Wonders of theAncient World: The Colossus of Rhodes

One of the origional seven wonders of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes was built in honor of the sun god Helios to commemorate Rhodes' victory over an invading army. According to Roman writer Pliny the Elder the emmense statue took 12 years to build and when it was finally finished in 280BC it was said to have stood 32m tall. Made of bronze, with an iron inner structure, the Colossus stood watch over the harbor for less than 60 years before being toppled by an earthquake. For the next 800 years the statue lay in ruins where it fell until it was sold and melted down for scrap around 650AD. Today there is nothing left of the staute today and even the location of where it stood is not fully understood.