In low visibility, lighthouses employ fog horns warning vessels of dangers
Sigeion, 1300BC - Beacon fires kindled on hilltops are the forerunners of lighthouses. These fire towers light the Hellespont, an important seaway upon which according to the Iliad, Trojan war battles are fought
Pharos, Third century BC- Under the rule of Ptolemy II, the city of Alexandria thrives. Off its coast, sits the Pharos lighthouse. At 450 feet, and made of limestone blocks sealed with molten lead, Pharos is designed to withstand the pounding waves. Light is produced by a furnace.Although damaged after three earthquake, the ancient wonder s as a model for future lighthouses
Galicia, Spain. Second century BC - The Romans rely on a vast structure of light structures to further their empire. At its height,, almost the entire Iberian peninsula, is within its boundaries. But countless shipwrecks occur along Galicia's rocky coast. The Tower of Hercules was built and at 180 feet high, it lights the way. And today is considered the oldest existing lighthouse in the world.
Genoa, Twelfth Century AD - Dried pieces of Erica and Juniper wood fuel the lighthouse known as Laterna. Navigators and merchants who use the port pay a tax. Throughput its history, Laterna functions as a watchtower, and even a prison. In the early 1400s, monks serve as lighthouse keepers, and later Laterna is tended by Antonio Colombo, the uncle of explorer Christopher Columbus.