architectural elements provides the basis of the actual research. This approach adduced evidence for the height of the lower storey - directly derived from the rock core - and the levels of the courses with sophisticated joint pattern. The height and structure of the Ionic false door set into the main façade were determined, revealing a design of the door based on old Ionic patterns. An analysis of roof slabs and coffer blocks has allowed for the secure reconstruction of the roof: Merely the pteron was covered. The entire roof area inclined inwards. An open courtyard only used for drainage built the center of the structure. The axial spaces of the peristasis could be determinated precisely, varying slightly dependent on different heights. Portions of the entablature and the base course for the roof sculptures were reconstructed stone by stone. In the same manner some parts of columns were reconstructed. The shafts enabled to draw conclusions regarding the manufacturing technique as well as the design and the height. The northern blind wall of the upper level was emphasized by an additional colonnade based on a socle zone. The reconstruction of the course structure and and the block-setting of the walls in the tomb chamber made it possible to reliably demonstrate that the body and lid of the sarcophagus were contemporaneous with the original Hellenistic construction. The original vault section described the shape of a only marginally compressed semicircle. A special clamping technique facilitated the offsetting of the voussoirs. The new reconstruction of the monument formed the basis for an analysis of its proportions. Simple rational ratios determined in all areas the design so that they can be regarded as a fundamental requirement for the layout. Moreover a modular system determined the design of the façades. The ground plan covers a squarish area measuring 100 Attic feet per side. Rising in even proportion from this foundation square are other squares, which determined the position of walls and the colonnade. The module of the façades cannot be satisfactorily correlated with the Attic foot, it could derive from a Hellenistic foot. Optical refinements superimposed this system of proportions aund module: in addition to curvature, entasis and inclination, a slight widening of the middle bay and continuous tapering of the modular dimensions enhanced the design. In the lower level the jointing pattern of the different fronts was meshed by compensating adjustments of the diverse block lengths in the transition areas near the corners. As the tomb was not completed special construction and displacement techniques can be reconstructed, furthermore that several groups of stone masons worked parallel at different building sections. One of the main innovations of the monument is the use of mortar in masonry, on the one hand as filling mortar in between the revetment blocks and the rock core in the lower storey and on the other hand as poured mortar to fill interstices in between the blocks, necessary for offsetting and dowelling in the coffer ceiling. The mausoleum is derived, on the one hand, from the late classical Ionic tradition; yet on the other hand it is linked to the beginning of Hellenism, especially in regard to the creative innovations and structurally significant style. The introduction of the Corinthian order in Asia Minor, the blend of three styles all of them visible together on the external architecture, the design and composition of the entablature and the widened intercolumniations are evidence for the innovative power of the design, exerting influence on the developements in the following Hellenistic period. Although based on the model in Halicarnassus, this structure is architecturally unique, especially in terms of the roof treatment. Its designer enriched the layout of the monument deriving from Lycia and Caria with local, oriental, Macedonian as well as elements from mainland Greece, which were developed in the latter half of the 4th Century BCE and created a new conjunctive work of art.