Colossus of Rhodes

Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, statue of Helios, the sun god, erected c.290–280 B.C. by the sculptor Chares of Lindos in the harbor of Rhodes. The statue, made of bronze and 100 ft (30 m) high, commemorated the island's successful defense against an invasion in 304 B.C. There is no truth to the medieval legend that the statue straddled the harbor. The Colossus broke off at the knee in an earthquake in 224 B.C. and lay in ruins until A.D. 672, when Arab raiders broke it up and sold it for scrap.

See also: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.