Analysis of the Tower of Hercules, the World’s Oldest Extant Lighthouse

The Tower of Hercules is an icon of the city where it is located, A Coruña, and it is supposed to be the world’s only surviving Roman lighthouse. Its function continues today: it provided a warning to shipping in antiquity and continues to do so now, in the 21st century. Furthermore, it is a paradig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Buildings (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 5; p. 1219
Main Author:	Elizalde, Rubén Rodríguez
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Basel MDPI AG 01-05-2023
Subjects:	13th century 16th century 17th century ancient tower Coasts Construction History of engineering Lighthouses Looting Masonry masonry structure Middle Ages Monuments Navigational aids Roman architecture Roman lighthouse Stone Tower of Hercules United Kingdom Spain
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The Tower of Hercules is an icon of the city where it is located, A Coruña, and it is supposed to be the world’s only surviving Roman lighthouse. Its function continues today: it provided a warning to shipping in antiquity and continues to do so now, in the 21st century. Furthermore, it is a paradigmatic case of architectural intervention in an ancient monument: in the 18th century, the Spanish engineer Eustaquio Giannini restored the tower, applying scientific criteria and maintaining the authenticity of the monument. For all these reasons, the Tower of Hercules is an exceptional benchmark through which the development and evolution of the different signaling and navigation aid systems can be studied from the beginning of our era to the present day.
ISSN:	2075-5309 2075-5309
DOI:	10.3390/buildings13051219