Colossus of Rhodes

One of the seven ancient wonders of the world. A colossus is a statue larger than life. The most famous colossus of antiquity was the Colossus of Rhodes, erected between 292 and 280 BC. It was a bronze statue of the sun god Apollo, cast by Chares of Lindos. No one knows exactly what it looked like; but the common view – that its legs straddled the entrance to the harbor, so that ships passed beneath it – is an invention of the Middle Ages. About 56 years after it was put up the Colossus was overthrown by an earthquake. Pliny, more than 300 years later, described its finger as larger than a status of ordinary size. It disappeared in AD 672 when a traveler from Emesa bought the fragments, loaded them on to 900 camels, and carted them away. It is believed that the architect, Chares of Lindos, did not live to see his project finished. There are several legends that he committed suicide. In one tale he has almost finished the statue when someone points out a small flaw in the construction. The sculptor is so ashamed of it he kills himself. In another version the city fathers decide to double the height of the statue. Chares only doubles his fee, forgetting that doubling the height will mean an eightfold increase in the amount of materials needed. This drives him into bankruptcy and suicide.