
The Colossus of Rhodes
Archaeology of a Lost Wonder
Nathan Badoud(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 19. September 2024
Book
Hardback
292 pages
978-0-19-890373-4 (ISBN)
Description
The Colossus of Rhodes is both the most famous and the least well-known monument of Ancient Greece. Numbered among the Seven Wonders of the World, this bronze statue of the god Helios, thirty-four metres in height, was created by the sculptor Chares of Lindos between the years 295 and 283 BC, only to be destroyed by an earthquake in 227 BC. The legends which have spread after its collapse seem so strange and contradictory that specialists in Greek sculpture have been dissuaded from investigating the topic. Nathan Badoud publishes the first comprehensive study devoted to the Colossus. His book mobilises a large array of sources, ranging from antiquity to the present day. It proposes an intellectual excavation through the layers of the literary, artistic, and scientific tradition. It envisages the statue in its religious, political, and topographical contexts. It explores its function, its technique, its appearance, its meaning, and its location. It reconsiders the beginnings of the Hellenistic world, marked by the emergence of Rhodes as an imperial power, embodied by the Colossus.
Reviews / Votes
This book, an intellectual excavation of the monument, is the result of a long investigation by Nathan Badoud, who has published extensively on the Colossus and related topics in French and English. His command of the sources is impressive, and this publication appears to present everything there is to know about the statue and its wide context. The material is clearly structured in seven chapters and sections with useful cross-references and indexes. The result is a masterful cultural history of a monument that is as iconic as it is elusive. * Janric van Rookhuijzen, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
58 colour illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
658 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-890373-4 (9780198903734)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2024
OUP eBook
€98.99
Available for download

E-Book
08/2024
OUP eBook
€98.99
Available for download
Person
Nathan Badoud is an archaeologist and historian specializing in classical antiquity. He has held teaching and research posts in several universities, including Neuchatel, Bordeaux, Rome, Vienna, Oxford, and Harvard. He also spent four years working in Greece as a member of the French School at Athens. A Fellow of the Swiss National Science Foundation, he was formerly Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Fribourg. He is now Director of the Archaeological Service of the State of Geneva.
Content
Introduction
1: The Rise Of Helios
2: The Kolossoi
3: The Artist
4: The Kolossos Of Rhodes
5: Over The Seas And On The Land
6: The Location Of The Colossus Of Rhodes
7: The Image Of The Statue
Conclusion
1: The Rise Of Helios
2: The Kolossoi
3: The Artist
4: The Kolossos Of Rhodes
5: Over The Seas And On The Land
6: The Location Of The Colossus Of Rhodes
7: The Image Of The Statue
Conclusion