Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes was a huge statue of the god Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Ces of Lindos in the 3rd century BC. It was roughly the same size as the Statue of Liberty in New York, Đalthough it stood on a lower platform. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Fate

Ancient accounts (which differ to some degree) describe the structure as being built around several stone columns (or towers of blocks) on the interior of the structure, sitting on a 50-foot-high white marble pedestal near the harbour entrance (others claim on a breakwater in the harbour). Iron beams were driven into the stone towers, and bronze plates attached to the bars formed the use of a large earthen ramp. The statue itself was over 34 meters (110 feet) tall.

Construction had offended Helios, and they declined to rebuild it. The remains lay on the ground for over 800 years, and even broken they were so impressive that many travelled to see them. Pliny the Elder remarked that few people could wrap their arms around the fallen thumb and that each of its fingers was larger than most statues.

In AD 654 an Arab force under Muawiyah I captured Rhodes and, according to the chronicler [[--24.79.48.15 01:33, 15 May 2005 (UTC)Theophanes]], the remains were sold to a travelling salesman from Edessa. The purchaser had the statue broken down, and transported the bronze scrap on the backs of 900 camels to his home. Pieces continued to turn up for sale for years, after being found on the caravan route.

The myth

Many older illustrations (above) show the statue with one foot on either side of the harbour mouth with ships passing under it – ... the brazen giant of Greek fame, with conquering limbs astride from land to land .... Shakespeare's Cassius in Julius Caesar (II,i,136–8) says of Caesar:

"Why man, he doth bestride the narrow world

Like a Colossus, and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs and peep about

To find ourselves dishonourable graves."

The harbour-straddling Colossus was a figment of later imaginations.

The Colossus in modern times

There has been much debate as to whether to rebuild the Colossus. Those for it say it would boost tourism in Rhodes greatly, but those against say it would cost a large amount (over 100 million euros). This idea has been proposed many times since 1970 but, due to lack of money, work has not yet started. The plans for the Colossus have been in the works since 1998, by the Greek-Cypriot artist Nicolaos Gotziamanis.

Reference

• James R. Ashley (2004). Macedonian Empire. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0786419180. page 75

Footnote

• ¹ Ashley[[ca:cfj