Colossus of Rhodes

December 10th, 2007 by Shenron

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek God Helios, the sun god of the Greeks who was the personification of our home star. The rooster and the white horse were sacred to this god and his small cult which was primarily located at Rhodes.

The statue they built starting in 292 BC was 34 meters tall at least with iron beams embedded in brick, along with plates of bronze attached to hold it up and an interior support of massive columns, and it was completed in twelve years in 280BC. The statue only stood for five decades until a large earthquake laid waste to it in 226 BC, and despite an offer by Ptolemy III to pay for the reconstructions the locals refused, thinking it had offended Helios. The remains of the statue reportedly laid undisturbed for 800 or so years until Arabs under Muawiyah invaded and acquired Rhodes as their own, then the remains were sold and scattered.