12. Although the Colossus of Rhodes was brought down by an earthquake, it remains one of the greatest engineering feats of the ancient world
Besieged by a giant army led by Antigonus I Monophthalmus in the late-4th century BCE, following a relief force sent by Ptolemy I of Egypt, Rhodes emerged ultimately victorious in 304 BCE. Selling abandoned enemy equipment, the Rhodians elected to use the accumulated money to construct a colossal statue in honor of their patron god, Helios: the divine personification of the Sun. Overseen by Chares, construction began in 292, with the edifice, measuring approximately thirty-three meters tall – equal in height to the modern Statue of Liberty – and standing atop a fifteen-meter-high marble pedestal, believed to have been situated near the Mandraki harbor entrance.
Completed twelve years later, the structure was a feat of engineering genius resulting in widespread acclaim throughout the ancient world. However, although undeniably marvelous, classical understandings of earthquakes were limited and only fifty-four years later, in 226, Rhodes was struck by a massive earthquake. Dealing significant damage to large portions of the city, the natural disaster snapped the Colossus at its knees and caused it to come crashing to the ground. Despite an offer by Ptolemy III to pay for reconstruction, the Oracle of Delphi declared the Rhodians had offended Helios and they consequently declined the offer to restore the legendary monument.