Rhodes

Colossus of Rhodes

Rhodes is the best known of the Dodecanese with a good nightlife and other facilities for the gregarious such as plenty of restaurants and casinos. In ancient times it was the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, a massive statue of the sun god Helios that stood guard over the harbour. Modern illustrations conventionally show the Colossus standing astride the harbour entrance. But, as Perrottet comments in his Route 66 A.D. : On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists,it would have been impossible for such a structure to have been cast at the time. Instead Helios stood erect, with almost a military bearing and holding a torch aloft.

Perrottet observes (page 204) that even this structure was unstable and only survived in its upright position for some 50 years before the earthquake of 226 BC snapped Helios off at the knees and sent it crashing to the ground. But it was still imposing even after its fall. Perrottet quotes the Roman writer Pliny who clambered over and inside the statue in the 1st century AD:

"Few people can even put their arms around the figure's thumb, and each of its fingers is larger than most statues. Where the limbs have been broken off, enormous cavities yawn, and inside can be seen great masses of rock, which the artists used to steady the figure."

Today. the Colossus is no more and the most dominating features overlooking the harbour of Rhodes are the 15th century fortifications built by the Knights of St John.

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