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5. The Colossus of Rhodes
To you, O Sun, the people of Dorian Rhodes set up this bronze statue reaching to Olympus when they had pacified1 the waves of war and crowned their city with the spoils taken from the enemy. Not only over the seas but also on land did they kindle2 the lovely torch of freedom.Dedicatory inscription3 of the Colossus.
From its building to its destruction lies a time span of merely 56 years. Yet the colossus earned a place in the famous list of Wonders. "But even lying on the ground, it is a marvel4", said Pliny the Elder. The Colossus of Rhodes was not only a gigantic statue. It was rather a symbol of unity5 of the people who inhabited that beautiful Mediterranean6 island -- Rhodes.
Location: At the entrance of the harbor of the Mediterranean island of Rhodes in Greece.
History: Throughout most of its history, ancient Greece was comprised of city-states which had limited power beyond their boundary. On the small island of Rhodes were three of these: Ialysos, Kamiros, and Lindos. In 408 BC, the cities united to form one territory, with a unified7 capital, Rhodes. The city thrived commercially and had strong economic ties with their main ally, Ptolemy I Soter Egypt. In 305 BC, the Antigonids of Macedonia who were also rivals of the Ptolemies, besieged8 Rhodes in an attempt to break the Rhodo-Egyptian alliance. They could never penetrate9 the city. When a peace agreement was reached in 304 BC, the Antagonids lifted the siege, leaving a wealth of military equipment behind. To celebrate their unity, the Rhodians sold the equipment and used the money to erect10 an enormous statue of their sun god, Helios.
The construction of the Colossus took 12 years and was finished in 282 BC. For years, the statue stood at the harbor entrance, until a strong earthquake hit Rhodes about 226 BC. The city was badly damaged, and the Colossus was broken at its weakest point -- the knee. The Rhodians received an immediate11 offer from Ptolemy III of Egypt to cover all restoration costs for the toppled monument. However, an oracle12 was consulted and forbade the re-erection. Ptolemy's offer was declined.
1 pacified | |
使(某人)安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 ); 息怒; 抚慰; 在(有战争的地区、国家等)实现和平 | |
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2 kindle | |
v.点燃,着火 | |
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3 inscription | |
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文 | |
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4 marvel | |
vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异;n.令人惊异的事 | |
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5 unity | |
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调 | |
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6 Mediterranean | |
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的 | |
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7 unified | |
(unify 的过去式和过去分词); 统一的; 统一标准的; 一元化的 | |
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8 besieged | |
包围,围困,围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9 penetrate | |
v.透(渗)入;刺入,刺穿;洞察,了解 | |
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10 erect | |
n./v.树立,建立,使竖立;adj.直立的,垂直的 | |
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11 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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12 oracle | |
n.神谕,神谕处,预言 | |
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