Keywords
Rhodes, Colossus of Rhodes, ancient history, tourism, Greek mythology, Acropolis of Lindos, Adrian Bordrez, historical significance, travel destinations, ancient wonders
Summary
In this conversation, Stephen Parker explores the rich history of Rhodes, focusing on its significance in ancient trade and military strategy. The discussion delves into the iconic Colossus of Rhodes, its construction, and the reasons behind its eventual demise. Adrian Bordrez, a tourist guide, shares insights into the ancient ruins of Rhodes, including the Acropolis of Lindos, and the cultural importance of these historical sites. The conversation highlights the blend of mythology, history, and tourism that makes Rhodes a captivating destination.
Takeaways
- Rhodes played a pivotal role in ancient trade and military strategy.
- The Colossus of Rhodes was erected to honor the sun god Helios.
- The statue stood for only 54 years before collapsing in an earthquake.
- Lindos is a significant ancient site dedicated to the goddess Athena.
- The construction of the Colossus was a response to a military siege.
- Rhodians were known for their active participative democracy.
- The Colossus was built by the sculptor Charis of Lindos.
- The statue’s remains were never rebuilt due to divine superstition.
- The Colossus was a symbol of human ambition and divine retribution.
- The story of the Colossus reflects the cultural heritage of ancient Greece.
Sound Bites
“How did the Colossus come to exist?”
“Do we rebuild the Colossus or not?”
“It’s all melted.”
Timeline
00:00 – Introduction
00:10 – Exploring Rhodes
01:19 – The Ancient Ruins of Rhodes
02:17 – The Acropolis of Lindos
02:58 – The Origins of the Colossus of Rhodes
04:00 – The Siege of Rhodes
05:10 – Victory and the Creation of the Colossus
06:28 – The Construction of the Colossus
08:10 – The Destruction of the Colossus
09:12 – The Oracle’s Prophecy and the Fate of the Colossus
13:1o – Conclusion
Transcript
Introduction (00.01)
Stephen Parker: Welcome to the Take Me to Europe podcast with your host, cultural anthropologist Monique Skidmore.
Exploring Rhodes (00.10)
Monique Skidmore: Today we’re traveling to one of the most beautiful islands in the world, Rhodes. This is an island with many natural harbors, in a strategic position between the great trading civilizations of the world. With shipping no longer the dominant form of trade, travel, and military conquest, it’s hard to understand just how pivotal islands like Rhodes were to global trade and militarization.
As my guest today told me, all roads may lead to Rome, but they all go past Rhodes. We’ll be hearing from Rhodes tourist guide Adrian Bordrez about another of those subjects we hear about as children but never really know much about—the Colossus of Rhodes.
This enormous statue captured world imagination as it stood at the entrance to the harbor in Rhodes. It was erected in 280 BCE, but it fell over in an earthquake after only 54 years. It lay there beside the harbor for 800 years. Why didn’t the Rhodians reconstruct their marvelous statue to their sun god? We’ll find out today.
The Ancient Ruins of Rhodes (01:19)
Monique Skidmore:Rhodes is one of the most popular European travel destinations, and it’s so easy to see why—it’s absolutely beautiful, and it’s not a tiny island. If you’ve experienced the crush of crowds in midsummer on other beautiful Greek islands like Santorini, you’ll appreciate the size of Rhodes.
This is the largest of the islands in the Dodecanese island group, and it has acted as a kind of border between the southern Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean.
So in order to learn what was going on in ancient Rhodes and why the poor Colossus was never put back together again, let’s welcome my guest today—tour guide and trainer for the European Federation of Tourist Guides, Adrian Baudrez.
Adrian, I’m going to come on in a minute to ask you the fascinating story about the Colossus of Rhodes, but first, I wanted to just touch on the main ancient ruins left on Rhodes.
So if we’re going to travel to Rhodes now, what are the main things that we should see?
The Acropolis of Lindos (02:17)
Adrian Bordrez: Concerning ancient history, Rhodes has one of the most popular and most visited sites in Greece—the very famous Acropolis of Lindos. Lindos is still the third most visited monument in Greece.
In ancient times, Lindos was considered to be one of the first places where there was a sacrifice organized in honor of the goddess Athena on the day of her birth.
For ancient Greek consciousness, it was one of the best places to honor the goddess Athena. In its beginnings, Lindos was a cosmopolitan pilgrimage site, visited by Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans.
The Origins of the Colossus of Rhodes (02:58)
Monique Skidmore: It just sounds fantastic and certainly something people should be putting on their bucket lists. Now, like all great stories, we’ve got an even better one to come, which is the story of how the sixth ancient wonder of the world, the Colossus of Rhodes, came about. So how did it come to exist?
Adrian Bordrez: The Colossus came to exist during a crucial period in Rhodian history. It was the beginning of the history of the new capital.
There were originally three city-states, but the Rhodians, understanding the need for unity, decided to create a new capital in 408 BCE. Just one century after its foundation, the Rhodians faced one of the largest armies of their time.
The Siege of Rhodes (04:00)
Adrian Bordrez: We all know that in the 4th century BCE, the major historical event was the conquests of Alexander the Great. The Rhodians were in the middle of these conflicts.
Antigon the One-Eyed, one of Alexander’s greatest generals, asked the Rhodians to support his attack on the Ptolemies of Egypt. However, the Rhodians had strong trade ties with the Ptolemies, buying grain from the Nile Delta and reselling it to other Greek states. As a result, they refused Antigon’s request.
In retaliation, Antigon’s son, Demetrius the City-Taker, arrived in Rhodes in 304 BCE with 40,000 men—the largest besieging force of the time. He brought siege engines, catapults mounted on ships, and 40-meter-high besieging towers covered in metal plates to prevent them from being set on fire.
Victory and the Creation of the Colossus (05:10)
Adrian Bordrez: Despite overwhelming odds, the Rhodians successfully defended their city for a year. They had excellent engineers, strong logistics, and the support of the Ptolemies. Eventually, Demetrius was forced to withdraw, leaving behind all his besieging machines.
The Rhodians, skilled merchants and traders, sold this abandoned war equipment and raised an enormous sum—about 300 talents (7.5 tons of silver). With this wealth, they decided to honor their protector, the sun god Helios.
The Construction of the Colossus (06:28)
Monique Skidmore: And this was to Helios, the sun god?
Adrian Bordrez: Yes. The Rhodians, with their participative democracy, made the decision in 292 BCE to build the largest statue ever made. They commissioned Chares of Lindos, a student of Lysippus, the personal sculptor of Alexander the Great.
The construction took 12 years, and the Colossus, standing 33 meters high, was completed in 280 BCE. However, its sculptor, Chares, died soon after, adding to the legend that the statue was cursed.
The Destruction of the Colossus (08:10)
Adrian Bordrez: Despite its strong engineering, the Colossus was destroyed in a massive earthquake in 227 BCE, which devastated the entire island of Rhodes.
Monique Skidmore: But how fascinating that it was created from siege engines, Adrian. Why did it lay there on the ground? Why wasn’t it reconstructed?
The Oracle’s Prophecy and the Fate of the Colossus (09:12)
Adrian Bordrez: After the earthquake, the Rhodians believed it was a divine punishment and feared offending the gods by rebuilding the statue. To confirm their suspicions, they consulted the Oracle of Delphi.
It was only in 653 AD that the Saracens from Syria gathered the remains of the Colossus—about 20 tons of copper and iron—and sold it in the Oriental markets, where it was melted down.
Conclusion (13:10)
Monique Skidmore: I’d like to thank tour guide extraordinaire Adrian Bordrez for showing us around the ancient cities of Rhodes and telling us the fascinating story of the sixth wonder of the ancient world, the Colossus of Rhodes.
Stephen Parker: Thanks for listening to this episode of Take Me to Europe podcast. Hop onto our website takemetoeuropetours.com and sign up for our newsletter to learn more about Europe’s hidden and most exciting destinations. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast series!
