Colossus of Rhodes - junior contemporary of mausoleum and temple Of [artemidy]. The idea to create it was born by the spring of 304 years to our era, when the inhabitants of the small island, which lies on the very shore of Asia Minor, costing on the worried to death by long siege walls, looked, as are hidden in the sea ships of one of the heirs of the power of Alexander [Makedonskiy] - the son of the ruler of front Asia and Syria [Demetriya] Of [poliorketa].
In order to subjugate [rodostsev], It [poliorket] it brought to the city siege machines - last word of military equipment very developed for that time. The pride of the precipitated army was [geleopolida] - siege tower with the rams and the draw bridge, the catapults, the areas for the landing. [Geleopolidu], upholstered with iron, they set in motion three thousand four hundred soldiers.
Leaving after unsuccessful siege island, It [poliorket] it threw on the shore enormous [geleopolidu] - this in a certain kind the miracle of light, not carried out its destination. Just she brought to city not only benefit, but also glory. Merchants, who gathered in the city after victory, proposed to purchase [geleopolidu] “to the scrap metal”, proposing for iron 300 talents - fairytale for those times sum. In the sign of the deliverance of city and to the money from sale of tower it was solved announce the statue of Gelios - the patron of Rhodes. [Rodostsy] believed that the island was raised from the bottom of sea on the request of this god.
Statue they decided to direct to sculpture sculptor [Kharesa], the student Of [lisippa]. [Khares] proposed to make Gelios confronting. In the left hand it held the cover descending to the earth, it applied right to the forehead, looking intently at the distance. True, this pose did not correspond to canons, he understood to [Khares], that the colossus will not be held, if god lengthens hand forward.
By the basis of [tridtsatishestimetrovoy] statue served three massive rock posts, fastened as iron beams at the level of arms. The bases of posts were in the feet of statue and in the cover. At the height of arms and on the belt the posts were connected by cross beams. To the posts and the beams the iron body, which they covered with the chased sheets of bronze, was fastened.
Colossus grew on the shore harbor on the coated by white marble artificial hill. Twelve years no one saw statue, because, as soon as to the body was fastened the sequential belt of bronze sheets, the mound surrounded colossus was added so that to the masters more convenient it would be rise upward. And only when mound was removed, [rodostsy] saw their god- patron, whose head decorated radiant corona.
The sparkling god was visible for many kilometers from Rhodes, and soon rumor about it was extended on entire Ancient World. But after only the half a century strong earthquake, which destroyed Rhodes, it brought down colossus to the earth, elbows proved to be the most vulnerable place of statue. Hence and went expression “the colossus on legs of clay”.
[Rodostsy] attempted to raise colossus. The noble attempts of the neighbors to help them in this matter are known. Egyptian tsar sent several hundred talents of copper and masters. But nothing it left.
So lay on the shore bay colossus - main tourist sights of island. The devastated giant saw [Pliniy] the elder, which arrived there in the first century of our era. [Pliniya] most of all struck the fact that only a few people could clench the large finger of statue by hands.
The colossus lain on the earth [Rodosskiy] outgrew by cobweb and legends. In the stories of eyewitnesses it seemed where more than it was in reality. In the Roman literature appeared the legends about the fact that it initially was raised above the entrance into the harbor and it was so it was great, that between its feet were passed to the city the ships.
Thousands years lay the split colossus in Rhodes, until the in 977 needing himself money Arab deputy sold to his one merchant. Merchant in order to transport colossus to the melting, cut it into part and loaded with bronze 900 camels.
