Exercise 4. Read the text about three famous wonders of the ancient world and explain the words in bold.

The Colossus of Rhodes

Built. The construction started around 304 BC. Location. It was located at the entrance to the harbor of the island of Rhodes in Greece. History. After winning a long war against the Antigonids of Macedonia, the Rhodians celebrated their victory by building an enormous statue of their patron sun god, Helios. Apparently, construction of the Colossus (a word that means ‘a huge statue’) took 12 years to complete. The Colossus only stood for 56 years, which isn't long for something considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Around 226 BC, a violent earthquake hit Rhodes and collapsedthe statue at the knees. The Rhodians were afraid of a curse so they didn't

dare replace it. It lay in pieces for many centuries before Arab pirates took the bronze pieces and sold them.

Description. The base of the statue was made of white marble, which is where the feet and ankles were first fixed. Bronze plates were put over an iron framework. When the Colossus was finished, it stood around 33 meters high. Although none of the statue still exists, this wonder of the world inspired many artists, including Auguste Bartholdi who made the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Zeus

Built. The Statue of Zeus was built by the Greeks around 457 BC. Location. It was built in the ancient town of Olympia, on the west coast of modern Greece. History. The first Olympic Games were around 776 BC and a spectacular temple was built to honor the god Zeus. As Greece grew, the temple seemed too simple. Something stunning was needed, so a magnificentstatue of the king of all gods was built inside the temple. In 391 AD, the Olympic Games were banned and the temple of Zeus was closed. Earthquakes, landslides, floods and fire damaged the temple. Wealthy Greeks transported the statue of Zeus to a palace in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) but it was eventually destroyed by fire in 462 AD.

Description. Zeus sat on a throne with an olive wreath on his head, a scepter (with an eagle sitting on it) in his left hand and his messenger Nike in his right hand. The statue was made of wood but covered with ivory and sheets of gold. The face was made of ivory but the hair, beard, sandals, robe and scepter were made of gold. The legs of the throne were decorated with sphinxes and winged figures of victory. The height of the statue was impressive. It was 13 meters, which is about as high as a four-story building.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 1816