Sostratos of Knidos

Sostratos of Knidos ( ancient Greek : Σώστρατος ὁ Κνίδιος ) was an architect from Knidos in Asia Minor , in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Chr.

He is considered the builder of the lighthouse of Alexandria commissioned by Ptolemy I , one of the Seven Wonders of the World . When the building was nearing completion, King Ptolemy II forbade him to leave his name on the building. Instead, a dedicatory inscription should be attached in honor of Ptolemy I as the builder. According to Strabon , Sostratos had the inscription mentioned below hammered into the sea-side wall of the substructure in giant letters and poured out with lead. A layer of fine mortar was applied over it, into which Sostratos then had the inscription desired by the king embossed, possibly with a similar wording. Over the years the mortar layer fell off and Sostratos' name appeared on the structure. The inscription on the lighthouse read:

Greek	translation
ΣΩΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ ΔΕΞΙΦΑΝΟΥ ΚΝΙΔΙΟΣ	SOSTRATOS, DEXIPHANES '[SON] FROM KNIDOS
ΤΟΙΣ ΘΕΟΙΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΣΙΝ	THE SAVING GODS
ΥΠΕΡ ΤΩΝ ΠΛΩΙΖΟΜΕΝΩΝ	IN THE NAME OF THE SEATERS [ERECTED]

It is possible that Sostratos did not dedicate the entire building to the "saving gods" (meaning Ptolemy I Soter and his wife Berenike I ), but only the god of Poseidon on the top of the lantern.

Sostratos continued to be active after Lukian of Samosata under Ptolemy II Philadelphos. He built strategic drainage channels from the main Nile canal to Memphis for the capture of the city fighting Ptolemy. Earlier he had built buildings for the edification and relaxation: a terrace sanctuary of Aphrodite of Knidos with roof garden (. Give a wiki Κρεμαστὰ στοὰ Ἀφροδίτης Κνιδίης, Latin pensilis ambulatio Aphroditae Cnidiae.), Modeled on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon , as well as meeting and recreation homes in Delphi .

supporting documents

1. ^ Strabo : Geographika 17, 1, 8.
2. ↑ Pliny maior : Naturalis Historia 36, 12, 18

literature

• Alexander Meeus: The Career of Sostratos of Knidos: Politics, Diplomacy and the Alexandrian Building Program in the Early Hellenistic Period. In: T. Howe, EE Garvin, G. Wrightson (Eds.): Greece, Macedon and Persia. Studies in Social, Political and Military History in Honor of Waldemar Heckel. Oxbow Books, Oxford 2015, pp. 143-171.