An earthquake breaks the Colossus of Rhodes at the knee
The statue of Helios, erected in 280 BCE, was brought down by an earthquake after roughly fifty-four years standing, snapping at its weakest point. Some sources date the earthquake to 228 BCE rather than 226. The Rhodians declined to rebuild it and the pieces were left lying.
Historical — it happened, and the record is settled.
Subjects
- Colossus of Rhodes · colossal statue (destroyed) · Greece · not located
Evidence
Partly verified — Core facts are sourced; some optional detail is deliberately absent.
Pliny the Elder on the Colossus of Rhodes
Ancient authority for the Colossus standing seventy cubits, roughly 33 m, and for its ruined state persisting centuries after the earthquake.
Naturalis Historia, book 34 · c. 77 CE · Partly verified
Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 34.41 (chapter on colossal bronzes); Loeb Classical Library edition, trans. H. Rackham, vol. IX
Recorded on Colossus of Rhodes
- Antipater of Sidon writes the earliest surviving list of seven wonders
- An earthquake breaks the Colossus of Rhodes at the knee
- The bronze of the Colossus is sold for scrap
Related
Related because they share a subject in the Atlas — never because the text looks similar.