Knights - Mythical Cigar Box Label Theme sub13x

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Colossus of Rhodes
Rhodes, Greece 282 BC
One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World
From its building to its destruction lies a time span of merely 56 years. Yet the Colossus earned a place in the famous list of Wonders.

The construction of the Colossus (a statue of the Greek sun god, Helios) took 12 years and was finished in 282 BC. For years, the statue stood at the harbor entrance (allegedly), until a strong earthquake hit Rhodes about 226 BC. The city was badly damaged, and the Colossus was broken at its weakest point -- the knee.

Side Note:
It has long been believed that the Colossus stood in front of the Mandraki harbor, one of many in the city of Rhodes, straddling its entrance. Given the height of the statue and the width of the harbor mouth, this picture is rather impossible than improbable. Moreover, the fallen Colossus would have blocked the harbor entrance. Recent studies suggest that it was erected either on the eastern promontory of the Mandraki harbor, or even further inland. Anyway, it never did straddle the harbor entrance.