The colossal statue of the Sun god , protector of the city of Rhodes, was erected in about 292 BC, twelve years after its construction had begun. The three hundred bronze coins required were supplied from the war machines which were abandoned at the outskirts of the city by Demetrius Poliorcetes after the misfiring of his efforts to conquer Rhodes.

The identification of Rhodes with the Colossus became an intriguing subject of the human imagination after its destruction by an earthquake in 227-226 BC. Since a representation of the statue does not exist, suggestions and proposals can only be made based on the scarce information of ancient literary sources and the study of the present landscape formation.