Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was a gigantic statue of the god Helios erected to celebrate the successful defence of the city of Rhodes against the one-year-long siege led by Demetrius I of Macedon.

Crafted by the sculptor Chares of Lindos, it was under construction from 292 till 280 BC and was considered the tallest statue of its time. According to most accounts, it was approximately 33 meters tall and stood on a 15 or 18-meter-high marble pedestal.

Construction process

Though ancient records do not entirely coincide, the construction process seems to have consisted, in broad terms, of using iron tie bars, to which brass plates were fixed to form the skin. The inside of the structure was subsequently filled up with stones, with the iron and bronze coming from the military equipment that Demetrius’ Army had left behind after being routed.

Another remarkable fact has to do with the ingenious solution Chares of Lindos came up with to overcome the difficulties created by the construction of such a large-scale work. As there was no way of fitting the upper-body pieces into place, the sculpture was covered by an earth mound and a ramp was constructed on its slopes. The taller the statue became, the more it was buried under the earth mound, and only when it was completed was this artificial hill removed!

Posture and location

Though the statue is often represented as standing with one foot on either edge of the harbor, with ships passing underneath, this is actually a misconception that originated in the Middle Ages. Besides the fact that, in such a case, the Colossus would have permanently blocked the harbor’s entrance, there would have been insurmountable stability problems to begin with.

Thus, while there is no way of knowing its exact posture, it is agreed that the feet were joined together. The head would have been similar to the depiction of Helios in the coins of the time, having curly hair and evenly spaced spikes of bronze or silver flames radiating. As for the location, it has been the subject of much debate, but it might have been the present-day Mandraki.

The statue’s destruction

Eventually, in an area prone to earthquakes, the inevitable happened; in 226 BC, only 56 years after its construction, an earthquake hit Rhodes and the statue collapsed. Snapping at the knees, it fell onto the ground and broke in giant pieces. And as the Oracle of Delphi warned the Rhodians that they might have offended Helios, no attempt was ever made to rebuild it.

Thus, the ruins lay on the ground for over 800 years. Yet, even broken, they were so impressive that many traveled to see them. Pliny the Elder even wrote that few men could clasp the thumb in their arms, while the fingers were larger than those of most statues; where the limbs were broken asunder, vast caverns could be seen yawning in the interior, filled with large masses of rock.

It is uncertain what became of the statue’s remains. A popular tale claims that they were carried away during an Arab incursion, and then sold to a Jewish merchant of Edessa. Nevertheless, it far more likely that the materials were gradually removed for the minting of coins and tools.