temple of artemis metagenes
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Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis or Artemision (Greek: Ἀρτεμίσιον; Turkish: Artemis Tapınağı), also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis (associated with Diana, a Roman goddess). It was located in Ephesus (near the modern town of Selçuk in present-day Turkey). By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed.[1] Only foundations and fragments of the last temple remain at the site.
The earliest version of the temple (a Bronze Age temenos) antedated the Ionic immigration by many years. Callimachus, in his Hymn to Artemis, attributed it to the Amazons. In the 7th century BC, it was destroyed by a flood. Its reconstruction, in more grandiose form, began around 550 BC, under Chersiphron, the Cretan architect, and his son Metagenes. The project was funded by Croesus of Lydia, and took 10 years to complete. This version of the temple was destroyed in 356 BC by Herostratus in an act of arson.
The next, greatest, and last form of the temple, funded by the Ephesians themselves, is described in Antipater of Sidon’s list of the world’s 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 so grand”.[2]
Ancient Greek architects designed buildings and structures with balance in mind. They built with confidence, precision, and excellence. They incorporated a balance of beauty, form, and function — built on solid foundations — made with quality materials.
550 BC
In 550 BC, one of the Seven Wonders of the World was created — the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The temple was designed by father and son architects, Chersiphron and Metagenes. It was used both as a sanctuary and as a marketplace. In 356 BC, the Temple of Artemis was burned to the ground. It was then rebuilt and later restored on the same foundation.
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MISSION
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Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was located on the western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and built in the 6th century BCE. Such was its tremendous size, double the dimensions of other Greek temples including the Parthenon, that it was soon regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Destroyed by a deliberate fire in the 4th century BCE and then rebuilt, the great Ionic temple survived until Late Antiquity and the Gothic invasion of c. 267 CE. Once again rebuilt, in 401 CE it was torn down for the last time by a Christian mob. Today only the foundations and a solitary column stand as a reminder of the site where once stood the greatest temple in the ancient Mediterranean.
Artemis & Ephesus
Ephesus (or Ephesos) was a Greek colony on the eastern coast of Asia Minor founded in the 8th century BCE, although there had been Greek settlers in the area from c. 1200 BCE. The Greek goddess Artemis (Diana to the Romans) was particularly important to the Ephesians, indeed her birthplace was considered by them as nearby Ortygia (for other Greeks it was Delos).
Artemis was the goddess of chastity, hunting, wild animals, forests, childbirth, and fertility. The goddess’ cult at Ephesus included eastern elements (borrowed from goddesses such as Isis, Cybele, and the “Mistress of the Animals”), as did her representation in art, with surviving statues, unlike elsewhere in Greece, being covered in eggs as symbols of her role as a fertility goddess. Hence, the goddess worshipped at Ephesus is often referred to as Artemis Ephesia.
between 560 and 550 BCE
The city had an up and down relationship with the neighbouring kingdom of Lydia, resisting many attacks but at the same absorbing some cultural elements. The Lydian king Croesus (r. 560-546 BCE) conquered Ephesus between 560 and 550 BCE, and then funded the construction of new buildings, including a great new temple to Artemis or, as the Greek historian Herodotus put it, he “dedicated many columns” (Histories, 1.92). An interesting archaeological find at the site was a column drum carrying the inscription ‘dedicated by Croesus’.
There had already been several versions of the temple over the centuries at Ephesus, and Herodotus describes the Ephesians tying a rope 1243 metres (4081 ft) long between the old temple and the city in a desperate and as it turned out futile hope that their dedication of the entire city to Artemis would save them from the Lydians.
Ancient World
Following the destruction of the original temple at Ephesus by flooding in the seventh century BC, a new temple to Artemis was commissioned, c.560 BC, by the fabulously wealthy King Croesus of Lydia – the man credited with issuing the first proper gold coins of a set weight. His temple was designed by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes and is often claimed to be the first marble temple in the Greek world. This, and its impressive size (337 feet long and 180 feet wide, with 40-foot pillars), earned it a place on Herodotus’ list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
As the temple’s fame grew, it became a valuable attraction for the Ephesians, as sightseers and devotees of Artemis brought offerings of jewellery and money, swelling the city’s coffers. It also gained international recognition, offering sanctuary to those fleeing persecution. Legend had it that the Amazons twice sought refuge there.
On 21 July 356 BC, the day Alexander the Great was said to have been born, the temple burned to the ground. Little is known of the man responsible; he might have been a low-born non-Ephesian, or possibly a slave. He set a fire in the wooden roof beams of the temple, which quickly took hold and reduced the entire temple to rubble.
Ephesians
He made no attempt to flee and was captured and tortured on the rack. He claimed he had only destroyed the temple so that his name might be immortalised and live in infamy forever. The Ephesians, concerned that anyone should attempt to gain fame simply through acts of destruction or terror, not only executed the arsonist but also issued a law preventing his name ever being mentioned.
Sadly for them, both Theopompus and Strabo later named the man in their works, ensuring he achieved his aim. Ironically the name of the destroyer of one of the Wonders of the Ancient World has survived while those of his judges have perished.
Approximately two centuries later in 550 B.C., the Temple of Artemis was rebuilt by King Croesus of Lydia.
Croesus employed Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes to design and construct the new Temple of Artemis. It measured between 350 and 377 feet long by 175 and 180 feet wide.
To relate its size to modern perspective, the layout of the Temple was longer and wider than a standard size football field. The Temple of Artemis was considered the first Greek style temple to made completely of marble. It was built with more than 100 marble columns standing 40 feet high. The entire project took over 120 years to complete.
on July 21, 356 B.C
The new Temple of Artemis was a popular place and the Ephesians cherished their work or art. Kings and travelers would bring gold and jewelry as they worshipped Artemis in her Temple. The temple was destroyed on July 21, 356 B.C. by Herostratus.
He wanted make a name for himself, so he set the roof beams on fire, burning the temple down. Herostratus was put to death for his crime and no one was allowed to speak his name.
In 323 B.C., Alexander the Great offered money to assist in rebuilding the Temple of Artemis, but the Ephesians respectfully declined his offer. Instead, they rebuilt the temple for a third time.
268 A.D
The 3rd temple was larger than the prior two temples laying at 450 feet long by 225 feet wide. And standing over 60 feet tall. The new temple had over 127 columns. In 268 A.D., the temple was partially destroyed by Goths when they raided the city.
Once again the temple was rebuilt only to be completely destroyed by John the apostle when he incited and angry mob. And destroyed the temple in the name of Christianity.
The British Museum paid for an excavation team to search for the Temple of Artemis. The team, led by John Turtle Wood, discovered the site in 1869. Pieces of the dig were taken back to Britain and placed on display. More recent excavations in 1987 revealed the flood, which destroyed the first temple.
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