iscoveries and archeological excavations indicate that Rhodes had a prominent role in the ancient Aegean civilization. The island first appears in recorded history during the 2nd millennium BC, when, it was inhabited by the Dorians. Its chief towns Camiros, Lindos, and Ialysos were flourishing commercial centers with colonies scattered throughout the Aegean basin, the Italian peninsula, and the coasts of France and Spain. In the 5th century BC, the three cities are recorded as members of the Delian League, a confederation of Greek states under the eadership of Athens. The three cities broke with Athens in 412 BC and three cities decided to unite their forces. As a result they founded the city of Rhodes. In 408 BC the first city in history to have an urban plan, was completed. The designs were by the Greek architect Hippodamus of Miletus. Throughout most of the following century, the island was involved in the wars of the Greek city-states. In 332 BC the Rhodians allied with Alexander the Great. In the following 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Rhodes became a rich and powerfull city and a renowned cultural center. People lived in prosperity. Rhodian achievements in plastic and pictorial art found their peak in the paintings of Protogenes and in the work of Chares, creator of the celebrated Colossus (c. 280 BC). In the 1st century BC Rhodian sculptors executed the famous statue of Laocoon. During this period the Rhodians became good allies of Rome . In 48 BC they aided Julius Caesar in his struggle against the Roman general and statesman Pompey the Great and the Roman Senate. Another Roman general, Gaius Cassius Parmensis, one of the assassins of Caesar, invaded Rhodes in 42 BC. He massacred the friends of Caesar, seized the public wealth, and rifled the temples. This attack broke the power of Rhodes, but the city long continued to maintain its prestige as a place of learning.