In 226 BC, a strong earthquake hit the area and the statue of Helios broke in the knees and collapsed to the ground. However, the Colossus did not stand for long at the harbour of Rhodes. His right hand was raised and with his open palm he welcomed visitors arriving on the island of Rhodes. According to Wolfram Hoepfner, a German historian, Helios stood half-naked, with a cloak thrown over his naked body, but only partially covering him, the most delicate parts being visible.

According to these theories, the Colossus stood on a hill near the capital city of Rhodes, with the most likely location being the courtyard of the Temple of Helios (where the Palace of the Grand Masters stands today), according to Rhodesian sources.ДЄccording to some scholars, the god was depicted completely naked. The flaming torch is also said to have served as a unique beacon because it could be seen from a great distance. He was wearing a headdress, and the god's right hand was raised, holding a torch. This was a typical posture of ancient statues. The prevailing view, therefore, is that the Colossus stood on a marble pedestal with its feet together, with only its right foot slightly bent. However, this would not fit the proportions or stature of the statue the feet would have to be far apart and the colossus would break at the hips. This reconstruction often appears in prints from the 16th to 19th centuries. According to some versions, it stood straddling above the Rhodian Mandraki harbor, each foot on a different pier, with ships passing under its feet. Perhaps the biggest mystery is where the statue of the sun god was actually placed. After its completion, all the soil was removed and the statue was presented to the people. During the construction, the workers piled earth around the finished parts to reach the higher levels of the statue. The calves, which held all the weight of the statue, had a solid core of heavy stone blocks. Each slab was first hammered and shaped by craftsmen before being riveted to the iron structure and to the adjacent slabs. It was gradually covered with bronze plates from the bottom up. Inside, the statue was hollow and reinforced by an iron frame. The inhabitants of Rhodes were even called Colossians after the statue. It was a truly magnificent statue in its time and, at over 30 metres high, it could boast the title of the tallest statue of antiquity. Most descriptions agree, that the Colossus of Rhodes was 33 m tall and stood on a massive marble base. Since neither the statue nor any of its parts have survived to this day, opinions vary as to what it actually looked like and where it stood. The statue's height and splendour were a source of admiration, but not everyone shared this enthusiasm, fearing that the statue's monumentality might anger the god Helios and cause him to sink the island of Rhodes into the sea. Only then he did unveil it to the inhabitants of the island. The creator of the colossus was Chares of Lindos, who worked with a group of builders and slaves for 12 years to make it. The money was raised by selling the captured war equipment and in 304 BC the construction of this monumental statue could begin.

They wanted to thank him for his help in repelling the invasion of the Syrian ruler Demetrius Poliorcetes. After the great victory of the Rhodian people over the Syrian warriors in 305 BC, the inhabitants of the Greek island decided to built a statue in honour of the god Helios, the patron god of the island.

When was the colossus of rhodes built