Colossus of Rhodes
Introduction
The Colossus of Rhodes was a large statue of the Greek sun god Helios, made by the sculptor Chares of Lindos on the island of Rhodes (Greece) in 280 BC. C. and destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC. C. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.[1].
According to most contemporary descriptions, the Colossus measured approximately 70 cubits ("Cubit (unit of length)"), or 33 meters (108.3 ft) tall, approximately the height of the modern Statue of Liberty from feet to crown, making it the tallest statue in the ancient world.[2] It collapsed during the earthquake of 226 BC. C."), although parts were preserved. According to a certain oracle, the Rhodians did not rebuild it.[3] John Malalas wrote that Hadrian in his reign re-erected the Colossus,[4] but he was wrong.[5] According to the Suda, the Rhodians were called Colossians (Κολοσσαεῖς), because they erected the statue on the island.[6].
In 653, an Arab force under the Muslim general Muawiyah I conquered Rhodes, and according to the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor,[7] the statue was completely destroyed and the remains sold.[8].
Everything that is known about this statue is due to the news left by the ancient writers Pliny the Elder,
Polybius[9] and Strabo, and to the Byzantine chronicles of Constantine VII Porphyrogeneta, Michael the Syrian and Philo.
Construction
Construction began in 292 BC. Ancient accounts, which differ to some extent, describe the structure as being built of iron binding bars to which brass plates were attached to form the skin. The interior of the structure, which stood on a 15-metre (49.2 ft) white marble plinth near the entrance to Rhodes Harbour, was later filled in with stone blocks as construction progressed.[10] Other sources place the Colossus on a breakwater in the harbour. According to most contemporary descriptions, the statue itself was about 70 cubits, or 32 meters (105 ft) high. Much of the iron and bronze was forged from the various weapons that Demetrius's army left behind, and the second abandoned siege tower may have been used as scaffolding around the lower levels during construction.
Philo of Byzantium wrote in De septem mundi miraculis that Chares of Lindos created the sculpture in situ by first casting it in horizontal rows and then placing "...a huge mound of earth around each section as soon as it was completed, thus burying the finished work under the accumulated earth, and carrying out the casting of the next part on the level."[12].