Rhodes is a large Greek island in the southeast Aegean, close to the coast of Turkey. In ancient times it was a rich sea power, and people still tell the story of the Colossus of Rhodes: a giant bronze statue at the harbour, later listed among the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Though actually, nobody alive has seen it — an earthquake brought it down more than two thousand years ago. Today Rhodes is mainly a holiday island: beaches, a walled medieval town, and summer crowds. The English name comes from Greek Rhódos by way of Latin Rhodus and French Rhodes. Where the Greek name itself came from is not settled: it may be older than Greek, or tied to a word for “rose,” or to a pomegranate. None of those is proven, so it is kinder not to pick a favourite and teach it as fact. Do not mix the island up with Rhode Island in the United States, or with the old African name Rhodesia, which came from a person’s surname.