Just
imagine looking down 120 ft upon the people of Rhodes, Greece.
Imagine the change you would see while you stood on your majestic
platfrom. You would not only look on Rhodes but also have a great
view of the Asgein sea. It bronze and built beside a harbor, it
was built in memory of a year long siege and in honor of Helios
the sun god. The name Colossus came from the word colossal, or
big. This being so because he was an astonishing 120 ft tall.
The man that created and made this giant work of art and peace
was simply called Chares. It supposedly took Chores 12 hard, long,
years to finish this project. This was about in 280 B.C. Unfortunately
56 years later, 244 B.C. an earthquake brought this giant "to
earth." This happened even though there were interior stone
blocks, and iron bars that helped the colossus stand.
The dedication inscription of the colossus does the same thing
that the statues of liberty does for us,
the inscription read:
"To you, O sun, the people of Dorian Rhodes set up this
bronze statue
reaching to Olympus when they had pacified the waves of war and
crowned their city with the spoils taken from the enemy. Not only
the seas but
also on land did they kindle the lovely torch of freedom."
Let the words of Pliny the Elder never be forgotten" but even lying on the ground it is truly a marvel."
