Colossus of Rhodes definition of Colossus of Rhodes in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Colossus of Rhodes (kəlŏs`əs), large statue of Helios, the sun god, destroyed by an earthquake in antiquity. Consider one of the Seven Wonders of the World Seven Wonders of the World, in ancient classifications, were the Great Pyramid of Khufu (see pyramid ) or all the pyramids with or without the sphinx ; the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, with or without the walls; the mausoleum at Halicarnassus; the Artemision at
..... Click the link for more information. by the ancients, it was built in part by Chares of Lindus (Rhodes) between 292 and 280 B.C. Its bronze was taken from the machines and tools left behind by Demetrius I Demetrius I (Demetrius Poliorcetes) (dĭmē`trēəs pŏl'ēôrsē`tēz), c.337–283 B.C.
..... Click the link for more information. after his unsuccessful siege of Rhodes. According to legend, the 100 ft (30.5 m) statue stood astride the harbor and ships passed between its legs. In reality, it stood on a promontory overlooking the harbor, and the representational type is well known from images on coins of the same period.

Colossi also existed elsewhere in the ancient world. In Egypt, for example, there were many colossuses, 50 to 60 ft (15.2 to 18.3 m) high. The Athena Parthenos on the Acropolis at Athens and the Zeus in the temple at Olympia in Greece were other examples. In Japan, the word daibutsu describes colossal statues of Buddha, usually over 16 ft (5 m) in height. The most notable are those at Nara, Kamakura, and Kyoto. Of two colossal figures of Jesus in South America, one is at Rio de Janeiro, and the other, the Christ of the Andes Christ of the Andes, statue of Jesus commemorating a series of peace and boundary treaties between Argentina and Chile. Dedicated Mar. 13, 1904, it stands in Uspallata Pass , high in the Andes, on the Argentine-Chilean boundary.
..... Click the link for more information. , on the boundary between Argentina and Chile. An example of a modern colossus is the Statue of Liberty Liberty, Statue of, statue on Liberty Island in Upper New York Bay, commanding the entrance to New York City. Liberty Island, c.10 acres (4 hectares), formerly Bedloe's Island (renamed in 1956), was the former site of a quarantine station and harbor fortifications.
..... Click the link for more information. in New York harbor.

Colossus of Rhodes

statue of Apollo; wonder of ancient world. [Gk. Hist.: Osborne, 256]

See : Tallness