Greece to build new Colossus of Rhodes taller than Statue of Liberty

It’s only taken 17 centuries but the 30-foot statue of the god Helios that collapsed in the Third Century is to be replaced by a structure five times the size of the original.

Greece plans to construct a new Ancient Colossus of Rhodes, five times bigger than the original Image by Nathan Hughes Hamilton / CC BY 2.0

And as one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World – the Colossus of Rhodes – will surface again as part of an ambitious new plan costing close to €200 million.

The new statue will be five times taller than the originals, making it higher than the Statue of Liberty in New York Image by Sue Waters / CC BY 2.0

The new design plans to have the statues straddling two piers in the city’s harbour to tally with the legendary story while also holding a massive beacon over its head.

And mindful of today’s tourism requirement, the new development will also house a museum, a library and an array of shops.

When the first Colossus was erected, it was financed from selling discarded military equipment that was left lying around following a siege of the city which was later aborted.

The new blueprint will provide a massive tourism boost for the city and Greece. In a novel plan, solar panels will be used as the ‘skin’ of the sun god so that it an power the lighthouse in the beacon – a sight that will be visible from as far away as Turkey.

The architect, Aris A Pallas told the Times that while they had not set out to actually replicate the ancient Colossus, they wanted to revive its symbolism as well as its cultural and historical importance.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only remaining one of seven great wonders of the ancient world still standing.

The others were the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Lighthouse of Alexandria and the Colossus of Rhodes.