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War History Online reports that Memnon’s strategy in facing Alexander the Great was dismissed by his superiors, leading to the Persians’ eventual defeat. Philip had spent two years battling Memnon, but his son saw greater success. In 334 B.C., the Macedonian leader Philip II was assassinated, and his son, Alexander, inherited the throne. His territory bordered Macedonia, and when the city-state began its own empire building, Memnon and his troops faced its soldiers often on the battlefield. After his brother’s death in 340 B.C., Memnon was appointed as commander in the Troad, in the northwest of Asia Minor. Memnon and his brother, Mentor, worked as military commanders for the Persian Empire and helped expand its borders. Memnon’s father, Timocrates of Rhodes, was a Greek citizen who worked for the Persian Empire. In little more than a decade, the Macedonian king would conquer much of the ancient world, from the far reaches of western Europe to Africa.Īccording to the History of War, Alexander the Great’s strongest opponent was Memnon of Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes has its origins in the conquests of Alexander the Great. Here is the untold truth of the Colossus of Rhodes. And much like the period, the statue’s legacy helped shape modern society.

The Colossus of Rhodes is a testament to the engineering of the ancient world and the mixture of art and religion during the Hellenic period. During its short existence, the statue was called one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and it was inspiration for many works of art (most famously, the Statue of Liberty). According to NPS, inscribed on a pedestal on the Statue of Liberty is a poem by Emma Lazarus titled, "The New Colossus." While the lines "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," are well-known in the American lexicon, the title and the opening lines directly reference the Statue of Liberty’s main source of inspiration: "Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land."Įven more than 2,000 years after its erection, the Colossus of Rhodes still fascinates the world.