To you, O Sun, the people of Dorian[1] 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 over the seas but also on land did they kindle the lovely torch of freedom.[2] Dedicatory inscription of the Colossus
From its building to its destruction lies a time span of merely 56 years. Yet the colossus earned a place in the famous list of Wonders. "But even lying on the ground, it is a marvel", said Pliny the Elder[3]. The Colossus of Rhodes was not only a gigantic statue. It was rather a symbol of unity of the people who inhabited that beautiful Mediterranean island -- Rhodes.
Location At the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in Greece.
History Throughout most of its history, ancient Greece was comprised of city-states[4] 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[5] Egypt. In 305 BC, the Antigonids of Macedonia[6] 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
[7]. 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 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 laid 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.
Although we do not know the true shape and appearance of the Colossus, modern reconstructions with the statue standing upright are more accurate than older drawings. Although it disappeared from existence, the ancient World Wonder inspired[8] modern artists such as French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi best known by his famous work: The Statue of Liberty.

罗德岛的太阳神巨像

　　罗德岛的多利安人民谨以此高耸入云的铜像献给您，太阳神，以纪念他们平息了战争的狂涛并用从敌人手中夺来的战利品荣耀了他们的城市。他们不仅在海上而且在陆地上，点亮了自由的火炬。 ——太阳神巨像上的提辞

　　从太阳神巨像的建立到毁坏只有短促的56年时间。然而这座巨像却在著名的世界七大奇观的名单里赢得了一席之位。老莆林尼说过：“但是即便在它倒塌在地时，仍不失是为一个奇观。”罗德岛的太阳神巨像不仅仅是一座巨大的雕像，更是居住在美丽的地中海岛屿——罗德岛上的人民团结的象征。

位置：
　　于希腊地中海罗德岛港口的入口处。

历史：
　　古希腊在历史上大部分时间中都是由各个城邦制的国家组成的，这些城邦国家在国界之外只拥有很有限的权利。在小小的罗德岛上就有三个城邦：Ialysos、Kamiros和Lindos。在公元前408年，这三个城邦联合成了一个区域，并有统一的首都：罗德。这座都城商业发达，并和它的重要盟友，埃及的托勒密一世存在着很牢固的经济联系。公元前305年，托勒密一世的对手，马其顿王国安提柯一世，为了打破罗德—埃及联盟包围了罗德岛。但他们从未能攻入这座城市。公元前304年达成和约时，安提柯一世撤除对罗德岛包围，而且舍弃了巨额的军事设备。罗德斯人为了颂扬他们团结一致（的精神），把这些军事设备变卖后，用所得的钱建造了他们的太阳神赫利俄斯的巨大雕像。

　　建造这座巨像花了12年的时间，于公元前282年完工。巨像在港口矗立了许多年，直到公元前226年一次强烈的地震突袭了罗德岛。城市遭到严重的破坏，巨像也从它最不牢固的地方——膝盖处断裂开了。罗德岛人得到了埃及托勒密三世及时的援助，这笔援款足够应付修缮这座倾倒的纪念碑所需的全部花费。但是，一纸神谕却阻止巨像的重建。而托勒密的援助也被谢绝了。

　　在近一千年时间中，残破的雕像一直倒在废墟中。公元654年时，阿拉伯人入侵罗德斯岛。他们拆分了残存下的太阳神巨像，并把它们卖给从叙利亚来的一名犹太人。据说为了运输这些残片到叙利亚，不得不动用了900头骆驼。

　　尽管我们不知道巨像的真实形状和外观，但现代重建的雕塑笔直地矗立着，比那些古代绘画更精确地再现了雕塑的原貌。尽管巨像已经不在，但这个古代世界奇观却激发了现代艺术家们的灵感，譬如以建造著名的“自由女神像”而闻名于世的法国雕塑家奥古斯都·巴托尔迪。