mirrored file at http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ 
For complete access to all the files of this collection
	see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php 
==========================================================

The Colossus of Rhodes 

Picture 

Painting © M. Larrinaga

To you, O Sun, the people of Dorian Rhodes set up this bronze statue
reaching to Olympus when they had pacified the waves of war and crowned
their city with the spoils taken from the enemy. Not only over the seas but
also on land did they kindle the lovely torch of freedom.

Dedicatory inscription of the Colossus
_________________________________________________________________

From its building to its destruction lies a time span of merely 56
years. Yet the colossus earned a place in the famous list of Wonders.
"But even lying on the ground, it is a marvel", said Pliny the Elder.
The Colossus of Rhodes was not only a gigantic statue. It was rather a
symbol of unity of the people who inhabited that beautiful
Mediterranean island -- Rhodes.

Location

At the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in
Greece.

History

Throughout most of its history, ancient Greece was comprised of
city-states which had limited power beyond their boundary. On the
small island of Rhodes were three of these: Ialysos, Kamiros, and
Lindos. In 408 BC, the cities united to form one territory, with a
unified capital, Rhodes. The city thrived commercially and had strong
economic ties with their main ally, Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt. In 305
BC, the Antigonids of Macedonia who were also rivals of the Ptolemies,
besieged Rhodes in an attempt to break the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance.
They could never penetrate the city. When a peace agreement was
reached in 304 BC, the Antagonids lifted the siege, leaving a wealth
of military equipment behind. To celebrate their unity, the Rhodians
sold the equipment and used the money to erect an enormous statue of
their sun god, Helios.

The construction of the Colossus took 12 years and was finished in 282
BC. For years, the statue stood at the harbor entrance, until a strong
earthquake hit Rhodes about 226 BC. The city was badly damaged, and
the Colossus was broken at its weakest point -- the knee. The Rhodians
received an immediate offer from Ptolemy III Eurgetes of Egypt to
cover all restoration costs for the toppled monument. However, an
oracle was consulted and forbade the re-erection. Ptolemy's offer was
declined.

For almost a millennium, the statue lay broken in ruins. In AD 654,
the Arabs invaded Rhodes. They disassembled the remains of the broken
Colossus and sold them to a Jew from Syria. It is said that the
fragments had to be transported to Syria on the backs of 900 camels.

Description

Let us first clear a misconception about the appearance of the
Colossus. It has long been believed that the Colossus stood in front
of the Mandraki harbor, one of many in the city of Rhodes, straddling
its entrance. Given the height of the statue and the width of the
harbor mouth, this picture is rather impossible than improbable.
Moreover, the fallen Colossus would have blocked the harbor entrance.
Recent studies suggest that it was erected either on the eastern
promontory of the Mandraki harbor, or even further inland. Anyway, it
did never straddle the harbor entrance.

The project was commissioned by the Rhodian sculptor Chares of Lindos.
To build the statue, his workers cast the outer bronze skin parts. The
base was made of white marble, and the feet and ankle of the statue
were first fixed. The structure was gradually erected as the bronze
form was fortified with an iron and stone framework. To reach the
higher parts, an earth ramp was built around the statue and was later
removed. When the colossus was finished, it stood about 33 m (110 ft)
high. And when it fell, "few people can make their arms meet round the
thumb", wrote Pliny.

Although we do not know the true shape and appearance of the Colossus,
modern reconstructions with the statue standing upright are more
accurate than older drawings. Although it disappeared from existence,
the ancient World Wonder inspired modern artists such as French
sculptor Auguste Bartholdi best known by his famous work: The Statue
of Liberty.

pyramid gardens zeus artemis mausoleum pharos

Note: The color painting at the top of the page is of artistic nature
and does not necessarily represent an accurate reconstruction of the
Wonder. Painting by Mario Larrinaga.
[LINK] Back to the Seven Wonders Home Page

Last modified Monday, April 10, 2000
Copyright © 1995, 1999, 2000 by Alaa K. Ashmawy.  All rights reserved.
Feedback/Comments