Greece and Rhodes: a new Colossus

The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and it is possible it could be again. An international team of engineers and architects, leaded by Aris A. Pallas, launched a project for the statue of the god Helios be rebuilt, given the earthquake that destroyed it in 280 B.C. At that time, Ptolemaeus III claimed for rebuilding at his own expense but Rhodians did not want because the Oracle of Delphi had said that the Gods had destroyed the statue because they were not satisfied of it.
According to the project, spite of what the oracles used to tell in ancient times, the new Colossus will be more than 443 feet (135 metres), will be realized in 3/4 years, and will cost €250 million, hopefully obtained thanks to international sponsorships, EU fundings or crowdfunging forms.
It will stand in the harbour, like in the Old Greece and as a sort of Statue of Liberty in the Mediterranean Sea (and please
note it will be tall one and a half times the Statue of Liberty).

Helios’ skin will be covered with solar pannels, which will provide electricity for the lighthouse and the facilities inside; the entire structure, also provided of (and supported by) a third strut hidden in the statue’s robe and a computer – controlled suspension system, will house a library, some shops, a museum and a lighthouse to guide ships, for an income of €35 million a year and the enlargement of the tourism season from 4 to 12 months.
Aris A. Pallas (a surname, a destiny), asked by the Times for the actual goal of the project, said:

“We want to show that Greece can get back on its feet again; that it has the power and people to do so, and that the economy here can recover. We’re not out to replicate the ancient Colossus. We want to revive the symbolism it imbued, pooling human and financial resources together from across the globe, making it an emblem of globalisation while reviving the historical and cultural significance traditionally attached to the Colossus of Rhodes.”

Coming back to the Antiquity, Colossus of Rhodes actually was a big one; old Romans, Greeks and Mediterranean people used to visit it during their holidays, also after the earthquake, just for what was survived. Plinius the Younger wrote that the thumb lying on the ground was so great that no one could close in his arms. Fingers and other debris bronze were lost in anything in 653 AD when – after the Arabic invasion of the island – a merchant uploaded 900 camels with the remaining staff, charging on a ship directed to an unknown destination .
Just to be precise, hereafter, the entire list of the seven wonders of the Ancient World:

  1. the Colossus of Rhodes;
  2. the Artemision (the Temple of Artemis) at Ephesus;
  3. the Great Pyramid of Giza;
  4. the Hanging Gardens of Babylon;
  5. the Statue of Zeus at Olympia;
  6. the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus;
  7. the Lighthouse of Alexandria.

Sources: The Telegraph, The Times, official website, personal education

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