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Colossus
of Rhodes
Greece
Why this ancient Seven Wonders statue was special
The Colossus of Rhodes statue with its pedestal was as tall as a modern 15-story building. This was an amazing architectural feat when this structure was built on the island of Rhodes around 280 BC.
Seven Wonders
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Interesting tidbits about
the Colossus of Rhodes
 No one today knows for sure what the Colossus of Rhodes looked
like or where it was situated. I heard a half dozen different answers from local experts while I was in Rhodes.
The popular notion is that the Colossus of Rhodes
straddled the harbor's entrance and ships sailed
between its legs (see top picture). I like the
concept because its dramatic. However, it seems unlikely
that such a design was used. It would pose unsolvable engineering
problems in the 3rd century BC. It would also be economically devastating because
it would block Rhodes' thriving commercial harbor during
the statue's construction.
More likely, the Colossus of Rhodes had a more
conventional Greek style pose. And, it probably stood
on land along the harbor shoreline, or slightly
inland overlooking the sea. It may have looked
something like the below picture.
The Colossus of Rhodes is the shortest
lived of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. It lasted just 53 years.
It is the sixth oldest of the
ancient Seven Wonders.
Rhodes built the statue to honor its
patron god Helios - and to thank him for a military victory (a sizeable invading army abandoned its unsuccessful
siege of Rhodes).
That army departed in haste, leaving
behind a huge quantity of military equipment. Rhodes sold some of it to finance the statue's construction, and melted
down the bronze and iron pieces to make the statue.
According to the Roman historian
Pliny, it took the team of sculptor Chares of Lindos 12 years to build the statue. The completion date was
approximately 282 BC.
The French sculptor Bartholdi gained
part of his inspiration for his Statue of Liberty from the Colossus of Rhodes, which was built 2200 years before.
Construction methods are similar. Both
statues are hollow. Their exterior metal plates are attached to metal frames. However, the Colossus of Rhodes used bronze plates on an iron frame (supported by
stone work) while the Statue of Liberty has copper plates on a steel superstructure.
The statue's body was nearly as
tall as the Statue of Liberty's. It was an estimated 33 meters (110 feet) tall. A pedestal raised the statue
another 15 meters (50 feet).
In 226 BC, a devastating earthquake
toppled the Colossus of Rhodes.
The statue broke at its knees, its
weakest structural zone. Thus, "Colossus knee" is the architectural equivalent to "Achilles heel".
Egypt's ruler Ptolemy III offered to
pay for the reconstruction of the fallen Colossus. Rhodes turned down his donation because an oracle predicted
that it would displease Helios, the island's patron god.
The fallen pieces were generally
left alone for over 800 years. Travelers admired what remained of the Colossus of Rhodes, as did the Roman
historian Pliny. He wrote, "Even as it lies, it excites our wonder and admiration."
In 654 AD, the Arabs invaded
Rhodes. They soon salvaged the Colossus of Rhodes remnants and sold them as scrap metal. Nothing remains.
Today, the island of Rhodes is a popular
tourist destination. It has two Hillman Wonders Bronze Medal winners - Rhodes Old Town and the Lindos Acropolis. Click
the round green "top 1000 wonders list" button at the bottom of this page to see my complete list of the
world's Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal winners.
Menu: The 7 wonders
I have a web page for
each of them, with a
description and picture
 
 
 
 
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