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When most people think of the seven wonders of the ancient world, they usually think of pyramids. Some of them know that the Colossus of Rhodes is simply put, amazing. Some people believe that it was a small statuette to a Dorian King, but evidence proves that it was an enormous statue. Memoirs, journals, and diaries tell wonderful stories about the Colossus, and are pretty much all the same. Some exaggerations on its thick layers of gold were not true, but the Colossus was composed heavily of copper, steel, iron, and an outside coating of marble.
Some say that it was as tall as the sky, but that was one of the many exaggerations. However, it was approximately 140 feet tall, which is equivalent to a modern day fourteen-story building. I dont know about you, but a statue that tall without the modern day technology that we have today blows my mind. Many also believe that it straddled the harbor the entrance of the Mediterranean island of Greece.
That is a false statement. It was on one side of the harbor. (Thompson 98) The Colossus of Rhodes was built by the Dorians to praise their sun god. When a peace treaty was ordered between the Dorians and the Arabs, the statue began its long awaited construction. No one really knows how long it took to complete this statue, but they do know how and when the Colossus of Rhodes fell from its feet. (McGuire 82) When an earthquake rumbled all throughout the country the amazing statue broke in 226 B. C.
on its weakest point, his knees. The statue stood high, according to record, for 26 years from the peace treaty up until the day of the earthquake. (Weimer 222) You might ask yourself why it wasnt reconstructed. For one, a lot of the pieces of marble, steel, and iron fell to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, so a lot of the pieces were missing. They also lost everyone who help build it because of the short human lifespan of the ancient times.
Everyone who helped build the statue died of pneumonia, common colds, the flu, and the earthquake. The Dorians also did not have enough money to recreate such a construction. (McGuire 137) The statue of their sun god was now lying in millions of pieces. For nearly a century the remains of the monument were lying there untouched because the people still went to the site to give their respects. In 649 A.
D. however, the Arabs invaded Rhodes and disassembled the pieces and sold them to traders. To get an idea of how large the statue was, it took nearly 900 camels to transport all of the remains. (Thompson 177) In conclusion, the Colossus of Rhodes, in the eyes of many people, is perhaps the greatest statue of ever known to man. I think that the modern day Indiana Jones should leave it a mystery on how the Dorians made such a great statue. If we figured out all of the puzzles in life, we would have nothing left to think about, discuss in classes, or wonder about. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Peace Treaty Sun God
