Chares of Lindos

For other people with similar names, see Chares (disambiguation).

Chares of Lindos (/ˈkɛəriːz/; Ancient Greek: Χάρης ὁ Λίνδιος, gen.: Χάρητος; before 305 BC – c.280 BC) was a Greek sculptor born on the island of Rhodes. He was a pupil of Lysippos.^[1] Chares constructed the Colossus of Rhodes in 282 BC, an enormous bronze statue of the sun god Helios and the patron god of Rhodes.^[2] The statue was built to commemorate Rhodes' victory over the invading Macedonians in 305 BC, led by Demetrius I, son of Antigonus, a general under Alexander the Great. Also attributed to Chares was a colossal head that was brought to Rome and dedicated by P. Lentulus Spinther on the Capitoline Hill in 57 BC (Pliny, Natural History XXXIV.18).^[3]

Chares of Lindos
The Colossus of Rhodes, built by Chares of Lindos
Born	before 305 BC Lindos, Greece
Died	c. 280 BC Rhodes, Greece
Occupation	sculptor
Years active	?-c.280 BC
Notable work	Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,^[4] and was considered Chares's greatest accomplishment, until its destruction in an earthquake in 226 BC.^[5]

The work may have been completed by Laches, also an inhabitant of Lindos.^{[6] [7][8]}

In popular culture

• L. Sprague de Camp's novel The Bronze God of Rhodes is written as Chares' memoirs of the Siege of Rhodes and the building of the Colossus of Rhodes.
• Asteroid 236746 Chareslindos, discovered by Vincenzo Casulli in 2007, was named after the ancient Greek sculptor.^[9] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 November 2017 (M.P.C. 107121).^[10]
• Chares, called by the Italian version of his name (Carete), appears in the 1961 film The Colossus of Rhodes, portrayed by Félix Fernández.