All our roaming leads to Rhodes
The Island of Rhodes was our first port of call. It's best known as the location of Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Wikipedia tells us:
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The first known list of seven wonders dates back to the 2nd–1st century BC. While the entries have varied over the centuries, the seven traditional wonders are the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon... Of the seven wonders, only the Pyramid of Giza, which is also by far the oldest of the wonders, still remains standing, while the others have been destroyed over the centuries... Instead of "wonders", the ancient Greeks spoke of "theamata" (θεάματα), "things to be seen"... Hence, the list was meant to be the Ancient World's counterpart of a travel guidebook. |
You can see the Great Pyramid and a remnant of the Temple of Artemis elsewhere on this website but not a pinch of dust remains of the others, long fallen and looted for bronze, stone etc.
The Colossus was a huge (for the time) statue of the Greek sun god Helios, erected by Chares of Lindos in 280 BCE. Actual contemporary records tell us he was constructed to celebrate the successful defence of Rhodes city against an attack by Demetrius I of Macedon, who had besieged the island for a year. It collapsed during an earthquake in 226 BCE and lay in ruins for some time.
Tourists are, erroneously, encouraged to believe that he stood astride this little harbour mouth.
Most scholars believe he stood to one side and was about two thirds the height and in a similar pose to the Statue of Liberty, holding a similar torch. This is not surprising, as the design of the Statue was based on historical descriptions of the Colossus.
Yet, the actual location of the Colossus is disputed by some scholars and the Acropolis of Rhodes, which stood on a hill that overlooks the port area, is another plausible location.
The ruins of a large temple, traditionally thought to have been dedicated to Apollo, are situated at the highest point of the hill. Archaeologist Ursula Vedder believes that the structure was a Helios sanctuary, and a portion of its remaining foundation could have provided a platform for the Colossus.
Remnants of the Acropolis of Rhodes
In other respects, Rhodes resembles other Greek islands and is popular with holiday makers and other tourists. Like me, for example. It's my second visit here.
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Rhodes - tourist/shopper paradise - unless you are into sand and surf - then there are better island choices