Who commissioned the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus after Mausolus died?

Artemisia II commissioned the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus after Mausolus died.

Artemisia II was both Mausolus’s wife and his successor as ruler of Caria. She arranged the construction of an exceptionally elaborate tomb to honor him, and ancient tradition says she also mourned him deeply. The project involved leading architects and sculptors from the Greek world.

The monument’s fame came from its carefully coordinated parts: a large raised base, a colonnade, sculpted decoration, and a roof crowned by a quadriga, or four-horse chariot group. It was so admired that the name of Mausolus became the source of the word “mausoleum.”

Artemisia II is sometimes confused with Artemisia I, another Carian ruler who lived earlier and served as a naval commander for Xerxes I. They were different historical figures. The tomb was completed around 350 BC, after Artemisia II’s death, by the craftsmen who had worked on it.