A Colossal Victory

The Colossus of Rhodes, one of the 7 ancient Wonders, was built from the melted down bronze weapons and armor of the troops who tried to conquer the island in 305 B.C., under Demetrius Poliorcetes. Rhodes had made an alliance with Ptolemaic Egypt. This basically created a trade monopoly, angering King Demetrius of Macedon, who had been left out. Poliorcetes means besieger of cities. In spite of bringing a larger number of troops than Rhodes could field and advanced siege weapons, Rhodes defeated the Macedon forces. They built the colossal statue of the sun god patron of their island as a celebration of their victory.