1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:27,680 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 1: the show, fellow Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so 3 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,480 Speaker 1: much for tuning in. Let's hear it for the Man, 4 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: the Myth, the Legend, our super producer, mister Max no 5 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:41,880 Speaker 1: Red Light Williams. 6 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 2: The Wonder of your own Heart. 7 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 3: The eleventh Wonder. How many wonders are there? 8 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 2: Agains of the ancient world. 9 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know why I whipped out eleven. 10 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 3: That is, it's just a number. That that's fun, fun 11 00:00:58,560 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 3: for me. 12 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: Noel, It's good to see you again. Man. I don't 13 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 1: want to sound weird, but Jordan Noel Brown, I've been 14 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: bullying and I missed you a little bit. 15 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 3: It's okay, Ben, You're allowed to miss me. I missed 16 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 3: you too. We've both been on what did It's true. 17 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:18,839 Speaker 3: It's true. The myths and the legends and the stories 18 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 3: are true. We've both been on various adventures across this 19 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 3: great wide world of sport. And now we're back reconvened 20 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 3: talking about a lighthouse, A mythical lighthouse. Well that's a 21 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:32,039 Speaker 3: mythical I don't know. 22 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: This is the thing. Okay, So we are returning to 23 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: one of our favorite series, an ongoing exploration of Wonders 24 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: of the World, and you and I and our research 25 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: associate for this episode, Max, we just had a brief 26 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: bit of banter that didn't make it on air where 27 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: you and I were talking about how many wonders are 28 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: in the world. I was wondering, Yeah, you were saying eleven, 29 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:10,400 Speaker 1: and I said that sounds like a good number. And 30 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: then Max popped in and said, ah, guys, this is 31 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: our series about the ancient wonders. 32 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,679 Speaker 2: Yes, of course, yeah, and there's only seven of them, 33 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 2: which is hotly debated because what makes a wonder a wonder? Well, 34 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 2: one day we will attempt to answer that. 35 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 3: Well, seven is also a fun number, meaningful seven goes 36 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 3: to heaven eleven seven eleven. Anyway, they're related somehow. 37 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: Oh my god, you guys knows about the wrap. 38 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 3: No, not me, never, not in a million years. Not 39 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 3: my wheelhouse. I stay in my lane, and today my 40 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 3: lane does involve our lane involves historical lighthouses or a 41 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 3: historical lighthouse great indeed, the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria. 42 00:02:52,840 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: So not our wheelhouse, but our lighthouse. We're going to 43 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: start with diving into the context Okay, everybody knows the 44 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: idea of a lighthouse, right. It's a big tower along 45 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: the coast, right, And the idea is a lighthouse will 46 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: let you, as a sailor, know when you were about 47 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: to hit the dirt and. 48 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 3: They run aground, as they say in nautical parlance. 49 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: So there's this city called Alexandria, and it is named 50 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: in a burst of humility after a guy who calls 51 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: himself Alexander the Great. 52 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, and Alexander the Great founded the city which he 53 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 3: named after himself and the aforementioned burst of humility and 54 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 3: three point thirty two BCE after the start of one 55 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 3: of his many war campaigns. He liked to start beef 56 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 3: with folks, and this was beef with Persia, the Persian Campaign. 57 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 3: He made it the capital of his new dominion, the 58 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 3: Egyptian Dominion, and established a naval base there where he 59 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 3: would wield naval control over the whole of the Mediterranean. 60 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:23,280 Speaker 1: Again, super humble. 61 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, guy, probably fun at parties. I mean sure, I 62 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 3: don't know. I bet he was a good hang. 63 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: I bet I bet he was a good like thirty 64 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: five minute hang. 65 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 3: I do imagine he likes to talk about himself a 66 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 3: bit but after Alex, our buddy, not Alex Williams, who 67 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 3: composed this theme, left Egypt. I love this, This is 68 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 3: this title of a viceroy. I guess I'm always thinking 69 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 3: of the Star the Star Wars thing. Wasn't there like 70 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 3: a vice, Those little flabby mouth alien guys wanted the 71 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 3: viceroys in the trade, the walcades and all that stuff. 72 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 3: We got a roy here named Cleomenes, Cleominas, Cleomenes, I'm 73 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 3: gonna say, Cleomenes nail. He continued in the creation of 74 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 3: this capital city of Alexandria in Alex's instead when he 75 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 3: was off warring it up you know elsewhere. 76 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, famously beefy guy r Pal Alexander. Alexander dies 77 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: in three twenty three BCE, and as you said, Noel, 78 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: the viceroy takes control, and another viceroy shows up Ptolemy, 79 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: and Ptolemy founds the dynasty. So this takes us now 80 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 1: to what our pale Max likes to call the who, 81 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:55,600 Speaker 1: not the band, just the who of whom constructed this 82 00:05:55,839 --> 00:06:04,160 Speaker 1: great lighthouse called an ancient wonder. So Ptolome Sojer is 83 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: born in Macedonia. He dies in Egypt. He's a Macedonian 84 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: general of Alexander the Great, and he ultimately this guy Ptoleme, 85 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: he founds the Ptolemaic dynasty. And since we are an 86 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:26,119 Speaker 1: audio show, I guess we have to tell people the 87 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:30,600 Speaker 1: pronunciation of Ptolemy is not the same way it's spelled. 88 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:32,559 Speaker 1: There's a silent letter. 89 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 3: I love a silent pe Remember the song Friends of 90 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 3: P by the Rentals? 91 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: I loved it? Right? Is that the guy who was the. 92 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 3: Bassist from Weezer, Matt Sharp, Yeah, he was the bassist 93 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,239 Speaker 3: from Weezer. I've been on a Friends of Pea kick 94 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 3: recently when a friend of mine was visiting from Saint 95 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 3: Louis and we had one of those like YouTube diving 96 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 3: evenings with a little bit It might may have been 97 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 3: a few glasses of wine involved, but I rocked out 98 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 3: the video of Friends of Pea. So that's all who's 99 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:03,280 Speaker 3: been stuck in my head. This is silent P. Not 100 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:04,960 Speaker 3: to be confused also with the Lies of P, which 101 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 3: apparently really cool, very difficult souls like game that it 102 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 3: looks really awesome, but it seems very unpleasant to play. 103 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 3: But yeah, we're talking about Ptolemy. Silent P. Sota tole Me, 104 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 3: the first in fact, Silent p Sota, who, as we know, 105 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 3: did go on to become the ruler of Egypt, and 106 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 3: he did reign longer than any other dynasty that was 107 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 3: established after the Alexandrian Empire, only to eventually be toppled 108 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 3: by the Romans, as the Romans were wont to do 109 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 3: there in thirty BCE. So, if you can guess, is 110 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 3: silent our buddy silent p The first p one, if 111 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:51,239 Speaker 3: you will, was a pretty yeah, exactly p P Prime 112 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 3: was a pretty modest ruler slash dictator that didn't necessarily 113 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 3: need any kind of props for his ego forms of 114 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:05,320 Speaker 3: ostentatious monuments. I'm being sarcastic on behalf of Max, who 115 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 3: was being sarcastic when you wrote that in the Dog. 116 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: All right, Max, give us a record scratch, No, make 117 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: it sound older. 118 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 3: Seventy eight rather, yeah, there we go, nice and warble. 119 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,240 Speaker 3: So okay, we're gonna move on to the Pyramids. Just kidding. 120 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 3: Max also wrote that we're here to talk about this lighthouse. 121 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:34,240 Speaker 3: So there's always lighthouses, there's always man, there's always a city, 122 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 3: which is apparently a line from a song that I 123 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 3: don't know, Max. 124 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 2: No, it's a BioShock infinite. 125 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:42,719 Speaker 3: Oh okay, got it at the end of the game, 126 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:48,040 Speaker 3: always like a Springsteen jam or like then in like 127 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 3: four of these and I keep trying to use it 128 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 3: over it. 129 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:56,080 Speaker 1: I know. Okay, all right, Max, you did You did 130 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: deliver on this one. 131 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 3: Max the Great Deliverer would be his nickname if he 132 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 3: were a despot. Sarcasm aside, right, exactly, Silent p Prime 133 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 3: definitely did, in fact commission himself one of these wonders. 134 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: All right, So we're going back to a guy called 135 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: Mark Cartwright because that is his legal name, and he 136 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: told us, through our various explorations, a lot about wonders 137 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 1: of the ancient world. And Mark Cartwright summarizes the adventures 138 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: of Ptolemy this way, he says, essentially, Ptolemy the first 139 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: commissions the building of a massive lighthouse to guide ships 140 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: into Alexandria. And tocheer note about humility. There noel to 141 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:04,079 Speaker 1: provide a permanent reminder of his power a greatness. So 142 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: this is a guy who is building a statue for 143 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: himself while he is alive. This takes forever he dies. 144 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: The project is completed twenty years later or so by 145 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: Ptolomay Prime's son Ptolomay two, again named in a burst 146 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: of humility and creativity. 147 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 3: M yep, and the structure just added to a giant 148 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 3: running list of things that the Great City of Alexandria boasted, including, 149 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 3: of course the Tomb of Alexander, the Great Museum, which 150 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,920 Speaker 3: was an institution for the learned folk of the area, 151 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 3: the Sarah Piam Temple, and of course the Library of Alexandria, 152 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 3: very famous, exactly, very famous, loss to time, house of 153 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 3: data tomes. 154 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a bummer. Will never know what could have 155 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: happened with civilization if that library was not burned. However, 156 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: this is some classic dictator compensation. And yeah, lighthouses are 157 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: kind of phallic. Thanks for the joke there, Max, But 158 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,480 Speaker 1: the idea behind the lighthouse is pretty solid. 159 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 3: It's a functioning piece of architecture. Like you said, Ben, 160 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:39,080 Speaker 3: it keeps those ships from you know, reckon. Yeah. Yeah. 161 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: So if we look at the if we look at 162 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: the geography, then we see two natural harbors. There's the 163 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: again humbly named Great Harbor and then there's the Harbor 164 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: of Fortunate Return. The mainland is linked to the island 165 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:03,320 Speaker 1: of Pharaoh's pa a r O S the p is 166 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:12,599 Speaker 1: pronounceable there right, So uh, this lighthouse is intended to 167 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: help sailors get to where they're going without wrecking the 168 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:23,319 Speaker 1: whole boat. And at this time in history, everything is 169 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: dedicated to some sort of deity or another. 170 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 3: So you got. 171 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: Zeus suitor aka deliverer. 172 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 3: Wait, so last same last name? Is the last name? 173 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 3: Is that? Okay? So is he? I'm confused? Was this 174 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 3: version of Zeus named after Ptolemy or was Dolema named 175 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,319 Speaker 3: after this version of Zeus? We do have the Deliverer, 176 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 3: by the way, which is max is a despot nickname. 177 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 3: How about that? 178 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, there we go, the Deliverer, the free train, and 179 00:12:55,240 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: then that freighth So it's a famous lighthouse, but it 180 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: is not the first version of the thing. It's just 181 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: the biggest version of the thing. 182 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 3: And just again we've mentioned I think everybody knows what 183 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 3: a lighthouse looks like and what a lighthouse is for. 184 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 3: But in this era, Facos, which is an island in 185 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 3: the Aegean Sea, was known to have had multiple towering lighthouses. 186 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:32,200 Speaker 3: In the Archaic period. These were landmarks as well as 187 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:35,319 Speaker 3: these beacons that were used by cities to help sailors 188 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 3: cross the Mediterranean. The ancient lighthouses were primarily built for 189 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 3: function over form, as navigational aids, pointing out or showing 190 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 3: through the murky, you know, fog of the open ocean 191 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 3: leading up to land where the sea ended and the 192 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 3: harbor began. 193 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah. So it was less like watch out 194 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 1: and more like come here, right, so this is the 195 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: spot where you should hang out. The issue is here 196 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 1: that we're talking about the Mediterranean, and the Mediterranean is 197 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: just absolutely riddled with difficult navigation, right, and there are 198 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: a lot of treacherous waters. So the kick here is 199 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 1: that a lighthouse this big, this cool, is supposed to, 200 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:38,800 Speaker 1: as you said, no function as both a warning and 201 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: a commemoration. We actually don't know too much in twenty 202 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: twenty six about how this lighthouse worked, just like the 203 00:14:53,080 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: Library of Alexandria. We're not certain of the structure nor 204 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: the architecture of the thing, other than the fact that 205 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: a lot of people saw it. A lot of people 206 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: said it was made of white stone. It was three 207 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: floors tall, right, three stories tall, and it was kind 208 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: of like a ziggarette. 209 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 3: Ooh yeah, what was that one of those little steps, 210 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 3: the step one. 211 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 1: Kind of yeah, yeah, the bottom was a big rectangle, 212 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:35,360 Speaker 1: the bottom floor, the second floor was like an octagon, 213 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 1: and the top floor was round. And most people are 214 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: going to tell you that at the top floor there 215 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: was a statue of Zeus or to your earlier point, 216 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: Zeus Soter right. 217 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 3: And we have accounts from Arab writers who describe it 218 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 3: as a ramp rising around the outside of the lower 219 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 3: part of the tower, containing an internal staircase used to 220 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 3: reach the upper levels. And then accounts from modern historians 221 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 3: do vary a bit when it comes to the height 222 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 3: of the tower, but estimates range from one hundred to 223 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 3: one hundred and forty meters or three hundred and thirty 224 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 3: to four hundred and sixty feet. And this is again 225 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 3: coming from our buddy Mark Kart right. 226 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 1: And this would have made it the second tallest structure 227 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: on the planet after the Pyramids over in Egypt. So 228 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: this is like, this is at the point where if 229 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: you are a sailor and you are going toward this 230 00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: part of the world and you mess up, that's on you. 231 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: Because the lighthouse is pretty clear. But Nol, what kind 232 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 1: of stuff lit the lighthouse here? 233 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 3: It's a good question, Ben, And when I think about 234 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 3: the lighthouses and lighthouse technology. I guess my mind goes 235 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 3: back to the Robert Egger's film A Lighthouse. There's there's 236 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 3: what is it, There's magic in the light, very very 237 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 3: creepy stuff, Lovecraftian, you know, lore surrounding that particular lighthouse 238 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,240 Speaker 3: and the idea of what summons the light. We're talking 239 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 3: about a time before, of course electricity, so but mirrors 240 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 3: of course existed, and it's all about reflecting the light 241 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 3: in a circular way that allows it to act as 242 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 3: this beacon. So of course the light source would have 243 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 3: had to have been maintained. The idea of the lighthouse keeper, 244 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 3: which is still a modern you know thing, or at 245 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:42,680 Speaker 3: least you know, the idea of someone having to maintain 246 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:45,959 Speaker 3: the lamp and make sure the light was always on 247 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 3: because you know, the stakes were pretty high if a 248 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 3: lighthouse were to burn out, for example, we would see 249 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 3: catastrophic results, you know, from these ships not being able 250 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 3: to tell where the land began. So it's a little 251 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 3: confusing because we're talking about a lighthouse that's in the name. 252 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 3: You gotta have a light, whether it be the more 253 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 3: modern versions using you know, incandescent bulbs or something like that. 254 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:14,880 Speaker 3: Perhaps halogen bulbs that are then reflected and refracted and 255 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:19,880 Speaker 3: made to you know, throw across long distances. What we're 256 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 3: talking about here, according to various accounts, may have not 257 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,159 Speaker 3: had a light at all because of the types of 258 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 3: materials that were required to maintain such a light were 259 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 3: pretty scarce in the region. So a lot of historians 260 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 3: seem to think that this was more of a landmark 261 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 3: slash thing that would have been helpful during the day 262 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 3: rather than something that would have, you know, lit up 263 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 3: the night, because a lot of the accounts don't mention 264 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:47,720 Speaker 3: a light at all, which seems counterintuitive calling it the 265 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 3: Great Lighthouse of Alexandria if you ask me. 266 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:57,720 Speaker 1: Right, So now it's just a non functional or it's 267 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:02,919 Speaker 1: a half functional lighthouse. It's a building you can see 268 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 1: at sea during the day. Some of the only reports 269 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: we have of a lamp burning in the lighthouse at 270 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: night or from folks like Plenty, the elder notorious liar, 271 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: by the way, is that true? 272 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 3: I always thought Plenty was was the authority. No, I guess, 273 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 3: I guess I do recall some questionable reports from that dude. 274 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 3: But you know, he's the elder. That means he's wise, 275 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 3: But I guess some people like to lie sometimes. 276 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,159 Speaker 1: And and he got the uh, he got the pronounced 277 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: P in his name. So take that told of me. 278 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:41,879 Speaker 3: Otherwise it would have been like Lamey the Elder. I 279 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,959 Speaker 3: do love a silent P. It's just it's a little confounding. 280 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 3: But I'm here. I'm here for it. So to to 281 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 3: double back on the aforementioned question of what makes a wonder, 282 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,119 Speaker 3: the Lighthouse of alex Andrea made it onto that hallowed 283 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 3: list of the Seven Wonders a bit later than some 284 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,359 Speaker 3: of the others because, you know, it was a tall 285 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 3: and unique structure. The design was intended to protect the 286 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 3: harbors and the sailors who were traveling across the Mediterranean 287 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,480 Speaker 3: in the ancient world. And the design of it was 288 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,879 Speaker 3: so I guess efficient and well done that it was 289 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 3: kind of it served as a bit of a template 290 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,400 Speaker 3: for other lighthouses that were built, you know, in other 291 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 3: parts of the world. 292 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:40,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, in set of precedent, right, and it became a 293 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: functional blueprint essentially, right, So you could look at Alexandria, 294 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,840 Speaker 1: you could look at their lighthouse and you could say, 295 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:56,399 Speaker 1: I could build something like that. That's what happened. That's 296 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,879 Speaker 1: why it became a wonder of the ancient world. But 297 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: back then again, obviously, fellow ridiculous historians, people of the 298 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:09,959 Speaker 1: day did not call these wonders of the ancient world. 299 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: Please tune in for our episode on what doth make 300 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 1: a Wonder? Alexandria continued to prosper way after Alexander the 301 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: Great passed away. Alexandria was part of the Roman Empire. 302 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:30,479 Speaker 1: It was actually the second most important city in that 303 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: world for a long time. And then again earthquakes. Right, 304 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: just like in our previous conversations on other ancient wonders, 305 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:47,920 Speaker 1: we got earthquakes in seven ninety six, nine fifty the 306 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:52,439 Speaker 1: lighthouse again falls over. You know, Noel, It reminds me 307 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: of the first time I saw the Tower of London, 308 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,200 Speaker 1: and I was kind of a jerk about it because 309 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 1: you and I are used to very tall things being 310 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 1: called towers. 311 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 3: Right, Apparently it's a little underwhelming when you behold it 312 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,119 Speaker 3: for the first time. I have not had the pleasure. 313 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 3: But is that what is that what you're saying? 314 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:17,640 Speaker 1: That's what we're saying. Yeah, because this thing, as the 315 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:23,639 Speaker 1: Lighthouse of Alexandria here is three stories tall. It's gonna 316 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:27,520 Speaker 1: look small to a lot of people in the modern world. 317 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:32,920 Speaker 1: But we also have to remember, you know, three stories 318 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: was a big deal at the time. 319 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:37,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, sure, no, I mean you gotta start the three 320 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 3: stories before you can get to you know, hundreds or whatever. 321 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 3: The tallest. But what are we talking. What's the tallest 322 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 3: building in the world. Now, I think it's somewhere in 323 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 3: the Middle East, perhaps maybe, Yeah, I think that's right. Yeah, 324 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:51,920 Speaker 3: So you gotta start some. 325 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:57,720 Speaker 1: You gotta start somewhere. Add the lighthouse definitely starts somewhere. 326 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:03,160 Speaker 1: It disappears from the historic record after the fourteenth century, 327 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:09,200 Speaker 1: probably due to earthquakes around the thirteen hundreds. The tower 328 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: has granite foundations. They are reused to build a fort 329 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:19,880 Speaker 1: in the fifteenth century, and the sea level is rising 330 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:27,040 Speaker 1: right over these centuries. This is a true wonder of 331 00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:28,240 Speaker 1: the ancient world. 332 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:29,760 Speaker 3: It did exist. 333 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: You can visit the ruins. You should also probably if 334 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 1: you are sailing, not trust those ruins. And no. For 335 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:46,640 Speaker 1: this episode and this series, we always like to conclude 336 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 1: with a conversation about one of our favorite games, Civilization. 337 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 1: I say, we throw to Max, how do we feel 338 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:55,399 Speaker 1: about that? 339 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I guess y'all. I'm still not particularly versed 340 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 3: in the Sieve universe. So everything that I've learned about it, 341 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 3: I've learned right here on this podcast. So I know 342 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,359 Speaker 3: that these a lot of these ancient wonders are a 343 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 3: little add on things that you can build that give 344 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 3: you like buffs or something in your in your sievelization. 345 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 3: Is this a good one to build, Max? Or what's 346 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,000 Speaker 3: the deal? What kind of buffs are we talking? How 347 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,640 Speaker 3: does it aid in in the in your in your 348 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 3: in your civilization? 349 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 2: It is one you can build. Is actually it's funny. 350 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 2: It's one that's in basically it's I think it's actually 351 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 2: in every single game. It is a very famous one, 352 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 2: and it honestly it really does a lot of these 353 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 2: wonders change a lot throughout the games to match the 354 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:42,480 Speaker 2: game context. This one doesn't. It basically just makes it 355 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 2: so your ships move faster and you can have better 356 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:49,920 Speaker 2: a shipping and visibility. Right. Yeah, It's like a nice 357 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,560 Speaker 2: wonder and it's also one that the AI always really wants, 358 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 2: so it's really hard to get. But I've always thought 359 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,840 Speaker 2: it's kind of bid. We have the Mausoleum of Carnastis, 360 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 2: we have the Temple of Artemis, we have the colossus 361 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 2: that rose. These are all you know, wonder if you 362 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 2: could build around the same time that are fastly better. 363 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:13,399 Speaker 2: Of course, I'm talking on civilization six on this because 364 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 2: still having weird feelings with seven. But I'll give it 365 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 2: a C minus. 366 00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 3: Great. 367 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 1: All right, Well, let's do a Max with the facts 368 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: on that one. And we're back, and folks, we cannot 369 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: be more happy to be back together behind the curtain. 370 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: We've been traveling a bit, Noel. You are returned from 371 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:05,520 Speaker 1: northern climbs and I'm returned from some oceans as well. 372 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,719 Speaker 1: And dude, I think we're gonna finally do it. I 373 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,639 Speaker 1: think we're gonna get to the waffle house episode. 374 00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 3: Oh my gosh. Yeah, no, it's true. It's true. You've 375 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,159 Speaker 3: done some excellent research on that, and you know, we 376 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 3: will combine our collective appreciation and various understandings of the 377 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 3: history of waffle house, which is an very important part 378 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 3: of Southern culture that folks not from around these parts 379 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,679 Speaker 3: might not know about. But I think you're gonna be 380 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 3: a little more it's gonna be a little more interesting 381 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 3: than you might think. 382 00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 1: And don't let Noel sell himself short here, folks. Noel, 383 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:46,600 Speaker 1: Max and I actually did some on the ground research 384 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:50,120 Speaker 1: for this What are we talking about? Find out in 385 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,000 Speaker 1: our next episode for now. Thank you as always so 386 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 1: much to our research associate for this episode and our 387 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:03,399 Speaker 1: super producer, missed Max Williams, as well as Alex Williams 388 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,879 Speaker 1: who composed this slap and bop. 389 00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 3: Alex the Great Williams God, Christopher Rociotis, Nias, Jeff Coats 390 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:17,600 Speaker 3: here in spirit of course, Jonathan Strickland, the Booster, Jacob's the. 391 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:23,880 Speaker 1: Puzzler, Yeah, Rachel, Doctor Big Spinach, Lance, the rude Dudes, 392 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 1: that ridiculous crime. If you like us, you'll love them. 393 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,480 Speaker 1: Shout out to source on the side by none other 394 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 1: than good friend of the show Gandhi Noel. We got 395 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: to get up there soon. 396 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:49,000 Speaker 3: Let's do it. We will see you next time, folks. 397 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,840 Speaker 3: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 398 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 3: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.