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 The Colossus of Rhodes
 

                " But even lying on the ground, it is a marvel", a quote said by Pliny Elder in honor of the Colossus of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes was not only a gigantic statue, it rather symbolized the unity of the people who inhabited Rhodes- also known as the beautiful Mediterranean island. The statue was located at the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in Greece.

                There has always been a misconception about the appearance of the Colossus. For a long time is has been believed that the Colossus stood infront of Mandarki Harbor. Mandarki harbor was one of many cities in the Rhodes. It was believed that it has been straddling the mandarki harbor's entrance. But the belief was proved wrong, infact impossible when the height of the statue and the width of the mouth of the harbor was compared to see if it ever straddle the harbor entrance. According to recent researches, it is proved that the Colossus of Rhodes erected either on the promonotory of the Mandraki harbor, on even further inland.

                "Few people can make their arms meet round the thumb", wrote Pliny when Colossus fell. It stood about 33m or 110 feet when it was finished.

                Throughout most of its history, ancient Greece was comprised of city-states which had limited power beyond their boundary. On the small island of Rhodes were three of these: Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos. In 408 BC, the cities united to form one territory, with a unified capital, Rhodes. The city thrived commercially and had strong economic ties with their main ally, Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt In 305 BC, the Antigonids of Macedonia who were also rivals of the Ptolemies, besieged Rhodes in an attempt to break the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance. They could never penetrate the city. When a peace agreement was reached in 304 BC, the Antagonids lifted the siege, leaving a wealth of military equipment behind. To celebrate their unity, the Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to erect an enormous statue of their sun god, Helios.

                The construction of the Colossus took 12 years and was finished in 282 BC. For years, the statue stood at the harbor entrance, until a strong earthquake hit Rhodes about 226 BC. The city was badly damaged, and the Colossus was broken at its weakest point -- the knee. The Rhodians received an immediate offer from Ptolemy III Eurgetes of Egypt to cover all restoration costs for the toppled monument. However, an oracle was consulted and forbade the re-erection. Ptolemy's offer was declined.

                For almost a millennium, the statue lay broken in ruins. In AD 654, the Arabs invaded Rhodes. They disassembled the remains of the broken Colossus and sold them to a Jew from Syria. It is said that the fragments had to be transported to Syria on the backs of 900 camels.