The ancient palace of Belisarius (sometimes referred to as "the sunken city of Belisarius") was a temple/city/palace. It was constructed by the ancient Greeks at c.300 BC and served as a palace for the Alexander the Great of that time, although later being constructed for a inner sanctum of the Turkish Mercenaries, of that time. The temple was a homage to Poseidon, and thus it was made a water temple. Water flowed through pipes all over the Palace. It contained an auditorium, where the Palace's owners could watch plays, or discuss matters.
History[]
Construction[]
With the primitive technology of that time, the difficulty of construction was a profound hinderance of the production of this magnificent construct. The primary tool used by the builders was the crane. Similar to the ones used in Egypt and Rome, these cranes were used to lift heavy rocks that the walls were made of. The Head Builders hired 1000 men working 12 hours a day to complete the Palace in eight years. There were several deaths in the construction, however none are noted, but the remains of bones have been found nearby the site of the Palace. The top of the Palace is at 100ft below sea level, and the water that resided at the bottom of the pits dug had to be drained. A 30ft bronze statue of Poseidon was forged, and was place in the main temple.
Destruction[]
The Palace was made at about 300 BC, and was used for 20 Years before the cellars, which had been made to store wine, flooded. The flood covered all the Palace in less than 1 hour. Very few people escaped, and were trapped as the temple collapsed. Many other parts of the castle were intact. After eight hours, the sides of the pit that the Palace was dug into collapsed, and the upper part of the Palace was destroyed. The Cave areas were mostly intact too.
Lack of fame[]
Due to the Palace only being around for 20 years, it did not receive any paintings or poems, as these were certainly destroyed. The current position of the site is unknown, as it could be anywhere in Istanbul, or the surrounding area. Also the sheer speed of the destruction also stopped people finding out about the Palace. Finally, the illicit original purpose of it as a house for the mercenaries was another reason very few people have heard of it.
Behind the scenes[]
The name is probably inspired by Belisarius, a Byzantine general.
Appearances[]
- Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (First appearance)