bgr_431166 - CARIA - CARIAN ISLANDS - RHODOS Drachme

DECAY - ISLANDS DECAY - RHODES

(III - II century BC)

Rhodes, the federal capital, was founded in 408 BC, the date of minting. Rhodes was besieged by Demetrius Poliorcetes in 305 BC It was a failure. The Rhodians thanked the patron god raising a statue at the entrance of the port. Chares of Lindos built the Colossus of Rhodes between 292 and 284 BC It was one of the seven wonders of the world. 33 meters high, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC An oracle prohibited Rhodians to rebuild. Rhodes, an ally of Rome, finally emancipated the Seleucid guardianship after 188 BC.