
Recent research indicates that it was erected either on the eastern promontory of Mandraki harbor or further inland.Īlthough we do not know the true shape and appearance of the Rhodes Statue, modern reconstructions of the statue standing upright are more accurate than older drawings. The Rhodes Statue was on the island of Rhodes, the largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands in the Mediterranean. However, despite the destruction of the statue along with its remains, which are no longer found nowadays, one thing is for sure – this unique piece of ancient art will remain a true work of genius. Unfortunately, the huge and tall Rhodes Statue, symbolizing victory and unity, ended up in the trade market for metal scraps alone. One thing is certain, he did not stand with his legs stretched out to the harbor entrance, as depicted in many medieval drawings. Today, no one is quite sure what the Rhodes Statue looks like or what its stance is. Metal scraps were brought to trade markets and sold. However, later in AD 654, Arab traders came to the island and bought broken bronze pieces and started trading. All these years some tourists have visited the site. Rhodes Statue Ruins, Last Statusīroken pieces of the Colossus, made of bronze, remained there for nearly 800 years, as no one used the statue’s remains or tried to reconstruct it. It represented the Greek God Helios and was built to thank the gods in honor of Demetrius Poliorcetes’ victory over the protracted siege of Rhodes (305 BC). The statue of Helios, also known as the Colossus of Rhodes, influenced his plans for the eventual construction of Libertas, the subject of the Statue of Liberty ( bit.ly/3fheoj1 ).īartholdi was ultimately not commissioned for the work due to budgetary restraints, but he revisited these early models when designing what is now known as the Statue of Liberty, formally entitled “Liberty Enlightening the World.” ( ).Colossus of Rhodes Statue was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

#Helios statue replica series#
The proposed work was entitled “Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia.” ( bit.ly/2Dv9Vet and bit.ly/2ZVYVOJ ).īerenson writes, “Bartholdi produced a series of drawings in which the proposed statue began as a gigantic female fellah, or Arab peasant and gradually evolved into a colossal goddess…” The final rendering for this monument, Berenson notes, was perched on a pedestal in loose-fitting robes holding a torch above its head ( bit.ly/30bGfuH ).īartholdi had also studied ancient classical figures of massive proportions. The early designs of this statue, per the work of scholars Barry Moreno and Edward Berenson, took the form of a veiled, peasant woman.

Declaration of Independence ( here ).īartholdi had proposed a monumental figure of a “robe-clad woman representing Egypt” during the construction of the Suez Canal in Egypt in the 1850s. While Egypt rejected the idea as too costly, Bartholdi’s initial vision of an “Arab peasant” evolved into one of a “colossal goddess” that he’d later apply to his Statue of Liberty design ( here ). In 1876, French craftsmen and artisans started construction of the statue in France, designed by sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi as a celebration of the centennial of the U.S. The original was refused by America so they made a new one with a white face on it! BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU WE ARE QUEENS!!!”Įxamples of this claim are visible here and here.
#Helios statue replica full#
The full text of the post reads, “The original statue was a black woman given to us by France to pay homage to the slaves that were brought here by force.

The Statue of Liberty is seen on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, U.S., May 16, 2019.
