History of lighthouses

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Lighthouses in ancient times

Before the development of clearly defined ports, mariners were guided by fires built on hilltops. Since raising the fire would improve the visibility, placing the fire on a platform became a practice that led to the development of the lighthouse. In antiquity, the lighthouse functioned more as an entrance marker to ports than as a warning signal for reefs and promontories, unlike many modern lighthouses.

Roman period

Ancient evidence exists in many forms. Written descriptions and drawings of the Pharos of Alexandria provide information about lighthouses, but the tower itself collapsed during an earthquake many centuries after its construction in the 3rd century BC by the Greeks. The intact Tower of Hercules at A Coruña and the ruins of the Dover lighthouse give insight into construction; other evidence about lighthouses exists in of depictions on coins and mosaics, of which many represent the lighthouse at Ostia. Coins from Alexandria, Ostia, and Laodicea in Syria exist.

Working

While the evidence that exists provides insight into the exterior structure of these buildings, there are many gaps in evidence concerning less visible aspects. The remains at A Coruña and Dover help determine how each lighthouse functioned, though one must make some assumptions to determine how beacons were illuminated. Presumably locally available fuels will have included wood and probably coal to keep a fire going continuously during the night, and there is a large chimney leading to the top room at the Temple of Hercules. The example from Dover has been converted at some stage into a simple watchtower. Lighthouse keepers may have added combustible liquids to reduce the expenditure on fuel and keep the light steady during gales, but little information exists in the literature from the time. It may also be possible that the light was protected from the wind by glass windows, and large mirrors may have assisted in projecting the light beam as far as possible. It is likely that lighthouses would have required considerable labour for transporting the fuel and maintaining the flame. At Cape Hatteras in the 1870's, one keeper and two assistants kept themselves busy by tending more sophisticated flames from powerful oil lamps.

Images on coins

While artistic representations assist us in re-creating a visual image of lighthouses, they present many problems. Depictions of lighthouses on Roman coins, inscriptions, carvings, and mosaics present an inconsistent view of the actual appearances of the structures. Most show a building with two or three stories that decreases in width as it ascends. The limited size of coins could cause the producer of the coin to alter the image to fit on the surface. The similarity in depictions of lighthouses is symbolic rather than accurate representations of specific beacons.

Later lighthouses

The modern era of lighthouses is marked by the building of the first Eddystone lighthouse by Henry Winstanley in 1695 and the Bell Rock Lighthouse in Scotland by Robert Stevenson in 1810.

ee also

* Lighthouses
* Roman architecture
* Roman engineering
* Roman technology
* Watchtowers