Fate of The Colossus
The last mention from antiquity of the statue is the reference in the Chronography of 354. Today, nothing remains of the Colossus of Nero save for the foundations of the pedestal at its second location near the Colosseum. It was possibly destroyed during the Sack of Rome in 410, or toppled in one of a series of fifth-century earthquakes, and its metal scavenged. However, it is also possible that the statue was still standing during the Middle Ages, because a preserved medieval poem says: As long as the Colossus stand, Rome will stand, when the Colossus falls, Rome will also fall.
The remains of the brick-faced masonry pedestal, once covered with marble, were removed in 1936. The foundations were excavated in 1986, and can be viewed by the public.
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