The Colossus of Rhodes
From Chares’s commission to the earthquake that shattered it, the documentary follows the creation, destruction, and enduring myth of the ancient bronze wonder.
Chapters
On-screen text
- 0:07 Commission and Vision
- 0:14 Commission and Vision
- 0:31 Rhodians hire Chares after 305 BC victory Historical record · Strabo, Geography 14.2.5
- 0:49 Chares, pupil of Lysippos, learned new proportions Historical record · Plutarch, Life of Lysander 19.2
- 1:16 Rhodes famed as “island of the Sun,” per Polybius The Institute's interpretation · Polybius, Histories 5.23
- 1:25 Building the Giant
- 1:32 Building the Giant
- 1:49 Bronze shell over iron framework, per Philo The Institute's interpretation · Philo of Byzantium, Mechanics 12.2
- 2:07 Height ~33 m per Vitruvius The Institute's interpretation · Vitruvius, De Architectura 2.9.13
- 2:25 Inscription marks dedication site at Mandraki Historical record · IG I³ 1 (Rhodes inscription, 3rd c. BC)
- 2:43 Pedestal blocks unearthed 1885, now in museum Historical record · French excavation, 1885, Musée archéologique de Rhodes
- 3:01 Bronze Helios head, possible Colossus fragment Historical record · British Museum, BM 125 (bronze head of Helios, 1st c. BC)
- 3:19 Triumph and Tragedy
- 3:35 Completed 280 BC after 12 years, per Diodorus Historical record · Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica 5.57.3
- 3:53 Earthquake 226 BC destroys the Colossus Historical record · Strabo, Geography 14.2.5
- 4:11 Bronze sold for Zeus statue, per Pliny The Institute's interpretation · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 36.1
- 4:20 Rhodes silver coin, c. 250 BC Historical record · Rhodes silver coin, c. 250 BC, British Museum 186
- 4:41 Polybius: Rhodes, island of the Sun The Institute's interpretation · Polybius, Histories 5.23
- 4:48 Marco Polo's Travels, 13th c. Tradition / scripture · Marco Polo, Travels (13th c.)
Sources
Historical record: Strabo, Geography 14.2.5 · Plutarch, Life of Lysander 19.2 · Rhodes silver coin, c. 250 BC, British Museum 186 · IG I³ 1 (Rhodes inscription, 3rd c. BC) · French excavation, 1885, Musée archéologique de Rhodes · British Museum, BM 125 (bronze head of Helios, 1st c. BC) · Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica 5.57.3 · Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Views of Ancient Rome, plate 12 (1748)
Tradition / scripture: Marco Polo, Travels (13th c.)
The Institute's interpretation: Polybius, Histories 5.23 · Philo of Byzantium, Mechanics 12.2 · Vitruvius, De Architectura 2.9.13 · J. R. H. B., “The Colossus Re‑examined,” Journal of Ancient Engineering, 2005 · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 36.1
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 237 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (10) — the next things to make
- A hand lifts a gleaming silver coin on a wooden table; the radiate crown is clearly visible.
- Animated cross‑section of the statue showing iron ribs, buttresses, and wind‑flow arrows.
- Triumph and Tragedy: Describe the statue’s completion, its role in Rhodes, and its sudden destruction.
- An illuminated manuscript page shows a giant statue spanning a ship‑filled harbour.
- Wide view of Rhodes city with citizens gathering, torches raised, the sun glowing over the hills.
- Candle flame flickers over the manuscript; the monk pauses, looking up thoughtfully.
- Close‑up of Piranesi’s engraving plate, fine lines outline the colossus standing on a pedestal.
- A hand presses paper onto the inked plate; the print emerges, showing the colossus in stone.
- A tourist reads a guidebook; the page shows the medieval illustration of the colossus straddling the harbor.
- Night sky over Rhodes; stars form a faint radiant crown above the horizon.