Why the Colossus of the Sun God in Rhodes is hailed as a wonder of the world

Because: The Colossus of the Sun God on Rhodes Island is hailed as one of the seven wonders of the world. It only took 56 years from its establishment to its destruction, but the legend about it spreads far and wide. How this amazing statue was built. What's its shape? Where did it go after it collapsed? Rhodes Island is located at the junction of the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, 450 kilometers from the Greek mainland to the west and 19 kilometers from the Turkish mainland to the north. It covers an area of ??1,400 square kilometers and has a population of 70,000. At the northern end of this tiny place is Rhodes City, which is the capital of the island. 60% of the island's population is concentrated here. The world-famous Colossus of the Sun is located on the pier of Rhodes City. As soon as visitors board the pier, they can see two round stone pillars and two bronze deer sculptures on the pillars, standing there alone, small, empty, and not as majestic as imagined. The deer is the symbol of Rhodes, and the Colossus once stood above it to watch thousands of sails competing. There is a beautiful myth and legend about Rhodes. In ancient times, the Greek gods fought for the position of the main god. The Colossus of Rhodes

Zeus finally won and became the king of the gods. After the complacent Zeus ascended the throne, he began to reward merits and divide the gods among them, but he forgot to leave a fief for Apollo, the sun god, who was out of the palace of patrolling the sky at that time. Apollo was very dissatisfied when he came back. Zeus used his magical power to point to a huge stone hidden in the depths of the Aegean Sea and entrust it to Apollo. The huge stone happily surfaced to welcome Apollo's arrival. This late-arriving fiefdom was surrounded by azure waters, with beautiful scenery and warm climate. Apollo was quite satisfied with it, so he named it after his beloved wife Rhodes (the daughter of Aphrodite, the god of love). Des Island. His three sons Kaminos, Monolithos and Linzos were enfeoffed throughout the island, each establishing their own city-state. Although this is a myth, three city-states did exist in Rhodes, namely Kaminos, Monolithos and Linzos. They relied on Rhodes's geographical advantage of being at the junction of the East and the West, as well as the island's fertile soil and good climate, to gradually develop and become important business centers in the Mediterranean. In 408 BC, these three city-states united to form the unified Rhodes and established the federal capital at the northern end of the island, which later became the city of Rhodes. The prosperity of Rhodes attracted people from mainland Greece to rush here to do business, settle or set up schools, and the island's culture soon prospered. It was at this time that the islander Pisandros wrote the epic poem "Iraklia". Later, the great Greek philosopher Aristotle also came to Rhodes to recruit disciples and teach philosophy; The orator Ace Honnis also ran a school on the island. Rhodes Island had a flourishing literary style and became one of the famous cultural centers at that time. In the first half of the 4th century BC, the Greco-Persian War was in full swing. As a member of the Greek world, Rhodes naturally could not stay away. In 377 BC, Rhodes joined the Second Delian League organized by Athens to jointly resist the Persian invasion. However, under the instigation of others, Rhodes withdrew from the alliance soon after (356 BC). After the Greco-Persian War, the protracted Peloponnesian War broke out within Greece. Its strength was greatly weakened in the internal strife. It was conquered by Alexander of Macedon who subsequently emerged, and the Greek world began to decline. The small Rhodes Kingdom barely maintained its independence when Alexander's power was at its peak, but its wealth made the surrounding powers look at it with eager eyes, eager to take advantage of it. Both Alexander and Persia had invaded Rhodes, and Rhodes' power was in danger. Mausoleum of Mausolus

After Alexander's untimely death, his generals fought for power, and the empire was eventually divided into three, with Antigonus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy each occupying one side. Rhodes maintained good relations with Ptolemy I due to its close economic ties with Egypt. In 305 BC, King Antigonus I of Macedon, who had coveted Rhodes for a long time, sent his son Damoris to lead an army of 40,000 to invade Rhodes Island. The powerful enemy pressed on the territory, and the entire island's residents retreated to Linzos Castle on the promontory at the east end of the island to mount a desperate resistance. Linzos Castle is built on a hill that juts into the sea. The cliffs on three sides are as high as 100 meters. The city walls are built along the cliffs and are guarded by forts on the battlements. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. In this way, the residents of the entire island finally defeated the invaders with the help of natural danger and common hatred. The Macedonian army abandoned their armor and fled in defeat. In 304 BC, the two sides signed a peace treaty.

To commemorate this victory, the residents of Rhodes collected the copper firearms discarded by the Macedonian army and melted them all. The master sculptor Halletas was responsible for casting a statue of the sun god Apollo (the residents of Rhodes also called Helias). Statue of God, because according to legend Apollo is the patron saint of Rhodes Island, and local residents use this to thank Apollo for blessing them. It took Haletas a full 12 years (294 BC to 282 BC) to build the colossus. According to records, the statue is about 33 meters tall and weighs 12.5 tons. Its fingers are taller than a human being, and the inside of its big feet can be used as a cave dwelling. The statue is hollow, reinforced with stone and iron pillars inside, and encased in a bronze shell. Legend has it that the statue of the Sun God wears a crown of sun rays on its head, holds a divine whip in its left hand, and holds a torch in its right hand. It stands on a stone base in the port with its two feet, and ships can enter and exit from under its crotch.