The magnificent list of the seven wonders of the world was compiled 2000 years ago by a Greek scribe. He believed that they could not be destroyed. The modern world still fascinates this magical list.
The Colossus of Rhodes takes pride of place in it. The people of the island erected this statue in gratitude to the god Helios for intercession during the year-long siege of the city by forty thousand troops.
Where is the Colossus of Rhodes?
Now nowhere. But, as already mentioned, according to legend, it was erected on the island of Rhodes and was visible far from the sea. It was here, according to ancient writers, that the statue was located: the second sun met face to face with the first. It was created around 280 BC. e. student of Lysippus, the sculptor Kares. And although after more than 60 years, the Colossus of Rhodes fell, they say that even the ruins on the ground were impressive. Eventually, the statue was destroyed by Arab soldiers and sold to Syria stone by stone.
Today it is impossible to find even footprints in the place where she stood. Classical scholars argue that statues of this type were usually located behind the temple. But in Rhodes, the temple of Helios is located on a hilltop in the center of the city, and no traces of the Colossus could be found there. Although thanks to this statement, it was possible to discover another, no less important fact. It turned out that huge walls from the time of the Colossus surround the city and descend to the port. This proves that the harbor of the island of Rhodes is largely of artificial origin. And this means that the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes could be the end of the harbor wall, as in other ancient artificial harbors. She could not block the entrance to it. To do this, it must be a quarter of a mile high. But neither metal nor stone can withstand the stress of winter storms. Today, at the end of the harbor wall stands the medieval fortress of St. Nicholas. Half of it is made of stones hewn in antiquity. If you look closely at the pieces of marble that served as building material for this small fortress, you can understand that they were carved by craftsmen from the time of the Colossus of Rhodes.
In the Middle Ages, people found new uses for them. The most interesting thing about these stones is that they are not square. Each of them is a fragment of a 17-meter circle and has roundings. 17 meters is the exact diameter of the tower inside the small fortress. It is possible that medieval architects began to build directly on the ancient foundation that served as a pedestal for the fallen statue.
What waslooks like the Colossus of Rhodes and how was it made?
The chronicler, during whose time the statue was still standing, says that it was built on the same principle as a house. Fragments of other ancient figures show that they were built with the same skill as Zeus Phidias. Fragment by fragment of a framework of steel and stone. The Colossus of Rhodes was covered with bronze sheets. As for the posture, in fact, no one knows whether he was standing, sitting, or, for example, driving a chariot. Although, you can try to find some hints in a copy of the statue made by Lysippa himself from marble for Alexander. But, most likely, the Colossus was not as tired and pompous as the old Hercules. Rather, it was a young man with a beautiful face, the same as the head of a nameless statue found in Rhodes, which gives us a new understanding. The peculiarity of this fragment is the presence of many identical holes in a circle. If you insert the pins into them, you can see that they diverge symmetrically, like the sun's rays on the statue of Helios, that is, this is most likely his head. In addition, it dates (within plus or minus 100 years) to the same time as the creation of the Colossus. If you look closely at the face, you can see the same parted mouth, turned neck, open eyes. One to one Alexander the Great. That is, the same school of sculptors that built the Colossus of Rhodes also created the image of the king, who later went around the whole world.
