The Mausoleum of Theodoric was built in 520 AD by Theodoric the Great as his future tomb. It is unique in having a roof slab made of a single carved stone, weighing 230 tons. [1420×1640]
by KidCharlemagneII
The Mausoleum of Theodoric was built in 520 AD by Theodoric the Great as his future tomb. It is unique in having a roof slab made of a single carved stone, weighing 230 tons. [1420×1640]
by KidCharlemagneII
5 Comments
**Some additional information:**
Theoderic the Great was king of the Ostrogoths from 475 to 526 AD. Though he was born into an Ostrogothic noble family, he came to control large swathes of the Western Roman Empire and adopted many Latin customs and titles. After dying of dysentery in 526, he was buried in the Mausoleum he had constructed a few years prior.
The Mausoleum of Theoderic in Ravenna is a remarkable example of pre-modern engineering. The building is made of imported Istrian stone, and featured a large coffin of red porphyry. Its most unique feature is its roof slab, which consists of a single carved stone weighing 230 tons. This makes the Mausoleum of Theoderic an often overlooked, but impressive feat of engineering.
Located in Ravenna, Italy if anyone was wondering.
I wonder if the roof was a repurposed imperial period basin.
It would be much more easy to build if the roof stone was made first, raised on wood cribbing inch by inch then the walls built up to it. Cribbing removed. Wonder if that’s the case
Whenever I see one of these very old tombs I wonder if the persons remains still reside there or if they’ve been disinterred by grave robbers / ancient tourists etc