kolossos

Kolossos, from the ancient Greek Κολοσσός, is the term for a statue of extraordinary size. The word is the source of the English colossus and colossally in reference to something large or powerful. In classical Greek usage, kolossos referred to monumental statues that served public, religious, or ceremonial purposes.

The most famous example is the Colossus of Rhodes, a statue of the sun god Helios erected on the island of Rhodes in the early 3rd century BCE, completed around 280 BCE. It is commonly described as about 33 meters tall and was built to celebrate Rhodes’ resilience after conflict with Epirus and its allies. The statue stood for roughly 54–56 years before being toppled by an earthquake in 226 BCE and was never rebuilt. Its enduring image became a symbol of ancient engineering prowess and artistic ambition, influencing later representations of monumental statuary even after its destruction.

In modern usage, kolossos remains a general term in Greek for any giant statue or monumental sculpture. The concept also appears in toponyms, cultural names, and literary translations of classical texts. In English, the related term colossus is used metaphorically to denote something of vast size or power and, in popular culture, to describe imposing figures or machines. Overall, kolossos denotes monumental sculpture intended to inspire awe through scale, rather than a single surviving artifact.