Is it simply a temple? How could it take its place among other unique structures such as the Pyramid, the Hanging Gardens, and the Colossus of Rhodes? For the people who actually visited it, the answer was simple. It was not just a temple…It was the most beautiful structure on earth… It was built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting, wild nature, and fertility. That was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, also known as the Temple of Diana. It was located near the modern town of Selcuk, about 50 km south of Izmir (Smyrna) in Turkey. It was described by Antipater of Sidon, who compiled a list of the Seven Wonders:
“I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, ‘Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught (anything) so grand.” (Antipater, Greek Antholog[IX.58])
Although the foundation of the temple dates back to the seventh century BC, the structure that earned a spot in the list of the Seven (original) Wonders of the world was built around 550 BC. Referred to as The Great Marble Temple, or Temple D, it was a 120-year project which was sponsored by the Lydian king, Croesus, and was designed by the Greek architect, Chersiphron. The Temple was decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the most skilled artists of the time: Pheidias (who also built the Statute of Zeus), Polycleitus, Kresilas, and Phradmon.
The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution. For years, the sanctuary was visited by merchants, tourists, artisans, and kings who paid homage to the goddess by sharing their profits with her. Recent archeological excavations at the site revealed gifts from pilgrims including statuettes of Artemis made of gold and ivory…earrings, bracelets, and necklaces…artifacts from as far as Persia and India.
On the night of 21 July 356 BC, a man named Herostratus burned the temple to ground in an attempt to immortalize his name, which he did indeed. It is interesting to note that Alexander the Great was born that same night. The historian Plutarch later wrote that the goddess, Artemis, was “too busy taking care of the birth of Alexander to send help to her threatened temple“. Sure, she had to, as she was only responding to her motherly instincts!
Well, when Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor, he offered to rebuild the destroyed temple, but the Temple was not restored until after his death in 323 BC. The temple was eventually restored and is labeled “Temple E” by archeologists.
When St Paul visited Ephesus to preach Christianity in the first century AD, he was confronted by the Artemis’ cult who had no plans to abandon their goddess. And when the temple was again destroyed by the Goths in AD 262, the Ephesians vowed to rebuild. By the fourth century AD, most Ephesians had converted to Christianity and the temple lost its religious glamor. The final chapter came when in AD 401 the Temple of Artemis was torn down by St John Chrysostom. Ephesus was later deserted, and only in the late nineteenth century has the site been excavated. The digging revealed the temple’s foundation and the road to the now swampy site. Attempts were recently made to rebuild the temple, but only a few columns have been re-erected.
Tags: Seven Wonders of the world, Temple of Artemis
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