The Colossus of Rhodes

Built as a celebration of freedom originally, the Colossus stood over 2,000 years ago at the Islands of Rhodes; located off of the southwestern tip of Asia Minor, where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean Sea. The capital city, Rhodes, was built in 408 B.C.

In 357 B.C the island which was conquered by Mausolus of Halicarnassus fell to the Persians in 340 B.C. and was finally captured by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.

When Alexander died the decision of who would reign could not be determined by the people. Ptolemy, Seleucus, and Antigous divided the kingdom between themselves. Antigous sent his son Semetrious to capture Rhodes. The war was lasted for long a long period and the city suffered. The city was protected by a strong wall.

The people of Rhodes put up a daring resistance, and with some help from King Ptolemy their cities withstood the assault. When several of Demetrius 's siege towers were destroyed flooded  by the people of Rhodes, Antigonus realized that his son's forces could no longer prevail, and ordered Demetrius to abandon the island. Demetrius moved on to other conquests.

To celebrate their freedom, the people of Rhodes built a giant statue of their patriot God Helious. Colossus was a Latin word, meaning any statue that is larger than life size. The people of Rhodes immediately set about erecting a suitable monument to their victory. They had been praying to their patron god Helios for deliverance throughout the ordeal, so they constructed the enormous statue the Colossus of Helios at Rhodes.            

Colossus was built in 304 B.C. and it took twelve years to build it. The statue was said to be 110 feet high. In the traditional Greek style the Colossus stood nude, wearing a  crown, with his right hand lifted while holding a cloak over his left hand.
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Colossus stood for  less than 60years.  An earthquake struck Rhodes, and the statue collapsed. Huge pieces lay in the harbor for a long time. Of all of the wonders, Colossus was the one that stood the least amount of time but was famous throughout the entire civilized world.

Placed upon a 50-foot marble pedestal, the statue's great size ensured that it was visible to ships approaching Rhodes from many miles away. It was an indestructible monument to the power of Rhodes.