Pharos

For more than fifteen centuries, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, guided sailors safely to port, and yet so much about the edifice remains a mystery. Some say the Pharos was the tallest manmade structure of its time, measuring over six-hundred-feet tall; while others claim it was only half that. Uncertainty also surrounds the date of its demise, with the most oft repeated story describing how a powerful earthquake caused it to collapse in 1303… or maybe 1323.

Uncertainty. Conflicting accounts. The lack of information. How can something so famous have so many unresolved questions surrounding it? Surely, for example, at some point in the distant past, someone must have reported the height of the lighthouse and a pyramid that is still standing. If so, it would be a simple matter to convert the old units of measure to modern units and thus answer the mystery as to the actual height of the Pharos. A little historical detective work might be all that is needed.

This book chronicles that effort to pull back the veil of time and unravel the enigma.