THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS

One summer night in 356 BC, the citizens of Ephesus awoke to find their seaside town covered by a thick blanket of smoke. Its source was the community’s pride and joy, an enormous temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis. Quite possibly the largest temple in existence at that point in time, it had inexplicably burst into flames.

Tim Brinkhof

SPECIAL A TALE OF ARSON AND INFAMY Located on the shores of the Aegean, at the edge of the Anatolian plate, Ephesus was no stranger to floods and earthquakes. As a precaution, the temple of Artemis, one of Herodotus’ wonders of the world, had been built on top of a raised plateau, which was itself built atop seismic-proof swamp land strengthened by trodden-in charcoal and sheep’s fleece. But it wasn’t a natural disaster that wiped out the Artemisium. Instead, it was a disgruntled citizen in search of infamy. Herostratus felt burning the temple was the surest way he would be remembered after his death. The Temple of Artemis The temple Herostratus destroyed wasn’t the first iteration of the Artemisium. That one was likely smaller, made from wood and swept away by…

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Ancient History (Digital) - 1 Issue, AH 49

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