Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes was a more than 30 meters high, monumental bronze statue of the sun god Helios (Greek Ἥλιος ), which was about 292 BC completed after twelve years of construction and situated in the island capital, Rhodes. The colossal statue crashed about 226 BC to as a result of an earthquake. It was already one in the ancient world to the seven wonders of the world.

Prehistory

The great statue of Helios was built after the happy ending of the Siege of Rhodes ( 305-304 BC), who had been the Great in the context of disputes between the successors of Alexander. From a historical point of view would be the victory of the Rhodians against the powerful opponent Demetrius I Poliorketes without the support of the Greek ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy I Soter, hardly come about. The Rhodians even saw it differently. They built several monuments in the city, which held the event for posterity and celebrated. The most powerful of them was the colossal statue of Helios, which was in the main sanctuary of the city, the Helios sanctuary, made ​​and ordained there.

The Rhodians believed that the sun god Helios, patron god of their city-state, they have miraculously saved way before the conquest by Demetrios Poliorketes. It was Helios he who had instructed the Rhodians to draw at night a concealed ditch between the ramparts and the nine-story main siege machine Helepolis ( ἑλέπολις " Stadtzerstörerin "). As the siege engine advancing the next morning, they rushed into this ditch and locked with its tower an already battered breach in the city wall. Demetrios had then abandoned the siege of the city of Rhodes and left his entire siege equipment the Rhodians. The proceeds (300 talents of silver, which is about 9 tons ) had the Rhodians to finance the statue used.

The question of casting technology

From the ancient text sources, it is clear that the Colossus of Rhodes was made ​​of cast bronze. A height of 70 cubits is handed down, which are 30-35 meters ( the exact cubit is not known). The construction lasted over 12 years to (about 304-292 BC). Sculptor and head of bronze casting workshop was Chares of Lindos, a pupil of Lysippos of Sikyon. The technique, which was applied in the casting workshop, needs to be reconstructed today. Recent discoveries in Rhodes make but likely that the figure was cast in the vicinity of their location in large individual pieces.

Confusion apparently detailed tradition of Philo of Byzantium to the casting technique. Philo asserts that they had cast the figure at the site floor by floor to each other. After completion of the first floor you have this hidden from the outside under a Erdanschüttung and then poured on the second floor and so on. Inside the figure you 've used from the beginning iron scaffolding and stones to stabilize and pulled up. 500 talents of bronze ( 15 tonnes) and 300 talents of iron ( about 9 tons ) were used. The construction have swallowed so much raw material that the then known Kupfererzquellen threatened to dry up. Reason for the unusual casting method was that you can not have large items to transport.

The text of Philo is probably the early attempt to reconstruct never have written down and therefore lost in antiquity casting the giant figure. The author, himself no craftsmen, mixed Correct with falsities. So were in the ancient well large castings are transported, they were still lighter than the huge marble pieces that were used in the temple. The bronze casting in floors is technically possible, however, speaks the archaeologically proven technology, however, that he was employed in Rhodes. Furthermore, in the method of Philo a huge mountain had been heaped up. The overburden of this mountain would have a significant impact have left in Rhodes, to which one is not pushed in eighty years of archaeological excavations in the city.

The Colossus of Rhodes is frequently mentioned in ancient literature - like as an example of exaggerated size and megalomania. In this context, the following anecdote is one: " The Rhodians, who initially ordered a medium-sized, about 18 meters high statue at Chares and the price firmly placed, changed the order and doubled the dimensions. Chares realized too late that he should have been calling for the eight times instead of twice the price. He went bankrupt on the project, which then drove him to suicide. "

Location

The ancient written sources make to the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, Helios not even a hint, perhaps because he was the ancient authors, of course. From the historical context it can be for us, however, open up unique because it is a votive offering. The probable dedicatory inscription is preserved in the Anthologia Palatina. The monumental votive offering, which have ever placed their God the Rhodians, can have only in the most important sanctuary of the city state, the Helios sanctuary stood. Such dedications are a tradition in the sanctuaries of other Greek city-states.

However, the location of the Helios sanctuary of Rhodes was previously unknown. Various proposals have been made: on the pier of St. Nicholas (Wolfram Hoepfner, see below), on the Acropolis (19th century), in place of the medieval Grand Masters' Palace on the slope of the Acropolis ( in the meantime, already discarded). A new proposal is by Ursula Vedder, who has found that the designation of the temple and shrine above the stadium terrace of Rhodes is not to keep as a sanctuary and temple of Apollo Pythios. Above the stadium, games were conducted in honor of Helios annually in the, is therefore in reality the long-sought Helios sanctuary. The site has been indeed already excavated in 1938 and rebuilt as an archaeological park, but not yet been studied in detail. It remains to be seen whether it is possible to prove remnants of the location of the Colossus of Rhodes in the ruins there.

Destruction

A strong, today in the year 226 BC, back dated earthquake, which caused great destruction in the city, also brought the Colossus of Rhodes to collapse; a source says that the quake caused him to buckle at the knees. According to Pliny the Elder took over the still image only 66 years so it was the shortest lived of the seven wonders of the world. After this earthquake Rhodes got financial support from all over Greece. A king, perhaps Ptolemy III. Euergetes, also promised funds to set up: the colossus again. However, Rhodians were the bronze parts for fear of a new fall lie and put the rumor that the reason was an oracle with the text " What is good, which is always a move from the spot ". Still about 890 years, visitors could see the ruins of the sanctuary. According to a description of Pliny the Elder gaped in the broken limbs huge cavities and very big men were able to include the thumb of the statue with the arms.

According to a tradition that goes back apparently to the lost chronicle of Theophilus of Edessa, and with variations in Theophanes, Agapios of Hierapolis and Michael Syrus narrated collected (probably in 654 ) the Arabs under Muawiya, the commander of the ruling caliph Uthman ibn Affan and governor of Syria, the metal of a statue when they conquered the island in the short term. The scrap metal to have been shipped to the Orient, where a Jewish merchant from Edessa bought it and transported with 900 camels.

The Colossus of Rhodes in art

An ancient depiction or description of the Colossus of Rhodes there is not. One can only guess that Helios was depicted as standing, naked young man with long curly hair and aureole. It is very likely that his head was shaped after the model of the obverse designs of the city-state of Rhodes, were minted since the late 5th century BC in Rhodes.

Since the Renaissance, the image of the spreizbeinigen Colossus over the harbor of Rhodes is widespread. It illustrates a legend that came under the rule of Teutonic Knights of Rhodes in the late 14th century, probably under the early humanists Grand Master Jean Fernandez de Heredia. One may assume that it is due to a learned but incorrect interpretation of an ancient text source. The St. John told the Christian pilgrims, the station went on their journey to the Holy Land in Rhodes that there had once existed in Rhodes a huge idol that stood with one foot on the end of St. Nicholas Mole and the other on the end of the Mills -Mole. It was so big that ships of all sizes were able to drive into the port under his legs. According to this legend the Colossus of Rhodes stood with his feet on the ends of the ancient jetties and made ​​a 750 meter step.

With the Christian pilgrims, the legend came to the West. 1554 André Thevet has in Lyon for the first time a picture of the harbor spreizbeinigen Guardian published ( Cosmographie du Levant ). To date, however, is the best known of Philip Galle 1572 engraved drawing of Maarten van Heemskerck ( Colossus Solis, in Octo Mundi Miracula ), which was frequently copied and varied in the sequence. Van Heemskerck led the attribute of the vessel with the flame in the right hand of the Colossus one in the picture. Although doubts about the accuracy of the legend have been raised in the 18th century. The architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach ( draft historic architecture, Vienna, 1721) noted, for example, that at a 70 cubits high statue of the step could not be so far as pretending the text of the legend. Yet he also drew a picture in the tradition of van Heemskerck. The scholar Anne- Claude- Philippe, Comte de Caylus noted in 1752 that legend and ancient tradition does not match. The effect of the legend and its illustrations until well into the 19th century did not affect.

Almost all of today -made souvenirs in Rhodes Colossus go back to the image of the signer P. J. Witdoeck in B. E. A. Rottiers of 1830 ( Descriptions of the monument de Rhodes). A copy of this book has the Antiquities of Rhodes. In this presentation flowed rational considerations such as that the fire pot for static reasons in the central axis of the figure, it must be assumed so over your head.

The oldest reconstruction of the Colossus of Rhodes standing as quiet figure was published in 1939 by A. Gabriel. In modern illustrations of the seven wonders of the world is, however, like to fall back on the reconstruction of H. Maryon from the year 1956. Recently, Wolfram Hoepfner and Ursula Vedder make the Colossus of Rhodes attention with investigations. Hoepfner reconstructs the Colossus of Rhodes where today stands the fort of St. Nicholas. This article follows the lead of Vedder.

Linguistic

Ancient names

The ancient Greek names were

• ὁ Ἥλιος Ῥόδιος - ho Helios Rhodios - " the Rhodian Helios"
• ὁ κολοσσὸς Ῥόδιος - ho kolossos Rhodios - " the Rhodian Colossus "
• ὁ ἐν Ῥόδῳ κολοσσός - ho s RHODO kolossos - " the colossus of Rhodes "

The Latin name was Colossus Solis Solis rhodium or rhodium Colossus.

Etymology of " Colossus "

The words Colossus and colossal evolved from ancient Greek κολοσσός kolossos via Latin colossus (noun ) or colossaeus ( adjective). Etymologically, the word derives from a Western language of Asia Minor, probably the Phrygian, see the place name Kolossai (Latin Colossae ).

The word originally referred to a statue in human form without size reference. The term took place around 1000 BC input into the Doric and retained its importance. Since the use of the word kolossos for Helios statue of Rhodes, it came to mean "giant statue " ( Colossus ).