Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

• The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its Ruins lie 1.2 miles (2km) northeast of the modern town of Selcuk, near Izmir in Turkey.
• The site was rediscovered in 1869 by John Turtle Wood, sponsored by the British Museum. Only one single column of reconstructed stones remains to mark the location.

The Site

• All that remains of the Temple is one standing column and vestiges of the walls at ground height.

Museums

• Fragments of the Temple are displayed in three museums:
  • Archeological Museum of Ephesus in Selcuk
  • The British Museum
  • Ephesus Museum Vienna

History

• Artemis
  • It would appear that the Ephesian Artemis is a distinct form of the Goddess Artemis, who was the twin sister of the Greek God Apollo.
• Festival of Artemesion
  • The Festival of Artemesion, and the large amount of visitors it attracted in Greek and Roman times, was a major part of the Ephesian economy.
  • A Roman Edict of 162 CE confirms ‘Artemesion’, the annual Ephesian Festival to Artemis. It was extended from a few days to a whole month, acknowledging it’s importance.

The Three Temples

1. First Temple of Artemis (Bronze Age)
   • Artemis was the Roman Diana, and the Temple was constructed in the Bronze Age.
   • It was attributed to The Amazons of Greek Mythology by Callimachus in his ‘Hymn to Artemis’.  The Amazons were a nation of all-female warriors who participated in the Trojan War under Queen Penthesilea and are reputed to have founded Ephesus.
   • The first Temple was destroyed by a Flood in the 7th century BCE.
2. Second Temple of Artemis (c.550-356 BCE)
   • This was commenced circa 550 BCE by King Croesus of Lydia and took ten years.
   • It had a length of 426.5 ft) (130m) and a height of 60ft (18m) and was supposedly the first Greek Temple to be built of Marble.
   • The Temple was described by Antipater of Sidon as the greatest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
   • It was burnt down on 21 July 356 BCE by the arsonist Herostratus, who was then executed by the council of Ephesus. He sought fame at any cost by setting fire to the roof timbers, hence the expression Herostratic fame.
3. Third Temple of Artemis (323 BCE – 401 CE)
   • This was larger than the Second Temple, and commenced in 323 BCE by the Ephesians. They had refused Alexander the Great‘s offer to build it and tactfully waited until after he had died on 11th June 323 BCE, before starting construction.
   • Its length is 450ft (137m), width 225ft (69m) and height 60ft (18m), with over 127 Columns.
   • In 268 CE the Temple was burnt by the Goths, and later some of its columns went into building the Hagia Sophia at Constantinople.
   • In 401 CE The Temple was finally destroyed by a mob under St John Chrysostom.

Sources

• Pliny the Elder
  • In Natural History XXXVI.xxi.95, Pliny describes images of Amazons carved by the Sculptor Scopas. He also describes the Procession as the Goddess’s image was carried through the streets surrounded by maidens
• Pomponius Mela i:17
• Plutarch‘s Life of Alexander III.5
• Athenagorus of Athens
  • He attributes the main image of Artemis to the Sculptor Endoeus, pupil of Daedalus.
• Pausanias
  • He attributes another image of Artemis and the Altar and several images above it to the Sculptor Rhoecus.
• The Acts of John, New Testament
  • State that after St John prayed publicly in the Temple of Artemis to exorcise its demons, the Altar split and half the Temple fell down.
• Other Sources:
  • Other Sources describe religious works by the Sculptors Polyclitus, Pheidias, Cresilas and Phradmon.

Temple of Artemis, Selcuk, Izmir, Turkey