Colossus of Rhodes: a unique embodiment of the solar god. The Colossus of Rhodes is a unique creation of sculptors, which became the embodiment of the god Helios

The Colossus of Rhodes is a giant statue that has become the embodiment ancient Greek god Sun of Helios. The gorgeous sculpture served as a decoration for the port city of Rhodes, located on the island of Rhodes of the same name (it can be found on the border of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, or on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor).

Being a major economic center ancient world, Rhodes attracted the rulers of many neighboring powers. And whoever tried to take possession of the city of Rhodes...

In 357 BC. King Mausol became its ruler. 17 years later, in 340, the city became part of the possessions of the Persian Empire. Then Rhodes was conquered by Alexander the Great, but after the death of the great commander, his heirs began to organize internecine wars. One of the activists named Antigonus entrusted his son Demetrius Poliorcetes with the mission of capturing and destroying Rhodes, which was attractive to him.

The siege of the city took place in the summer of 305 BC. The enemy forces were many times greater than the Rhodian army, but after about a year Demetrius had to retreat, since the inhabitants of Rhodes were able to defend their city. Rejoicing at the victory and the money raised from the sale of siege engines of the enemy force, and this was as much as 300 talents, the Rhodians decided to spend it on the construction of a sculpture of Helios, their patron god. They believed that it was he who helped them rid the city of invaders, and they wanted to give him praise in this way. In addition, the Rhodians firmly believed that Helios carried Rhodes from the depths of the sea on his own strong hands and breathed life into the island.

How the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes was erected

If you believe historical data, the beginning of work on sculpting the statue dates back to the beginning of the 3rd century BC. The city authorities entrusted the responsible task of sculpting it to the sculptor Hares, because he was a student of the famous Lysippos, known for creating original sculptures. According to the talented sculptor, Helios, aka the Colossus of Rhodes, had to stand on his feet. It was planned that in his left hand he would hold a cloak, which, due to its length, would fall to the ground, and with his right hand the god, whose image the sculpture conveyed, was supposed to cover his eyes from the scorching rays of the sun. The master understood that such a pose would not satisfy the generally accepted sculptural canons of that time, but it did not seem possible to him to sculpt the statue in any other way. If the huge Colossus had pointed his hand into the distance, then under the weight of that very hand he would simply not have been able to stay on his feet.

The construction of the statue was carried out on a hill created artificially. On this hill, workers led by Hares erected stone pillars, subsequently fastening them together with iron beams. They equipped two of them with bronze parts that looked like the torso and legs of the deity he was creating, and on the third pillar, at the direction of the sculptor, they placed parts of the Colossus’s cloak. The iron frame was attached to the posts and beam and covered with hammered bronze sheets. The unique structure was assembled in parts, but as it grew in height, the hollow statue was “stuffed” with stones, and this was done because of its instability. The workers covered all the fixed parts with earth and in this way created a platform - higher and more convenient for subsequent work. In total, by today's standards, the sculpture of the unusual monument took 13 tons of bronze and 8 tons of iron.

For 12 long years, a giant statue of the Colossus was erected, but finally the hill around it was torn down, and the shining god appeared before the amazed inhabitants of Rhodes. This long-awaited event occurred in 280 BC. The majestic sculpture, on whose head a radiant crown shone, reached a height of up to 35 m and was visible from ships heading to Rhodes from the nearest islands.

There is another description of the statue made by Philo. According to him, the sculpture of the Colossus of Rhodes depicted the figure of a man, which was installed on a white marble pedestal. For stability, feet were attached to it that were larger than many of the statues erected before. In his outstretched hand, the statue of the deity held a torch. If it was lit, it turned into a beacon for ships sailing to Rhodes. The modern American Statue of Liberty, installed in New York Harbor, resembles a Rhodes masterpiece.

The fashion for giant statues began with the “birth” of the marvelous Colossus in Rhodes, so the ancient people fell in love with the bronze giant. Following him, about 100 more interesting sculptures appeared on the island. Thus, the entire ancient world was gripped by gigantomania. Of course, the Greeks had previously revered the gods and erected huge statues in their honor, but the bronze statue of the solar deity surpassed all other sculptures in size - it was truly colossal.

Why has the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes not survived to this day?

Unfortunately, the sculpture of the sparkling deity was short-lived. About half a century after its construction, powerful earthquakes began to shake the island, and the legs of Helios’ double broke. Surprisingly, the most vulnerable spot turned out to be knees. The Rhodians, disappointed by this behavior of their beloved deity, called his statue “a colossus with feet of clay.” Subsequently, they used this phrase to designate everything that seemed majestic on the outside, but turned out to be weak from the inside.

According to legend, the Oracle, through whose mouth the Sun deity communicated with the people, forbade the restoration of the collapsed statue. However, the inhabitants of Rhodes disobeyed him and tried to raise the giant sculpture they loved. Their idea was not crowned with success, and even the best masters, who arrived in Rhodes on the orders of the Egyptian king, were unable to put the Colossus on its feet. Thus, the Rhodians accepted the will of Providence, which gave them the majestic statue and so quickly turned it to dust. The Colossus lay on the sea coast for another millennium, becoming an extraordinary attraction of the bay. Pliny the Elder, who visited Rhodes in the 1st century AD, enthusiastically said that not all tourists managed to grasp thumb The Colossus of Rhodes - it was truly great.

Due to lying on the ground for a long time, the statue became overgrown with cobwebs, plants and... myths, because human interest in it flared up even more. Ancient Roman literature conveys evidence that the Colossus was installed as the gateway to the harbor of Rhodes and ships sailed between its legs without any problem. But scientists considered this fact implausible, because the width of the mouth of the Rhodian harbor, according to their rough estimates, was 400 m, but the giant statue of the Colossus was not so large. The researchers were struck by the idea that the statue simply stood in the center of the city, but its face was turned towards the harbor.

Later, a sad fate awaited the Colossus - although it was split, it was acquired by a rich Arab merchant. This happened in 977 BC. Having cut the sculpture into pieces, he transported it to his homeland on 900 camels and handed it over for melting down. Only because bronze continued to remain in price did the Helios double end up in the smelting furnaces. But the Colossus of Rhodes did not disappear completely: after some time, archaeologists exploring the harbor of Rhodes discovered the hand of one of its hands at the bottom. In such a defective form, one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World has survived to this day.

The desire to recreate the Colossus does not leave humanity to this day. For example, in 2004, a competition of projects was held to improve the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes (the sculptors planned to erect it in the USA). All modern authors, including the Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, imagined the new Colossus to be many times superior to the Statue of Liberty and all the global monumental buildings previously created by humanity. However, the fact that no one has yet been able to recreate the sixth wonder of the world can be called fantastic. Contemporaries have the impression that the Oracle's spell works, overcoming barriers for millennia. Perhaps in its historical homeland the recreated Colossus will find new life, because the best sculptors of our time dream of building it in Rhodes, but from luminous parts.

Today it is difficult to surprise anyone even with a hundred-meter sculpture. One can only guess what the population of the island felt when they were at the foot of the largest statue in the world. The Colossus of Rhodes is the embodiment of the sun god who lived off the coast Aegean Sea in luxurious royal chambers. Every day Helios crossed the Earth and illuminated the planet. When the creators distributed the light, it worked and let everything through. Then God gave birth to an island from the water and named it after his wife. From that moment on, the inhabitants revered Helios, and after his victory over the invaders, people erected a monument to him, which the world had not seen before.

Where is the Colossus of Rhodes located?

A giant sculpture of Helios towered off the shores of the Aegean Sea in the 3rd century BC. e (today the outskirts of Greece). Residents built a large-scale monument to the god Helios for saving Rhodes from King Demetrius I, the heir of Alexander the Great, in 304. At the sea gate in 290, a figure of the island's patron was installed, partly made from metal that was abandoned by the army of the defeated ruler.

History of the Colossus of Rhodes

To create a sculpture of this scale it took not only a lot building materials, but also the search for new technical ideas to bring the idea to life. Photos of the Colossus of Rhodes have not survived, but there are assumptions about what it could have looked like: the figure of Helios in the center of the island on a marble pedestal, right hand holds to forehead; a statue that stands in the harbor, and hundreds of ships sail between its feet. The second option is less possible, but it is the most common.

Sculptor creator

The construction of the monument was carried out by Hares, a famous master at that time. He worked on the brainchild for 12 years. The construction of the Colossus required the use of new technologies, but the student of Lysippos completed the work in bronze and decorated it with the inscription: “The Colossus that you contemplate, eight cubits (32 m) high, was created by Chares of Lindus.”

Did you know? Initially, residents wanted to build a statue 18 m high and had enough money for such a structure. Then people changed their minds and decided that the Colossus should be 36 m, which is twice as tall. According to legend, Hares himself collected the shortfall and fell into serious debt.

Construction

The sculpture, which is included in the list of “Seven Wonders of the World,” was created on an artificial hill. The workers and Hares placed stone pillars on it, two of which were secured with bronze parts, became the torso and legs of the figure of the god, and the cloak of the statue was placed in the third. The discovery took place in 290 BC. e. The majestic Colossus with a crown on its head reached 36 m and was visible on ships that were approaching from neighboring islands.

Materials

The internal filling of the Colossus of Rhodes is clay, and the external filling is bronze. Because of the stone pillars at the base, the frame resembled a human skeleton. To build the statue it took 13 tons of bronze and 8 tons of iron. The sheets with which the figure was covered were created under the strict supervision of Hares, and if there was even the slightest crack anywhere, the product had to be completely replaced.

How the statue was erected

The sculpture was installed from the base, which is why the elevation where the builders were was constantly increasing. The population of the island could not see the progress of the work and saw the 36 m high Colossus when the craftsmen removed the embankment. The base of the statue of the ancient Greek sun god consisted of three large pillars of stone, which were connected by hoops. The beams were sheathed with sheets, and clay was poured into the created openings.

Death

The monument to the era did not stand for long. In 220 BC. a crushing earthquake destroyed the legs of the statue, causing them to break at the knees and the figure to fall. But the fallen, destroyed Colossus was impressive in its scale. There is evidence that not everyone could grasp the figure’s thumb with both hands. Other countries sympathized with the inhabitants of Rhodes and offered financial support for the reconstruction of the Colossus. But the islanders were afraid of the indignation of Helios, about which the seer warned them, and refused to restore the giant wonder of the world.

In our time

Wikipedia says that the debris lay on the island for almost a thousand years until, due to the crisis, some bronze and metal parts were not melted down. Later, the Arabs captured the island and, according to one legend, the remains were sold to a rich merchant, who took them to Syria. Today scientists want to revive the Colossus. The structure can be created from luminous parts up to 100 m high and erected on the site where the statue supposedly stood. The price of such an idea reaches 200 million euros, but German art critic Gert Hof is already ready to allocate most of the amount. A giant statue could get a second modern life.

The sculptors worked for 12 years to create the giant statue of the Colossus of Rhodes. The 36-meter statue in the form of a slender, strong young god with a wreath on his head aroused the admiration of everyone who sailed past the island of Rhodes, and was also visible from the nearby islands. The main material for construction was clay, metal was only in the base and on the covering. This was the reason for the collapse of the famous statue... Let us first turn to the history of the construction of the Colossus of Rhodes. According to ancient legend, Helios, the sun god saved the besieged inhabitants of the island of Rhodes from the commander Demetrius Poliorcetes, who was trying to capture the island. In the end, thanks to the advice of Colossus. the commander had to retreat and the island was liberated. In honor of this event, in 304 BC, it was decided to build a huge statue of the god who became the patron saint of the island, and to preserve the memory of the great victory for centuries. The sculptor Hares decided to build the Colossus standing at full height and peering into the distance.

It took 12 years to build the statue of the god, resting on three massive stone pillars held together by iron beams. This entire structure was sheathed with bronze sheets, and the cavity was filled with clay. Residents of the island did not see the statue until construction was completed, since the embankment surrounding the colossus was constantly raised for ease of work. And only when the embankment was removed, the Rhodians saw their god standing on a huge white marble pedestal.

Initially, the word Colossus was used to call any statue, but after the construction of the Colossus of Rhodes, only very structures began to be called this large sizes As one of 7 Ancient Wonders of the World the statue was first mentioned by the ancient Greek author Philo of Byzantium.

Helios - sun god

Helios lived on the eastern shore of the ocean in a palace made of gold and copper. Every morning, standing on a golden chariot with four winged horses, he rode out of the silver gates to the western shore of the Ocean. On the western bank there was another palace, from where the Sun God returned back to the east in a boat made of gold.

According to legend, Helios worked from morning to evening, illuminating the Earth, and was unable to attend the division of the world, so he received nothing. He decided to raise from depths of the sea island, and named it in honor of his wife Rhoda - Rhodes.

More than 13 tons of bronze and about 8 tons of iron were spent on the construction of such a large-scale monument. The Colossus of Rhodes gave rise to the fashion for large statues; after 2 centuries, about a hundred large sculptures were built on the island. Perhaps, if it were not for this statue, then there would not now be such structures as the Statue of Liberty in New York, or the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. Or maybe they wouldn’t even have built our Motherland in Volgograd :)

The Colossus statue stood for only 50 years before it was destroyed by an earthquake in 222 BC. Her weakest point turned out to be her knees, which immediately cracked. More for a long time The colossus lay on the ground, striking everyone with its size. Pliny the Elder wrote in his chronicles that few people managed to clasp the thumb on the giant’s hand with both hands. This is where the famous expression came from: “A colossus with feet of clay.”

Pliny the Elder

The fragments of the huge statue lay on the ground for about a thousand years, until the Arabs, who captured Rhodes in 977, sold it to an unknown merchant, who had to transport them on 900 camels.

In 2008, it was decided to restore the Colossus of Rhodes as a light installation in its original location. German art connoisseur Gert Hof plans to allocate about 200 million euros for this project. The height of the new Colossus will be higher than the original - approximately 60-100 meters. If you are interested in ancient wonders of the world, read also about the mausoleum in Halicarnassus, or about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, no less interesting material is collected there.

Among the masterpieces of architecture and art of the ancient world, a special place is occupied by the so-called Seven Wonders of the World, described by the father of history Herodotus. The Colossus of Rhodes - the last of them in terms of creation - was a copper statue of enormous size, erected by the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes in honor of their patron, the god Helios. The appearance of this structure was supposed to testify to the greatness and power of the inhabitants of the island. However, fate did not prepare a long life for the statue, and to our time there are no traces left of it other than mentions in the works of ancient authors. Nevertheless, scientists continue to try to figure out what the Colossus of Rhodes actually looked like and where exactly it was located.

The background to the creation of the Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus (from the Greek kolossos - “large statue”) of Rhodes was erected in honor of the victory of the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes over the descendant of one of the associates of Alexander the Great, the ruler of Central Asia, Demetrius Poliorcetes. Equipped with last word then military equipment The forty thousandth army was unable to take the city walls by storm. The pride of Poliorket, the huge siege engine of the Heleopolis, did not help them in this either. The iron-clad tower, equipped with rams and catapults, driven by three and a half thousand soldiers, was abandoned by Poliorcetes on the island, angry at the unsuccessful siege.

The inhabitants of Rhodes wanted to give thanks for the victory to their patron - the sun god Helios, who, according to legend, carried the island from the depths of the sea with his own hands. In addition, the sale of heleopolis and other siege structures brought the city huge money for those times - 300 talents of silver.

How the statue was made

The Colossus of Rhodes was erected in 290 BC. e., its construction took 12 years. The author of the project is Chares from Lida, a student of the famous Lysippos.

Bronze was chosen as the main material; more than 13 tons of it were used during construction. In addition, the sculptor used 8 tons of iron and a large number of stones. The pillars, fastened with iron beams, served as the base of the statue. An iron frame was “put on” the stone base, and bronze plates, cast one at a time, were attached to it.

As each row of shiny bronze sheets was attached to the frame, the height of the surrounding mound was increased so that workers could install the next row. Thus, it turned out that the unfinished Colossus of Rhodes was hidden from everyone under a layer of sand and stones, and only when the construction was completed, the embankment was dismantled, and the statue was revealed to the eyes of the curious in all its beauty and grandeur.

Colossus of Rhodes: description

What was so incredible that the inhabitants of Rhodes saw? The ancient Greek historians Pliny and Herodotus write about this. On a marble pedestal, the figure of a young athlete rose more than thirty meters high; the bronze shone brightly in the sun, which is why, on a clear day, sailors sailing to the island saw the Colossus of Rhodes before they saw the island itself.

Moreover, to give the statue of Helios an additional “sun-like” appearance, the face and wreath on the head of the statue were covered with gold. Historians do not give a clear answer to the question of what pose the sculptor gave to the patron god of the island: there is an opinion that he stood with his arm extended forward with a torch, which was used at night as a beacon.

Other experts object that in such a position the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes would simply collapse forward. In their opinion, Helios held the robe falling to the ground with one hand (which served as an additional point of support), and brought the other to his eyes, peering ahead.

Where was the statue?

It would seem that the answer is obvious - on the island of Rhodes. And this is undoubtedly true. This island is located in the Aegean Sea, near the coast of modern Turkey. But it is certainly not known where exactly the Rhodians erected a monument to such an important military victory for them.

There are two popular versions: the Colossus of Rhodes was located either in the center of the city, near the temple dedicated to Helios, or in the harbor, welcoming arriving ships. The first version seems less convincing, since in the cramped Greek polis it would not have been easy to find a place for such a giant, and even if they managed to place the statue there, then in order to enjoy the grandeur of the spectacle, the Rhodians would have to go to sea. As we know, “big things are seen from a distance.” So, most likely, the monument stood outside the city. But now about the exact location of the statue, as well as about its appearance, we can only speculate.

"Colossus with Feet of Clay"

The Colossus did not have long to glorify the greatness of the Rhodians and the skill of the sculptor: about sixty years. Happened in the twenties years III century BC e. the earthquake destroyed the statue, which broke at the knees (that's where the famous proverb came from).

The fragments of the sculpture lay on the island for more than a thousand years, until in 977 AD. e. were not bought by the Arabs and taken out for smelting.

Colossus of Rhodes in our time

Unfortunately, neither the statue itself (even in the form of fragments), nor the drawings depicting it, or even detailed descriptions, have been preserved in history. However, artists of the past and present, with the strength of their talent and imagination, allow us to get at least an approximate idea of ​​this masterpiece, which combines the power of engineering science and the beauty of the art of architecture. Although by historical standards the huge statue on the island of Rhodes stood completely a short time(incomparably less than Egyptian pyramids, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and other wonders of the world), the Colossus of Rhodes has firmly entered into world culture.

And already today, work is underway to restore the Colossus of Rhodes - on the island of Rhodes they plan to erect a statue similar to the ancient one, but make it from luminous material.

The Colossus of Rhodes is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is a huge statue of a male figure built around 280 BC. and erected on the Greek island of Rhodes.

Until now, the history of the construction of the monument, as well as its destruction during the earthquake of 226 BC. covered with numerous secrets.

The ancients claim that the Colossus of Rhodes was intended as a thank you and gift to Helios, the sun god, and also as a symbol of the successful defense of Rhodes during the attack on the Greek island by King Demetrius Poliorcetes in 305 BC.

Legend has it that the people of Rhodes sold the weapons and equipment left behind by the Macedonians and spent all their earnings on building the statue.

Since ancient times, the small Greek island of Rhodes has been the main link between the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, and important economic-political and shopping center Ancient world.

The capital, also named Rhodes, was built in 408 BC and served as the island's natural harbor on the northern coast.

In 357 BC. the island was captured by Mausolus Halicarnassus, then in 340 BC. e. , and subsequently, in 332 BC, fell under the onslaught of the army of Alexander the Great. The fourth century BC became very significant for Rhodes: the inhabitants allied with Ptolemy I, king, against Antigonus I Monophthalmus of Macedonia.

In 305 BC. Antigonus sent his son Demetrius to destroy Rhodes for his political union with Egypt. The war, which lasted a year, ended with the defeat of Demetrius.

And, as we already know, in honor of the victory over the enemy, the inhabitants of Rhodes erected one of the tallest statues of the Ancient World.

Statue of the Colossus of Rhodes

According to Pliny the Elder, a Greek historian, the construction of the Colossus of Rhodes took 12 years. Hares, the sculptor, was given a condition: the statue must be taller than all known sculptures, and each finger of the Colossus must be larger than most statues.

Residents of the city were so surprised by the result of the sculptor Hares that they believed in eternal life statues and their indestructibility.

From the notes of Hares from Lindos, it became known that the height of the statue of the Colossus of Rhodes was about 33 meters, and the creation was erected on a 15-meter pedestal. For comparison, Great Pyramid in Giza, the only ancient miracle that has come down to us in almost unchanged form, originally had a height of 146 meters.

Another wonder of the world, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, created in the mid-fifth century BC, was about 12 meters in height.

The base of the Colossus was made of white marble, reinforced with a frame of iron and concrete and decorated with bronze plates.

According to some reports, about 15 tons of bronze were required to create the statue, as well as 9 tons of iron (although these figures are refuted by modern architects, who find them insufficient for the construction of a world-famous sculpture).

The sources also mention a poem that was engraved on the statue of the Colossus: To you, O Sun, the people of Rhodes dedicate this bronze statue, reaching all the way to Olympus.

By the way, the construction of the statue cost 300 talents (about 5 million dollars in modern money).

No one knows exactly what the Colossus statue looked like. We know that it was a man and that one of his hands was raised up.

Probably, the male figure was depicted without clothes or covered with cloth; on the head of the Colossus there could be a crown of sun rays(at least that’s how Helios was often portrayed).

Some historians suggest that the Colossus held a torch in his hand, his legs were spread on both sides of the harbor, and ships passed under him (this image is depicted in an engraving by Maarten Heemskerk in the 16th century AD.

Destruction of the Colossus

In 226 BC, an earthquake struck Rhodes and the statue was destroyed. It is said that the Egyptian king Ptolemy III wanted to pay craftsmen to restore the Colossus. However, the inhabitants of Rhodes, after conversations with the oracle, decided not to build a new statue, as they were sure that this act would offend the real god, Helios.

In 653, Rhodes was captured by the Arabs, and, as is known from the Chronicle of Theophanes the Confessor, the remains of the statue were melted down and sold to a Jewish merchant from Edessa.

For 900 years, huge pieces of the broken statue were found along the beaches of Rhodes. The surprising fact is that even the fragments of the statue were so huge that it was impossible not to notice them. Now the remains of what was once the greatest miracle of the ancient world are kept in a museum, and every year several thousand tourists from all over the planet come to Rhodes to see the preserved ruins with their own eyes.

In 2008, the government of Rhodes announced its desire to create a new, even larger Colossus, but this remained only in plans.