This was a 110 foot statue of the god Helios that was located somewhere in the harbor of Rhodes. It was probably on a pedestal near the entrance. It almost surely did not straddle the entrance, as is sometimes depicted. It was made of bronze and took about twelve years to finish, sometime around 280 B.C. Only 56 years later, it was toppled by an earthquake. The pieces were left alone out of respect to Helios. According to legend, the Oracle of Delphi protected Rhodes was guaranteed protection unless it was tampered with. Supposedly tourists would visit it and try to enclose a thumb with their arms. The fingers were bigger than most statues. In 654, Muslims conquered Rhodes and sold the remains to a Jewish merchant to be melted down. He needed 900 camels to transport it.
– Amazing 208 / The Colossus of Rhodes by Mark Cartwright (https://www.ancient.eu/Colossus_of_Rhodes/)
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