colossus

(noun)

A statue of gigantic proportions. The name was especially applied to certain famous statues in antiquity, such as the Colossus of Nero in Rome, and the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Related Terms

  • The Aula Palatina, Trier
  • basilica
  • apse
  • spolia
  • nave

Examples of colossus in the following topics:

  • Architecture under Constantine

    • The apse of the basilica Nova was the location of the Colossus of Constantine.
    • This colossus was built from many parts.
    • Only parts of the Colossus remain, including the head that is over eight feet tall and 6.5 feet long.
  • Imperial Sculpture under the Nervan-Antonines

    • Commodus was egotistical and even had the head of the Colossus of Nero (now an image of the god Sol) recast in his own likeness.
  • Ottonian Painting in the Early European Middle Ages

    • However, his upright posture and general pose with one raised hand somewhat recalls the Colossus of Constantine, which once sat in the Basilica Nova in the fourth century.
  • Architecture of the Early Roman Empire

    • Vespasian had the colossus reworked into an image of the sun god, Sol.
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