The Colossus was a 104ft tall triumphal statue of Greek sun god Helios built over Mandraki Harbour in Rhodes on 49ft marble pedestals allowing ships to pass between his legs. As if this wasn’t statement enough to mark the victory over Demetrius Poliorcetes’ long siege of Rhodes, the Rhodians built the statue from the melted-down remains of the recently-defeated Cypriot army’s arsenal. The Colossus, a symbol of unity, was sculpted during twelve years beginning in 304 BC by Chares of Lindos. Unfortunately, despite the gigantic size, the marvel couldn’t withstand a powerful earthquake a mere 56 years later. The statue remained in decline for almost a millennium until after the invasion of Arabs, when it was melted down by the Muslim caliph Muawiyah and sold for the scrap.