3348) "The Colossus of Rhodes", Niue Island: "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World": A $50 (Fifty Dollars - NZD) Gold Coin minted by the Czech Mint: Year of Coin issue: 2023:
While the entries have varied over the centuries, the seven traditional wonders are - the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Placing the wonders in modern-day countries, two of the wonders were located in Greece, two in Turkey, two in Egypt, and one in Iraq.
Of the seven wonders, only the Pyramid of Giza, which is also by far the oldest of the wonders, still remains standing, with the others being destroyed over the centuries.
There is scholarly debate over the exact nature of the Hanging Gardens, and there is doubt as to whether they existed at all.
Gold coin Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - The Colossus of Rhodes proof:
The sixth of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the "Colossus of Rhodes". The legendary monument is commemorated by a gold coin of the Czech Mint weighing one troy ounces.
The island of Rhodes lies off the coast of Asia Minor. In ancient mythology, it was the chosen land of the god Helios, who raised it from the bottom of the sea.
The locals were fabulously wealthy, culturally advanced and also very religious.
Because they held their sun deity in high esteem, they erected an unprecedented monument in the form of a gigantic statue to him to thank him for his help in fighting the Greek invaders.
The so-called Colossus of Rhodes was created by the sculptor Charles of Lindus, a pupil of Lysippus himself, from thirteen tons of bronze and eight tons of iron.
An embankment was gradually built up around the structure and the material was carried up a spiral ramp.
The construction lasted approximately twelve years, and in each year the statue grew by three metres.
Today, no one knows exactly what the final work looked like.
Some scholars believe that Helios stood straddling two opposite quays of the harbour, so that ships wishing to dock in Lindos had to undercut it. More likely, however, is that the statue stood at the edge of the city.
Whatever the reddish-brown giant looked like, he had only been impressing sailors for sixty-six years.
Then, in a massive earthquake, it broke at the knees and crashed into the sea. "Even lying still, he was a miracle," wrote the historian Pliny.
The sophistication of the ancient builders is evidenced by the fact that the Statue of Liberty, which was built two thousand years later, has the same design as this ancient wonder of the world…
The Coin:
The Reverse of the $50 (Fifty Dollars - NZD) Gold Coin, which was processed by the medal maker Petra Brodská, DiS., presents presents a supposed image of the Colossus of Rhodes, supplemented with the English inscription "COLOSSUS OF RHODES."
The Obverse of the $50 (Fifty Dollars - NZD) Gold Coin, which is common to the whole cycle, then presents all seven wonders of the world - the Egyptian pyramids, the hanging gardens of Semiramis, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Feidius' statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
From this Coin onwards, the Public Seal of Niue Island is seen in the centre of the Gold Coin.
The inscriptions are - "50 DOLLARS. 2023".
Links to Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:
5) Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), Niue: First Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 01/2020
6) Nikola Tesla, Niue: Second Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series" minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue : Date of Coin issue: 03/2020
7) Alfred Bernhard Nobel, Niue: Third Silver Coin with a denominational value of 1 NZD (One New Zealand Dollar) in "Geniuses of the 19th Century Coin Series", minted by the Czech Mint on behalf of Niue: Date of Coin issue: 07/2020
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