1.6 Temple of Artemis (Ephesus)

7 Wonders of the world old (series 1)




Large and beautiful architecture, it is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, such as described by Antipater of Sidon, who produced the famous list:
"I've touched my eyes on the wall of the sweet Babylon, which is a road for horse carriages, and the statue of Zeus of the alfeos, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the tremendous work of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus;" "but when I saw the House of ARTEMIS, there perched in the clouds, those other marbles lost its luster, and I said: apart from Olympus, the Sun seemed never ever so great"
Antipater of Sidon Greek Anthology (IX.58)


The Temple of Artemis was a temple located in the ancient city of Ephesus, about 50 km south of the modern port city of Izmir, in Turkey, in the Valley at the foot of Ayasoluk.
It was dedicated to the goddess Artemis, called Diana by the Romans. Its construction was begun by King Croesus of Lydia and lasted about 120 years. The temple was composed of numerous buildings, which the archaeologists called with successive letters. The oldest and most important building was the D
Wild, independent and superior strength and beauty. Thus appeared to Artemis, the goddess of fertility, hunting and war, in Greek mythology. Daughter of Zeus and twin sister of Apollo, is one of the twelve great Olympic deities. Artemis was a goddess of indomitable, which not only gave life, they also took it. In his honor, and to appease her, the King Croesus of Lydia sent to erect the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. Inside this shrine was the statue of ARTEMIS, a work of two metres in wood of vine covered with silver and gold.
Artemis was always carrying a quiver and bow, and was accompanied by a pack of hounds that covered her bare legs. I used to carry a half moon on the forehead and go dressed in Huntress. Artemis stood out for being much higher than the nymphs who were accompanying her. In addition, many times he represented with hair collected and a bare chest. As a curiosity it is worth noting that the bow of Artemis was gold, while her brother Apollo was silver.
The Temple became tourist attraction, visited by merchants, Kings, and travelers who paid tribute to Artemis in the form of jewelry and other goods. Its splendor also attracted worshippers who formed the cult of ARTEMIS, also was respected as a place of refuge.
The Temple of Ephesus was destroyed by a fire caused by Herostratus on July 21 of the year 356 BC night which, it is said, Alexander the great was born. According to the story, its sole purpose was to achieve fame at any price.
"It was discovered that a man had planned to set fire to the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, in such a way that by the destruction of the most beautiful buildings, his name would be known in the whole world"
Valerius Maximus
Alexander the great was born overnight in which the temple burned. Plutarch said that Artemis was too worried about this fact to save his own temple on fire. Later, Alejandro would to the Ephesians afford its reconstruction, that those refused, on the grounds that it was not convenient to a God built him a temple to another deity. However, the temple was restored after his death, in the year 323 BC The reconstruction of the temple is attributed by some authors to Dinocrates, who conducted the measurements for the foundation of the city of Alexandria, in Egypt.
However, this reconstruction would be destroyed by the Goths in the year 262, at the time of the Emperor Galieno.
The site of the temple was rediscovered in 1869 by an expedition of the British Museum. Even they can see several sculptures and artifacts, although of the seventh wonder of the world only remains standing a column.
The Selçuk Artemis Culture, Arts and Education Foundation expects construction of the Artemision for the third time in history. The new temple, which will maintain the size of its predecessor, will be built in an area called Kurutepe, 1500 metres from the original location of the temple and has a budget of $ 150 million.

Images of Temple of Artemis (Ephesus)

































Source consulted or translated:   Templo de Artemisa (Éfeso)