Colossus of Rhodes

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Colossus of Rhodes

Q: What was the Colossus of Rhodes?

The Colossus of Rhodes was a colossal statue of the Greek sun god Helios that stood in the ancient Greek city of Rhodes and was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Q: What did the Colossus of Rhodes look like?

The Colossus of Rhodes was made of shaped bronze plates fastened to an iron framework. It was said to be 70 cubits (105 feet [32 metres]) tall, and it depicted the sun god Helios . Many representations of the statue depict the figure as nude or semi-nude, except for a cloak, and a representation in one relief suggests that the figure was shielding its eyes with one hand.

Q: Where did the Colossus of Rhodes stand?

It is believed that the Colossus of Rhodes stood beside Mandrákion harbour in Rhodes , Greece. The statue did not straddle the harbour entrance. That belief, which originated in the Middle Ages, would have been impossible to realize from an engineering standpoint.

Q: Why have there been plans to build a new Colossus of Rhodes?

Notable plans to build a new Colossus of Rhodes have been proposed in the 21st century. These plans have had manifold purposes, including creating a symbol of world peace, promoting Greek culture, and providing economic benefits to Greece, such as job creation and tourism revenue. Learn more.

statue by Chares

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct 25, 2024 • Article History

What was the Colossus of Rhodes?

What did the Colossus of Rhodes look like?

Where did the Colossus of Rhodes stand?

Why have there been plans to build a new Colossus of Rhodes?

Colossus of Rhodes, colossal statue of the sun god Helios that stood in the ancient Greek city of Rhodes and was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The sculptor Chares of Lyndus (another city on the island) created the statue, which commemorated the raising of Demetrius I Poliorcetes’ long siege (305 bce) of Rhodes. Made of bronze and reinforced with iron, it was weighted with stones. The Colossus was said to be 70 cubits (105 feet [32 metres]) high and stood beside Mandrákion harbour, perhaps shielding its eyes with one hand, as a representation in a relief suggests. It is technically impossible that the statue could have straddled the harbour entrance, and the popular belief that it did so dates only from the Middle Ages.

The statue, which took 12 years to build (c. 294–282 bce), was toppled by an earthquake about 225/226 bce. The fallen Colossus was left in place until 654 ce, when Arabian forces raided Rhodes and had the statue broken up and the bronze sold for scrap. Supposedly, the fragments totaled more than 900 camel loads.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.