The Colossus of Rhodes — a bronze statue of Helios erected around 280 BC at the entrance to Rhodes harbor — stood for only 54 years before an earthquake toppled it in 226 BC. The Ptolemaic Egyptians offered funds to rebuild it; the Rhodians declined, citing an oracle. It was never reconstructed, and by late antiquity the fallen remains had themselves disappeared entirely, leaving no confirmed archaeological trace.
This piece belongs to a broader Seven Wonders bullion series issued by the Solomon Islands through the New Zealand Mint under licensing arrangements common to small Pacific sovereigns with no domestic minting capacity.
The Colossus of Rhodes — a bronze statue of Helios erected around 280 BC at the entrance to Rhodes harbor — stood for only 54 years before an earthquake toppled it in 226 BC. The Ptolemaic Egyptians offered funds to rebuild it; the Rhodians declined, citing an oracle. It was never reconstructed, and by late antiquity the fallen remains had themselves disappeared entirely, leaving no confirmed archaeological trace.
This piece belongs to a broader Seven Wonders bullion series issued by the Solomon Islands through the New Zealand Mint under licensing arrangements common to small Pacific sovereigns with no domestic minting capacity.