Colossus of Rhodes

1
Colossus of Rhodes

• One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
• By Ben, Chris, and Edward

2
History

• huge statue of Greek God Helios
• built by Chares of Lindos, a Greek sculptor
• constructed between 292 BC and 280 BC
• over 100 feet tall, the tallest statue in the
  ancient world
• constructed in celebration of the Rhodian victory
  in the Siege of Rhodes

3
How it may have looked
Nobody knows for sure what the Colossus of Rhodes
looked like. Artists have Different
interpretations of what it looks like based on
ancient accounts.
4
Construction

• the statue was comprised mainly of bronze and
  iron reforged from weapons
• an old siege tower was used as scaffolding for
  the lower part of the tower
• large mounds of dirt spiraled around the statue
  and were used to reach the upper level of the
  tower during construction visualize a volcano
  where the partially completed statue would be in
  the center hole.
• The statue was completed after 12 years

5
Construction problems

• The statue was made primarily of bronze, and
  engineering analysis showed that it would
  collapse under its own weight if it would be
  built with its legs apart
• Had the Colossus been built straddling the
  harbor, during the construction project the
  harbor would have been closed for 12 years
• It is likely the statue was only built on one
  side of the harbor with its legs together,
  unlike many artistic interpretations.

6
Destruction

• The statue stood for only 54 years before being
  destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC
• Snapped at the knees and fell over
• Egyptian ruler Ptolemy III offered to pay for
  reconstruction, but the Greeks declined, fearing
  they had angered Helios
• The bronze and iron were too weak to withstand
  the earthquake
• The Greeks likely did not have the technological
  capabilities to predict the effects of
  earthquakes on large structures. Many other large
  structures during this time were also destroyed
  by earthquakes.

7
References

• James R. Ashley (2004). Macedonian Empire.
  McFarland Company.
• Herbert Maryon, "The Colossus of Rhodes" The
  Journal of Hellenic Studies 76 (1956), pp. 68-86.
  
• D. E. L. Haynes, "Philo of Byzantium and the
  Colossus of Rhodes" The Journal of Hellenic
  Studies 77.2 (1957), pp. 311-312
• M. H. Gabriel, BCH 16 (1932), pp 332-42.