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The Colossus of Rhodes

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The Colossus of Rhodes was located at the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in Greece.

Contrary to popular myth,  the Colossus never straddled the harbor. This would be impossible given the statue's height and the harbor's width. Recent studies suggest that the Colossus stood either on the eastern promontory of the Mandraki harbor or even further inland.

Rhodes was beseiged by the Antigonids in 304BC, and when the seige was lifted, the Antagonids left much military equipment behind. The people of Rhodes sold it and used the money for an enormous statue of Helios, the sun god. Construction took 12 years and was completed in 282 BC. The Colossus broke at its knees during a strong earthquake in about 226 BC. An oracle forbade reconstructing it and it remained in ruins until invading Arabs disassembled the remains and sold them in AD 654.

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The Rhodian sculptor Chares of Lindosbuilt the statue, by first casting the outer bronze skin parts. The statue's feet and ankles were fixed to the white marble base, and  the structure gradually erected while fortifying  the bronze form with an iron and stone framework. An earth ramp was built around the statue to reach the higher parts.and later removed. When finished, the colossus stood about 33 m (110 ft) high. Pliny wrote that few could make their arms meet around the thumb when it fell.

While the true shape and appearance are unknown, modern reconstructions  with the statue standing upright seem more accurate than older drawings. The Colossus has been an inspiration for modern artists like the French creator of the Statue of Liberty, Auguste Bartholdi.

 

 

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