Temple of Artemis in Ephesus: history, brief description and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Two hundred years ago, the third miracle of antiquity was considered forever ruined. Everything changed in 1869, when the efforts of an English archaeologist found the "burial" of the once majestic Mecca - the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. This story is full of ghosts: neither the temple, nor the city in which it was built, no longer exists. But tourist pilgrimages to the former place of worship of the goddess of fertility do not stop until now.

Semi-legendary Ephesus

Before the founding of the city, ancient Greek tribes lived in its vicinity, worshiping the cult of the "Mother of the Gods". Then these lands were captured by the Ionians under the leadership of Androclus. The invaders were close to the beliefs of their predecessors, so a few centuries later, on the site of the wooden sanctuary of the goddess of fertility Cybele, they decided to erect their own shrine, which later became known as the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus.

According to legend, Ephesus was born under romantic circumstances. According to her, the son of the Athenianruler Androclus, visiting the oracle, received a prophecy. It said that he should found a city, which would be found by fire, a boar and a fish. Soon the ship was equipped and carried the wanderer along the shores of the Aegean Sea. Having landed in Anatolia, the weary traveler discovered a fishing village. Not far from the water, a fire burned, in which the locals fried fish. The flame raged in the wind. A few sparks escaped and hit the bushes. Burnt and frightened, a wild boar ran out of there. Seeing this, the Athenian husband realized that the prediction had come true and decided to start building here. At that time, many cities were ruined by warlike tribes of the Amazons. Having met one of them, Ephesia, Androcles fell in love and named the city after her.

Temple among swamps

Croesus, the last of the rulers of Lydia, subjugated the surrounding territories, including Ephesus. In order to gain the favor of the local nobility, he acted as a patron of the arts and financed the project of the temple of the goddess Artemis. Ephesus was dominated by swampy terrain and there were not enough resources for construction. Hersifron, an architect from Knossos, was appointed responsible for the construction. He came up with a couple of original solutions.

Working on the project, the architect came to the conclusion that building a temple in a swamp is a good decision. Earthquakes often occurred in this area, which led to the destruction of houses. According to the idea, the swamps played the role of natural cushioning to mitigate the destructive effect of the elements during the next tremors. So that the structure does not sag, they first dug a pit andthey threw several layers of coal and wool into it. Only after that did the laying of the foundation begin.

Sheep and marble

For such a majestic architectural work, no less noble material was required. The choice of the creators fell on marble. However, no one knew where to get the required amount of this stone in Ephesus. The Temple of Artemis might not have seen the world if not for the occasion.

While the townspeople were thinking about where to send a group of forwarders, a local shepherd was tending a herd of sheep not far from the city. Two males clashed in a duel. The furious beast rushed at full speed towards the enemy, but missed and hit the horns straight into the rock. The blow was so strong that a block sparkling in the sun fell off. As it turned out, marble. According to legend, this is how the resource problem disappeared.

Other problems

Another difficulty that Hersifron had to face was the transportation of columns. Heavy and massive, they created pressure on loaded wagons, forcing them to sink into quicksand. But here, too, the architect showed an innovative mindset: iron bars were driven in from both ends of the column, then sheathed with wood, taking care of the value of the load, and oxen were harnessed to drag the structure to the construction site.

The last test that befell the architect was the installation of imported columns. It turned out to be an impossible task to translate the marble blocks into a vertical position. In desperation, Hersifron nearly committed suicide. How did you manage to complete the project in the end?is still unknown, but the legend says that Artemis herself appeared at the place of construction and helped the builders.

Continuing the cause

Unfortunately, the creator did not see the fruits of his efforts. The business was continued by his son Metagen, who, like his father, possessed ingenuity. He made sure that the tops of the columns, the capitals, were not damaged during the installation of the crossbars, called architraves. To do this, open bags filled with sand were hoisted on them. As the sand under the pressure of the beam crumbled, it neatly fell into place.

The construction of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus lasted for 120 years. The final work was carried out by the architects Peonit and Demetrius. They attracted the outstanding masters of Hellas, who sculpted statues of brilliant beauty, and in 550 BC. e. the temple in all its glory appeared to the eyes of the Ephesians.

Herostrat the Madman

But in this form, he was not destined to exist for two hundred years. In 356 BC. e. a citizen of Ephesus, wanting to imprint his name on the ages, came to the temple to set it on fire. The construction quickly ignited, because, in addition to marble, it contained multiple wooden elements of ceiling and decoration. From the Greek shrine, only the colonnade remained, moreover, blackened by fire.

The offender was quickly found and, under pain of torture, was forced to confess to his deed. Herostratus sought glory, but found his own death. The authorities also forbade the man's name from being spoken and struck him out of the documentary evidence. However, forget what happened.contemporaries could not. The historian Theopompus, years later, mentioned Herostratus in his writings and, thus, he still entered the annals.

Alexander the Great and Artemis

They say that on the night of the arson, Artemis was unable to defend her dwelling, because she helped one woman, the mother of Alexander the Great, during childbirth. He was born on the same night that the vain lunatic signed his own death warrant.

Later, Alexander paid his divine debt and took on the cost of restoring the temple. The work was entrusted to the architect Cheirocrates. He left the layout unchanged and only improved individual details. So, before the work, they drained the swamp, which gradually absorbed the shrine, and raised the building to a higher stepped pedestal. The reconstruction was completed by the 3rd century BC. and the result exceeded expectations. Grateful residents decided to immortalize Alexander the Great and ordered a portrait of the commander from Apelles, which they decorated the temple with.

Among the interesting facts about the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus is this: although the sanctuary itself has not been preserved, the portrait of the commander is still kept in the National Museum of Naples. The Romans copied the story and recreated it as a mosaic called the Battle of Issus.

Exterior of the building

Citizens were so struck by the building of white marble that soon it was called in Ephesus nothing but a wonder of the world. The Temple of Artemis was the largest among those that existed before. Spread over 110 m in length and rising 55 m, it relied on 127columns. According to legend, some of them donated to the construction of Croesus, trying to appease the locals. The columns reached 18 m in height and became the basis of the future architectural masterpiece. They were decorated with marble reliefs and installed inside.

According to the type of construction, Artemision, as it was otherwise called, was a dipter - a temple, the main sanctuary of which is surrounded by two rows of columns. Interior decoration and roofing is also made with marble slabs and tiles. Eminent masters of sculpture and painting were invited for facing. Scopas, also famous for the creation of the statue of Artemisia, worked on the relief of the column. Praxiteles, an Athenian sculptor, decorated the altar. The artist Apelles, along with other artists, donated paintings to the temple.

The architectural style combined the traditions inherent in the Ionian and Corinthian orders.

Many breasted deity

In ancient Greek mythology, Artemis was revered as the mistress of all living things. The eternally young maiden contributed to fertility and helped women in childbirth. However, the image is contradictory: it combined the dark and light principles. Commanding over the animals, she nevertheless patronized the hunters. Being an accomplice of happy marriages, she asked for pre-wedding sacrifices, and severely punished those who violated the vow of chastity. The ancient Greeks saw Artemis as beautiful and terrible at the same time. She inspired awe and fear.

Such a dualism is reflected inart. The crown of creation and the main decoration of the temple was the statue of the goddess and patroness of Ephesus. The height of the monument almost reached the vaults and was 15 meters. The divine face and hands are made of ebony, and the robe is made of ivory interspersed with precious metals. The camp is hung with figures of animals that accompanied the appearance of the goddess. However, the most remarkable detail was the three rows of female breasts. This symbol of fertility refers to ancient pagan beliefs. Alas, the sanctuary has not survived to this day, so we have to be content with a brief description of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus.

Second destruction of the temple

Restored Artemision also expected a disappointing fate. Subjected to constant raids, in the year 263 from the Nativity of Christ, he was finally plundered by the tribes of the Goths. With the advent of Byzantine power, when pagan rites were banned by the decree of Emperor Theodosius I, they decided to close the temple of Artemis in Ephesus. In short, the irony was that building materials were later used to improve Christian churches. So, the columns of Artemision were used in the construction of the Basilica of St. John the Theologian, which is also in Ephesus, and were also taken to Constantinople for the construction of St. Sophia's Cathedral. Directly on the site of ancient Greek Mecca, the Church of the Virgin Mary was established. But it was also destroyed.

Our days

Dead city, - so Ephesus is now called. In Turkey, the Temple of Artemis is in the status of an archaeological complex and is a museum underopen air near Selcuk city, Izmir province. The museum can be reached on foot, as the distance is only 3 km. A taxi ride will cost 15 TRY.

Alas, but now one of the seven wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, is a sad sight: archaeologists managed to put together fragments of only one column out of 127, and even then not completely. The recreated monument of antiquity rises to 15 meters. But tourists from all over the world still flock to it, wanting to touch the great past.