The Colossus of Rhodes. Version 2.0
Welcome to our readers on the iCover Blog Pages ! History, as you know, has every chance of repeating itself, but what seemed like a miracle yesterday may well become a reality today. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, a giant statue of the sun god Helios, known as the Colossus of Rhodes, is planned to be recreated by architects, civil engineers and archaeologists from four countries. In accordance with an existing project, the giant will be slightly different from the original: it will be almost 4.5 higher than its famous ancestor, and inside it will be a whole infrastructure, the vital activity of which will be supported thanks to the most modern technologies and renewable energy sources.
The Colossus of Rhodes (Greek Κολοσσός της Ρόδου) is the most ambitious and large-scale monument of the Hellenistic era, erected in 280 BC. e. the inhabitants of the Greek port city of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea in gratitude to his patron - the sun god Helios for the victory over 40,000 troops of Demetrius of Macedon (305 - 304 BC). The partially gigantic statue was built with funds from the sale of fragments of siege weapons left after the retreat of Demetrius. And the creator of the Colossus of Rhodes, according to information reflected in the chronicles, was the sculptor Hares, a student of Lysippos himself - the beloved sculptor and artist Alexander the Great.
The construction of the statue, which reached a height of about 33 meters (110 feet), lasted 12 years and was completed around 280 BC. e.
Farewell to the Colossus
Having stood guard over the island for six and a half decades at the turn of 222 - 226, 227 BC. e. The colossus of Rhodes fell, defeated by an earthquake, breaking in his knees and crumbling to pieces on the ground. “Even the fallen,” Pliny writes, “... it causes surprise and admiration. Not many people can grab his thumb on his hands. Extensive caves and masses of rock stones laid by the sculptor gap in two limbs broken.”
The wreckage of the statue has been lying on the earth for more than a millennium and subsequently, as some chronicles narrate, were sold by the Arabs who conquered Rhodes in 977. According to the chronicles, the export of fragments required, almost, 900 camels. There is no further evidence of the fate of the “remains” of Colossus of Rhodes, as there is no consensus on how authentic he looked and in what position he stood.
According to recent archaeological research, Colossus could stand on a hill overlooking the bay, where today stands a medieval castle. It was there that hewn stones were found in a multitude, which, according to archaeologists, filled the statues with the clay of the void.
The Colossus of Rhodes is ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, along with the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Of the Seven Wonders listed, only the Great Pyramid in Giza has survived to this day - it is the pyramid of Cheops.
Rebirth
Today, when the economic situation in Greece leaves much to be desired, the successful implementation of the project to recreate the prototype of the Colossus of Rhodes at the expense of large Greek philanthropists and international investors would help open up new perspectives for the island's inhabitants, create hundreds of jobs, ensure the influx of many millions of euros into the tourist infrastructure . And we have already managed to take something in this direction.
According to the original plan, work on which began at the turn of 2008, the Colossus was intended to be recreated in the form of the world's largest lighting installation, 60-100 meters high, which would be constantly visible both in the daytime, in the evening and at night. According to preliminary estimates, the project budget was estimated at 200 million euros and was supposed to be financed by an international group of investors, in particular, for donations from personal funds of the German philanthropist and artist Gert Hof. The project also found opponents from among Greek historians and archaeologists who argued that any modern interpretation of the statue would not revive, but desecrate the country's cultural heritage. However, the Rhodossians themselves, for lack of an alternative, at that time took the news quite positively.
After 7 years from the beginning of the preparatory work, carried out with varying success, in the light of events taking place in the state and disagreements on key organizational and ethical issues, the above-described project was not continued.
Project Ari A. Palla
Today, the people of Rhodes seem to have a chance to wait for their centuries-old dreams to come true. In 2015, a team of young scientists and specialists, which included architects, civil engineers, economists and archaeologists from Greece, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, presented a detailed project plan for the restoration of the Colossus of the Rhodes municipality of Rhodes. According to the project developers, the 150-meter giant will become not only a window into history and a monument to the cultural and historical heritage of all Greece, but also a kind of symbol of the possibilities of modern technology and a serious source of income, both for private investors who participated in the project, and for the city treasury.
In 3-4 years, the statue of the Greek god of the Sun may rise to its full height at the mouth of the harbor of Rhodes
Inside the statue there will be a spacious museum, library and cultural center. From above, in a raised hand, the prototype of the god of the Sun, a lighthouse is conceived, the lights of which can be seen from distances of 34 miles, an observation deck and a restaurant for tourists.
Rising 150 meters above sea level, the Colossus will serve as a lighthouse, the lights of which can be seen at a distance of 34 miles from the coast.
“We did not aim to create a monster that instills in those who look at it for the first time a sense of danger and threat, as was the case with the original over 2200 years ago,” says Ari A. Palla , development manager, architect from Rhodeson the project’s website ... - We took a fundamentally different position, proposing a new concept for the lighthouse and the museum of unique artifacts. Renewable energy will fully cover the energy costs of the entire infrastructure. Unlike our ancient ancestor, our Colossus is not afraid of earthquakes and increased wind load.
We hope that our work will help Rhodes restore its historical value as a cultural bridge connecting three continents, a tourism center that attracts a huge number of visitors annually.
We plan to build a modern structure, a technological structure, not imitating the motives of the original sculpture, but in order to make our small contribution to the world page of history and the economic growth of Rhodes and Greece.
We hope that our project will be able to provide jobs that Rhodes, like the whole of Greece, is in dire need of today and will help stimulate the development of the entire local economy. That is why, in addition to architects and engineers, our group includes expert economists. And they are convinced that the Colossus, in its modern interpretation, will bring an investment stream to the island’s treasury and extend the tourist season to 12 months. ”
The colossus is designed taking into account the risk of earthquakes and wind load.
In accordance with the project plan, a museum, library and cultural center will be located inside the building.
Inside the building there will be hundreds of artifacts gathering dust in the pantries of the island's residents today.
Successful implementation of the project will bring millions of investments into the local economy
It is assumed that the project will be able to be completed in 3-4 years with an investment of 240-260 million euros received as part of a single European financing initiative and through crowdfunding opportunities.
It is especially noted that the financial burden associated with the implementation of the project will in no way affect the welfare of the population. The museum, in accordance with the project, will occupy most of the useful space of the structure. In addition to the exposition of historical artifacts, a library and a cultural center, an observation deck and a restaurant for tourists at the highest point are provided. All engineering services of the complex are non-volatile from external city networks, since the Colossus, as befits God Helios, will be "fed" by solar energy.
The project has already received the approval of the Mayor of Rhodes Fotis Hatsidiakos, which increases his chances of becoming successful.
Sources:
colossusrhodes.com
unmuseum.org
dailymail.co.uk
ancient-origins.net
Dear readers, we are always happy to meet and wait for you on the pages of our blog. We are ready to continue to share with you the latest news, review materials and other publications, and will try to do our best to make the time spent with us useful for you. And, of course, do not forget to subscribe to our columns .
Our other articles and events
The Colossus of Rhodes (Greek Κολοσσός της Ρόδου) is the most ambitious and large-scale monument of the Hellenistic era, erected in 280 BC. e. the inhabitants of the Greek port city of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea in gratitude to his patron - the sun god Helios for the victory over 40,000 troops of Demetrius of Macedon (305 - 304 BC). The partially gigantic statue was built with funds from the sale of fragments of siege weapons left after the retreat of Demetrius. And the creator of the Colossus of Rhodes, according to information reflected in the chronicles, was the sculptor Hares, a student of Lysippos himself - the beloved sculptor and artist Alexander the Great.
The construction of the statue, which reached a height of about 33 meters (110 feet), lasted 12 years and was completed around 280 BC. e.
The Ups and Downs of the Colossus
According to the evidence of ancient historians, the siege of Rhodes by Demetrius of Macedon lasted almost a year. The army of Demetrius numbered 40,000 well-trained warriors, which in number exceeded the entire population of Rhodes. He was assisted by an Aegean pirate in a reward campaign. Rhodes was protected by a high wall, which forced the attackers to use wooden siege towers, which were planned to be moved close to the walls of the fortress. According to the chroniclers, Demetrius had almost built a tower, "six ships tall", but a storm that suddenly broke out turned it into chips. So the decisive battle was won by the Rhodossians, and never started.
Not intending to retreat, Demetrius builds another siege tower, Helepolis, weighing 160 tons, 150 feet high and 75 feet at the base. The tower moved on giant metal wheels, and on top of it were placed catapults and incredible in size water tanks in case of fire from burning arrows. An unexpected obstacle was not so much the ditch around the fortress wall as the fleet that arrived from Egypt to help the islanders. Demetrius, assessing the situation and the balance of power, was forced to stop the offensive, abandon the giant siege towers and conclude a peace treaty with Ptolemy, the ruler of Rhodes.
In honor of the victory and their patron god Helios, the inhabitants of Rhodes decided to erect a giant statue, and as a material for it they suggested using bronze fragments of the design of siege vehicles left on the battlefield. The wooden parts of the monumental structures were subsequently used as scaffolding for the project. Parts of many siege machines were sold, and the proceeds went to pay for the sculptor Hares.
According to the Greek historian Pliny the Elder, who lived several centuries after the construction of the Colossus, the construction lasted 12 years and was completed by 280 BC. To realize the collective plan of the Rhodians, the student of Lesippa, the sculptor Hares, took an active part in the defense of the city. According to the initial draft, the statue’s height was to be ten times higher than human height, i.e., about 18 meters. A little later, after doubling the amount originally paid to Hares, the Rhodossians wanted to see their Colossus, twice as high as originally planned. It was too late to abandon the original plan and Hares was trapped, because in order to realize the wishes of customers and increase the growth of the statue by half, the amount of material required to maintain the proportions had to be increased eightfold. So a sculptor,
The limited means and materials made Hares show the wonders of engineering. The base was made of white marble. Clay was applied to the metal frame of the statue, on top of which was a bronze coating. The construction of the grandiose sculpture took 500 talents of bronze and 300 talents of iron, (1 talent = weight 26.027 liters of water, i.e. ≈ 26 kg (at + 4 ° C)), i.e., about 13 and 8 tons, respectively. The total weight of the statue, filled with rocky rock, according to sources, reached in terms of 160 tons. Today, these numbers look ridiculous, but at the wrong time.
According to some sources, instead of forests, Hares used a phased embankment around the perimeter of the erected statue and then a thrombose earthen embankment. After the work was completed, the embankment was removed and the gaze of the astonished families appeared to a bronze young man with a crown of rays on his head on a white marble pedestal, peering into the vast sea distance. The statue was installed at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and was viewed from afar from sailing ships and neighboring islands.
Not intending to retreat, Demetrius builds another siege tower, Helepolis, weighing 160 tons, 150 feet high and 75 feet at the base. The tower moved on giant metal wheels, and on top of it were placed catapults and incredible in size water tanks in case of fire from burning arrows. An unexpected obstacle was not so much the ditch around the fortress wall as the fleet that arrived from Egypt to help the islanders. Demetrius, assessing the situation and the balance of power, was forced to stop the offensive, abandon the giant siege towers and conclude a peace treaty with Ptolemy, the ruler of Rhodes.
In honor of the victory and their patron god Helios, the inhabitants of Rhodes decided to erect a giant statue, and as a material for it they suggested using bronze fragments of the design of siege vehicles left on the battlefield. The wooden parts of the monumental structures were subsequently used as scaffolding for the project. Parts of many siege machines were sold, and the proceeds went to pay for the sculptor Hares.
According to the Greek historian Pliny the Elder, who lived several centuries after the construction of the Colossus, the construction lasted 12 years and was completed by 280 BC. To realize the collective plan of the Rhodians, the student of Lesippa, the sculptor Hares, took an active part in the defense of the city. According to the initial draft, the statue’s height was to be ten times higher than human height, i.e., about 18 meters. A little later, after doubling the amount originally paid to Hares, the Rhodossians wanted to see their Colossus, twice as high as originally planned. It was too late to abandon the original plan and Hares was trapped, because in order to realize the wishes of customers and increase the growth of the statue by half, the amount of material required to maintain the proportions had to be increased eightfold. So a sculptor,
The limited means and materials made Hares show the wonders of engineering. The base was made of white marble. Clay was applied to the metal frame of the statue, on top of which was a bronze coating. The construction of the grandiose sculpture took 500 talents of bronze and 300 talents of iron, (1 talent = weight 26.027 liters of water, i.e. ≈ 26 kg (at + 4 ° C)), i.e., about 13 and 8 tons, respectively. The total weight of the statue, filled with rocky rock, according to sources, reached in terms of 160 tons. Today, these numbers look ridiculous, but at the wrong time.
According to some sources, instead of forests, Hares used a phased embankment around the perimeter of the erected statue and then a thrombose earthen embankment. After the work was completed, the embankment was removed and the gaze of the astonished families appeared to a bronze young man with a crown of rays on his head on a white marble pedestal, peering into the vast sea distance. The statue was installed at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and was viewed from afar from sailing ships and neighboring islands.
Farewell to the Colossus
Having stood guard over the island for six and a half decades at the turn of 222 - 226, 227 BC. e. The colossus of Rhodes fell, defeated by an earthquake, breaking in his knees and crumbling to pieces on the ground. “Even the fallen,” Pliny writes, “... it causes surprise and admiration. Not many people can grab his thumb on his hands. Extensive caves and masses of rock stones laid by the sculptor gap in two limbs broken.”
The wreckage of the statue has been lying on the earth for more than a millennium and subsequently, as some chronicles narrate, were sold by the Arabs who conquered Rhodes in 977. According to the chronicles, the export of fragments required, almost, 900 camels. There is no further evidence of the fate of the “remains” of Colossus of Rhodes, as there is no consensus on how authentic he looked and in what position he stood.
According to recent archaeological research, Colossus could stand on a hill overlooking the bay, where today stands a medieval castle. It was there that hewn stones were found in a multitude, which, according to archaeologists, filled the statues with the clay of the void.
The Colossus of Rhodes is ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, along with the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Of the Seven Wonders listed, only the Great Pyramid in Giza has survived to this day - it is the pyramid of Cheops.
Rebirth
Today, when the economic situation in Greece leaves much to be desired, the successful implementation of the project to recreate the prototype of the Colossus of Rhodes at the expense of large Greek philanthropists and international investors would help open up new perspectives for the island's inhabitants, create hundreds of jobs, ensure the influx of many millions of euros into the tourist infrastructure . And we have already managed to take something in this direction.
According to the original plan, work on which began at the turn of 2008, the Colossus was intended to be recreated in the form of the world's largest lighting installation, 60-100 meters high, which would be constantly visible both in the daytime, in the evening and at night. According to preliminary estimates, the project budget was estimated at 200 million euros and was supposed to be financed by an international group of investors, in particular, for donations from personal funds of the German philanthropist and artist Gert Hof. The project also found opponents from among Greek historians and archaeologists who argued that any modern interpretation of the statue would not revive, but desecrate the country's cultural heritage. However, the Rhodossians themselves, for lack of an alternative, at that time took the news quite positively.
After 7 years from the beginning of the preparatory work, carried out with varying success, in the light of events taking place in the state and disagreements on key organizational and ethical issues, the above-described project was not continued.
Project Ari A. Palla
Today, the people of Rhodes seem to have a chance to wait for their centuries-old dreams to come true. In 2015, a team of young scientists and specialists, which included architects, civil engineers, economists and archaeologists from Greece, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, presented a detailed project plan for the restoration of the Colossus of the Rhodes municipality of Rhodes. According to the project developers, the 150-meter giant will become not only a window into history and a monument to the cultural and historical heritage of all Greece, but also a kind of symbol of the possibilities of modern technology and a serious source of income, both for private investors who participated in the project, and for the city treasury.
In 3-4 years, the statue of the Greek god of the Sun may rise to its full height at the mouth of the harbor of Rhodes
Inside the statue there will be a spacious museum, library and cultural center. From above, in a raised hand, the prototype of the god of the Sun, a lighthouse is conceived, the lights of which can be seen from distances of 34 miles, an observation deck and a restaurant for tourists.
Rising 150 meters above sea level, the Colossus will serve as a lighthouse, the lights of which can be seen at a distance of 34 miles from the coast.
“We did not aim to create a monster that instills in those who look at it for the first time a sense of danger and threat, as was the case with the original over 2200 years ago,” says Ari A. Palla , development manager, architect from Rhodeson the project’s website ... - We took a fundamentally different position, proposing a new concept for the lighthouse and the museum of unique artifacts. Renewable energy will fully cover the energy costs of the entire infrastructure. Unlike our ancient ancestor, our Colossus is not afraid of earthquakes and increased wind load.
We hope that our work will help Rhodes restore its historical value as a cultural bridge connecting three continents, a tourism center that attracts a huge number of visitors annually.
We plan to build a modern structure, a technological structure, not imitating the motives of the original sculpture, but in order to make our small contribution to the world page of history and the economic growth of Rhodes and Greece.
We hope that our project will be able to provide jobs that Rhodes, like the whole of Greece, is in dire need of today and will help stimulate the development of the entire local economy. That is why, in addition to architects and engineers, our group includes expert economists. And they are convinced that the Colossus, in its modern interpretation, will bring an investment stream to the island’s treasury and extend the tourist season to 12 months. ”
The colossus is designed taking into account the risk of earthquakes and wind load.
In accordance with the project plan, a museum, library and cultural center will be located inside the building.
Inside the building there will be hundreds of artifacts gathering dust in the pantries of the island's residents today.
Successful implementation of the project will bring millions of investments into the local economy
It is assumed that the project will be able to be completed in 3-4 years with an investment of 240-260 million euros received as part of a single European financing initiative and through crowdfunding opportunities.
It is especially noted that the financial burden associated with the implementation of the project will in no way affect the welfare of the population. The museum, in accordance with the project, will occupy most of the useful space of the structure. In addition to the exposition of historical artifacts, a library and a cultural center, an observation deck and a restaurant for tourists at the highest point are provided. All engineering services of the complex are non-volatile from external city networks, since the Colossus, as befits God Helios, will be "fed" by solar energy.
The project has already received the approval of the Mayor of Rhodes Fotis Hatsidiakos, which increases his chances of becoming successful.
Sources:
colossusrhodes.com
unmuseum.org
dailymail.co.uk
ancient-origins.net
Dear readers, we are always happy to meet and wait for you on the pages of our blog. We are ready to continue to share with you the latest news, review materials and other publications, and will try to do our best to make the time spent with us useful for you. And, of course, do not forget to subscribe to our columns .
Our other articles and events