The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was planned by Mausolus, the ruler of Caria, for himself and his descendants. After his death, his sister-wife, Artemisia II, completed the project and Mausolus’s body was entombed in the immense marble structure. Each side of the incredible structure was adorned with sculptures by four leading Greek artists, which were so striking that the mausoleum was added to the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

An earthquake destroyed most of the magnificent structure sometime between the 11th and 15th century, and only the podium and column fragments remain at the site. Substantial pieces of the sculptures, including a 3 m sculpture, possibly of Mausolus himself, can be found at the British Museum in London.