Who Built the Colossus of Rhodes?
When the Macedonian empire fell to pieces, the Rhodians –their allies- developed close political and trade relationships with the Ptolemy Dynasty of Egypt. The Syrian King Antigonus, sent his son, Demetrius Poliorketes, in the summer of 305 BC to conquer the town of Rhodes. The Rhodians resisted the siege for almost a year and the general was forces to leave in haste, abandoning his famous siege equipment behind. To celebrate the victory, the Rhodians decided to build a statue dedicated to the god Helios. In order to pay for the statue, they sold the siege equipment that Demetrius left behind. Ancient texts described the Colossus as a structure built around several tower of blocks, standing on a marble pedestal near the Mandraki harbor entrance. Other sources say that the statue was built on a breakwater in the harbor. Iron beams were placed on the stone towers and the bronze plates attached to the beams to form the skinning. The upper part was built with the use of an earthen ramp. Th
