Nero erected a colossal bronze statue of himself, about 100 feet tall. A year after he died it was turned into a statue of the Roman sun god, Sol.
Later Emperor Commodus turned it into a statue of himself by replacing the head, but after he died the sun god head was restored. The Colossus was moved from its original location to a position near the arena, which was thereafter called the Colosseum because it was near the Colossus.
The arena still exists and is still called the Colosseum, but the statue was long ago melted down for scrap metal, and few even remember there was ever a giant statue of Nero. The moral of the story: If you want to be remembered don’t build a giant statue – no, build an arena and name it after yourself!
Nero erected a colossal bronze statue of himself, about 100 feet tall. A year after he died it was turned into a statue of the Roman sun god, Sol.
Later Emperor Commodus turned it into a statue of himself by replacing the head, but after he died the sun god head was restored. The Colossus was moved from its original location to a position near the arena, which was thereafter called the Colosseum because it was near the Colossus.
The arena still exists and is still called the Colosseum, but the statue was long ago melted down for scrap metal, and few even remember there was ever a giant statue of Nero. The moral of the story: If you want to be remembered don’t build a giant statue – no, build an arena and name it after yourself!