Architecture should speak of its time and place,
but yearn for timelessness.
Frank
Gehry
This
is the fifth story in my Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World in Second Life (SL) series. My last
trip was to the Statue
of Zeus at Olympia. So
far, I’m three for four in trying to find the long gone Wonders of the Ancient
World. (One of the nice things about
virtual worlds is that things and places long gone in Real Life (RL) are
invariably around somewhere in the Metaverse.)
For the
late arrivals, my rationale for this series about the Wonders of the Ancient
World is that I’ve been blogging about a variety of topics in Second Life (SL)
lately. Fashion, steampunk, sex, pirates,
and friendship to
name but a few. (I’m nothing if not
eclectic.) However, I feel I’ve gotten
away from my roots. My
original intention was to travel across the grid to see new places and meet new
people. I think I’m
doing pretty well with the latter but the former maybe not so much.
A group of places that I’ve
always wanted to visit in RL and have been frustrated mostly by time and to a
certain extent by distance is the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Given that only one of them still stands and
that unfortunately seems to be surrounded by a swirl of political turmoil which
looks like it won’t be ending any time soon, SL seems to be a pretty good bet
to go looking for them. (Significant
Other also likes the idea of me not clocking up any more frequent flyer miles
in RL.) This is the fifth in what will be a series of seven stories.
The ancient world has always
had a certain fascination for me. Maybe
because I grew up in a country where we seem to have more people who are over
one hundred years old than we have buildings and monuments that old has
something to do with it.
Working from Wikipedia’s
list of the Seven Wonders, I was able to locate all seven within SL. (Or, I thought I
had.) This was a good sign and I have my
marching orders. I’m going to visit all
of them for my own sake and to bring the places and stories back to my
readers.
This time, I’m visiting the Mausoleum
at Halicarnassus. The Mausoleum was built by the widow, Artemisia, in memory of her late
husband and brother, Mausolus, (Whom am I to judge?) during the fourth century BCE. BTW, where do you think the word mausoleum came from? The tomb at Artemisia built at Halicarnassus (modern Turkey) for Mausolus was
renowned for its architectural beauty and hence made it onto list of the
Wonders of the Ancient World early on. Only
ruins and fragments in a few museums are left today.
I TP into Museum
Island where a short walk takes me to the Mausoleum. In front of me is a three tiered
structure. A staircase guarded by two
lions leads to the ground floor entrance to the tomb proper. The second tier is a grouping of columns which
in turn holds up the roof.
Being the curious person
that I am, I enter the tomb and see the actual sarcophagus sitting in the
middle of a plain, unadorned chamber.
When the doors close behind me there is a feeling of solitude. Despite the closed doors and lack of
windows, natural light fills the space.
(Virtual worlds are wonderful, aren’t they?) The designer has succeeded in creating a
space that mimics its RL equivalent.
Some might suggest that when that occurs, one has moved from craft to
art.
And, yes, for the morbidly
curious out there, I do try and remove the sarcophagus’s lid and peek
inside. However, it was locked firmly in
place. (What? Everyone knows I’d have tried even if I
didn’t write about it. At least I’m
being honest and permit my readers to live vicariously through me.)
That was it. Mausoleums don’t have a lot to keep me around
once I get past the architecture and whatever else of an artistic or historical
interest there may be especially if I have no relationship to the
interred.
Like my four previous trips,
I didn’t have any interaction with anyone.
No one’s around. I guess that’s
probably true of most burial sites. This
brings me back to that idea that’s been forming in my mind since I began this
journey that maybe some places in SL are just meant to be viewed and not
occupied. This may also explain the low
readership I’m having with this series.
(OK, maybe it’s my writing but I’m working on that!) I’ll explore this idea in future stories and
with other residents.
My first visit had left me
worried about whether or not I was wasting my time with this series of
stories. My second visit reaffirmed my
original enthusiasm for the project. The
third was a disappointment because I couldn’t find my goal. The fourth trip was a hit. This time I was successful too. I hope that the remaining two Ancient Wonders
meet or exceed my expectations. (Assuming
that I can find them again.)
As I wrote earlier, my
travels across SL have brought me to many different places. Admittedly, many of these journeys were
random. Now, I’m moving along on a
journey with a purpose. (Maybe I’m
growing up? Significant Other may have
another opinion here.) Searching for the
famous sites from antiquity seems like a worthwhile thing to do.
My reasons for this journey still
stand. First, how much of the ancient
world can I find inworld? Second, how
well has the ancient world been reconstructed?
My travels to date have brought me in contact with many residents who
are either building worlds in SL or are living their virtual lives there. The Great Pyramid, the Hanging Gardens of
Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, and Mausoleum at Halicarnassus are just the
first stops on this journey and I have two left. Anyone who would still like to
join me for part or all of it, please reach out to me and we’ll work out the
calendars. I’d be glad for the
company!
I’ve included links to
several pictures I took of the sim I visited.
But check the sites out for yourselves.
Pictures, especially when I’m the photographer, are never as good as
being there.
As always, I’m grateful to
all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was
passing through their lives.
I welcome feedback from
readers, please either comment on my blog or
e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com
.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.
Photo No. 1 Frontal
View
Photo No. 2 Entrance
Photo No. 3 Ground
Floor Interior
Photo No. 4 Tomb
Close-up
Photo No. 5 View
from Front Steps
Photo No. 6 Second
Floor Columns
Photo No. 7 View
of Mausoleum Top
Photo No. 8 Aerial
View
Photo No. 9 Museum
Island Landing Zone
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