v43_0208 - CARIA - CARIAN ISLANDS - RHODES Drachme

CARIA - CARIAN ISLANDS - RHODES

(3rd - 2nd century BC)

Rhodes, federal capital, was founded in 408 BC, date of the beginning of coinage. Rhodes was besieged by Demetrius Poliorcetes in 305 BC It was a failure. The Rhodians thanked the protective god by erecting a statue to him at the entrance to 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 forbade the Rhodians to rebuild it. Rhodes, an ally of Rome, finally emancipated itself from Seleucid rule after 188 BC.