Colossus Of Rhodes

The siege of Rhodes

305 BCE

Antiguos, a very power-hungry leader of one of the multitude of sides of the now split empire of Alexander The Great, was enraged that Rhodes, a country in their territory, had sided with Ptolemy, another side of the empire, controlling Northern Africa. Antiguos had a son, named Demetrius, who was the commander of his territory's army. Antiguos sent his son to go conquer Rhodes, so that their luscious resources would provide support to their territory.

Rhodes defeated Demetrius's army.

304 BCE

Rhodes's defense held up incredibly well and they ended up defeating Demetrius's army. Demetrius took heavy losses under his command, and eventually retreated so quickly that they left their weapons behind in Rhodes.

The construction of the Colossus Of Rhodes was started.

292 BCE

Rhodes believed that their patron, or main supporting god, Helios, was the reason they were able to overpower and defeat a stronger army than their own. They decided that they wanted to honor him with a statue to show their gratitude. Luckily, since Demetrius and his army had left all of their weapons behind in their speedy getaway, Rhodes had a bunch of new materials for being able to build a statue. Lysippus's pupil, Chares of Lindos, was asked to build this national monument.

The Colossus of Rhodes is finished.

280 BCE

Though Chares of Lindos started building this incredible statue, he did not finish. One account says he may have committed suicide because someone pointed out a flaw in his design. but whatever the reason, someone else finished the statue. We do not know who finished it or if the design was changed, but the statue ended up with an internal framework made of mainly iron and some stone added for stability. The exterior was made strictly of bronze, and was standing on a 50 foot platform of stones.

The Colossus of Rhodes broke at it's knees.

226 BCE

In the year 226 BCE, a violent earthquake shook Rhodes's harbor, which is where the Colossus of Rhodes was located. The Colossus was put under a massive amount of pressure, and broke at it's knees. The top half of the statue fell on the ground and broke into ruins.

The Colossus of Rhodes sat on the ground in pieces.

Period: 226 BCE to 7

The Colossus of Rhodes could have been rebuilt, and many people offered, but the oracle of Rhodes told them that they shouldn't mess with the forces of the gods that had knocked the statue down. So it sat there on the ground for about 33 years.

Rhodes was conquered by the Arab League.

7

The Arab League wanted to use Rhodes's plentiful supply of resources, so they attacked. And this time, Helios did not help them win. The Arab League took control of Rhodes and sent the remains and rubble of the statue to be melted and made into weapons.