The Colossus of Rhodes - An Ancient Wonder

Synopsis:

'The Colossus of Rhodes' was an enormous statue depicting the Rhodes's(city) patron god, Helios (the god of the sun), and stood in "Mandraki Harbour". Although it stood round about 55 years in full intact. Its grand size and imposing presence at the coastal entrance made it an undeniable candidate for the 7 wonders of the ancient world. It is also the wonder about which the least is entirely known.

History

Rhodes was a Greek island that was situated at an intersection of two important and ancient sea trade routes , southwest of Asia Minor and near Egypt. When the Alexander the Great died unexpectedly in 323BC, the command of its empire was uncertain. Eventually, three of his generals took control of the empire in the result of several wars and divided the empire into three regions. Rhodes sided with general Ptolemy who later ruled over Egypt. Both Rhodes and the general forged a fruitful relationship. Another general Antigonus became riled at this and asked Rhodes to affiliate with him but Rhodes balked at this.

Antigonus then called on his son Demetrius to invade Rhodes in 305BC. Despite 40,000 men and 200 warships they could not get through the defenses of Rhodes backed up by the general Ptolemy. Demetrius army left behind all the equipment which they used in invasion attempts.

After the decisive victory it was determined that a commemorative statue will be erected to honor Helios, the patron god of Rhodes. Equipment of Demetrius's army was sold and its price had used to built that massive statue which later listed in the wonder of the ancient world.

Construction:

The people of Rhodes called on the Greek sculptor Chares of Lindos in 294BC to built a giant bronze sculptural depiction of Helios. Chares of Lindos and his men took 12 years to build this colossus. It was generally agreed that it was forged around towers of stone blocks(standing 110 feet high). Helios stood on a 50-foot tall marble base. Statue holds a torch in his right hand and a spear in his left hand standing with his two legs together. The Colossus of Rhodes was completed in 280 BC. Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour is very evocative to the Colossus of Rhodes.

Colossus destruction:

In 224BC Rhodes suffered an earthquake and The Colossus of Rhodes broke at his knees. Top portion toppled to the ground. Ptolemy III offered Rhodes for its reconstruction but an oracle advised the Rhodians against it. Therefore for next 900 years the ruins of the Colossus were lay to attract the visitors across all over the world to know about its massive scale. When the Arabs conquered Rhodes in 654AD the remains were broken down and transported to Syria. And it said that the remains were sold piece by piece in the Syria. And thus ends the story of short lived an ancient wonder, The Colossus of Rhodes . It was one of the least appreciated and most formidable statue of ancient history.