Queen Artemisia

I have decided to do my speech on the powerful political leader, Warrior Queen Artemisia II of Halicarnassus. Queen Artemisia ruled over Halicarnassus, now Bodrum from 377 to 353 B.C with her husband and brother, King Mausolus. It was common custom in Caria for nobility to intermarry in their family. Both were the children of Hecatomnus of Mylasa, a local satrap to the Persians, who had been ambitious and had taken control of several of the neighbouring cities and districts.

Mausolus and Artemisia, in their time, extended the territory even further so that it finally included most of south-western Asia Minor, a kingdom that they jointly ruled for 24 years. Though Artemisia was descended from the local people, she spoke Greek and admired the Greek way of life and government. She founded many cities of Greek design along the coast and encouraged Greek democratic traditions.

When Mausolus died in 353 B.C he left his Queen Artemisia broken-hearted. As a tribute and lasting memorial to him, she decided to build him the most splendid tomb in the known world. The building was also so beautiful and unique it became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Deciding that no expense was to be spared in this tribute to her husband, Artemisia sent messengers to Greece to find the most talented artists of the time. This included Scopas, the man who had supervised the rebuilding of the Temple to Artemis at Ephesus. Other famous sculptors such as Bryaxis, Leochares and Timotheus joined him as well as hundreds of other craftsmen.

Soon after construction of the tomb started Artemisia found herself in a crisis. Rhodes, an island in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Asia Minor, had been conquered by Mausolus. When the Rhodians heard of his death they rebelled and sent a fleet of ships to capture the city of Halicarnassus. Knowing that the Rhodian fleet was on the way, Artemisia hid her own ships at a secret location at the east end of the city's harbour. After troops from the Rhodian fleet disembarked to attack, Artemisia's fleet made a surprise raid, captured the Rhodian fleet, and towed it out to sea.

Artemisia put her own soldiers on the invading ships and sailed them back to Rhodes. Fooled into thinking that the returning ships were their own victorious navy, the Rhodians failed to put up a defence and the city was easily captured quelling the rebellion. Artemisia only lived for two years