Colossus of Rhodes

The Colosse of Rhodos was a statue of Hélios, in bronzes, of which the height exceeded the thirty meters, works of Chares. To remember victorious resistance to Démétrios {{Ier}} Poliorcète (-305 with -304), set up on the island of Rhodes towards -292, this gigantic effigy was reversed in -227 by an earthquake.

It was the sixth of the seven wonders of the world ancient.

Construction was long and hard. The colossus completely consisted of wood and bronze. It was initially necessary to constitute a wood heart. Once the “skeleton” set up, the structure was covered with immense bronze plates. The foundry of the island sufficient step to assume the needs for such a company, bronze was imported in great quantity.

One traditionally places the statue of the colossus on the large wearing of Rhodos, where it would have served as “main door” (as engraving suggests it opposite). However, according to the static studies British specialists the statue could not be on the port in the position that one allots to him, because of the too important spacing that such a position suggests. Indeed, the pillars on which would have put back the feet of the statue, would have been separated from forty meters, according to the observations of sea-beds in bay of Rhodos carried out by these researchers. The variation thus noted would thus not correspond to the height of the statue, which was to be slightly smaller than the Statue of freedom to New York. In practice, it would have resulted from it a distortion between the load and the fulcrums from the statue.

The assumption appeared with the Rebirth of a statue to the legs isolated and making it possible the boats to pass under it thus fell in disuse. Today of other tracks are explored:

  • One of it wants that the statue was on the heights of the island (or in against-low acropolis), thus overhanging all the archipelago, thus giving a majesty particular to Hélios and conferring on the statue a superhuman dimension.

  • Another theory defended inter alia by the architect and German archeologist Wolfram Hoepfner places the Colossus of Rhodes at the entry of the other wearing of Rhodos: the military port. According to Hoepfner the Colossus of Rhodes appeared a " Photogravure saluant" right hand.

The colossus was put at bottom by an earthquake around -225/-227. Technically, the earthquake exerted a torsion on the knees of the statue. The copper and wood accumulation thus made up, initially, was left on the spot, because the oracle of Delphes would have defended with the inhabitants to rectify the statue. Towards 654, Arab armies, under the command of Mohabiah, plundered Rhodos and carried the bronze scrap. According to the legend 900 camels were used to transport nearly 20 tons.

In the popular culture

See too

colossus
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