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Click on the names of the cities THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS
The people in the ancient world were very talented and they have made many great and wonderful things. The seven most wonderful things are called as THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD. One of them is the temple of Artemis. The temple was dedicated, to the Greek goddess of hunting, Artemis. It was built in the seventh century BC but unfortunately it was destroyed by a flood. But it was built again. This was a 120 years project and was finally completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present day Turkey ). The temple of Artemis or Diana was designed and constructed by the Cretan architect Cheriphon and his son Metegenes at the expense of Croesus of Ledia. Nowadays there is nothing remaining of the temple. The people were searching for the temple for many years and after sixty years of patient searching, the site of the temple was rediscovered in 1869 by an expedition sponsored by the British Museum led by John Turtle Wood, a British architect, engineer and archaeologist. The temple of Artemis proves that the people in the ancient world were creative and able to create things which remain in the history.
The temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of ancient world. It was one of the largest temples that were built in ancient times at Ephesus. It took 120 years to finish. It was built in 550 BC and it was dedicated to Artemis, a Greek goddess. The length of the temple was 425 feet and the width was 225 feet. It included 127 columns and it was 60 feet high. It was made of marble and wood. The Greeks who built the first temple were Chesiphron and his son Metagenes. Unfortunately this temple didn’t last long. So they built another one in its place. Herostatus wanted to save his name in history. He had power and fame known as “Herostatus fame”. Of course the Ephesians were disappointed and scared of him and they instructed that if anyone would say his name again he would be put to death. Twenty years later Alexander the Great offered to build the temple again. But the Ephesians didn’t accept his offer because they thought that it wasn’t appropriate a god to build a temple for another god. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt again many times. Now the only thing that reminds the visitors of the temple is just a column.
About Artemis The Ephesian Artemis was the Goddess of fertility. The original was carved of wood, with many breast-like protuberances apparently emphasizing fertility over the virginity traditionally associated with the Greek Artemis. She was often pictured as dripped with eggs, or multiple breasts, symbols of fertility, from her waist to her shoulders, her body and legs are enclosed within a tapering pillar-like term, from which her feet protrude. Unlike the Greek Artemis was the Goddess of hunt and she was often pictured as a hunter next to a dear holding arrows and a bow. She was the twin sister of Apollo. About the Temple The ancient temple, built around 650 BC to the cult of Artemis, was constructed on a site already sacred to the Anatolian Mother Goddess Cybele. The shrine was destroyed and rebuilt several times over the next few hundred years. He designed it with high stone columns. Concerned that carts carrying the columns might get marred in the swampy ground around the site, horseperson laid the columns on their sides and had them rolled to where they would be erected. The temple soon attracted merchants, kings, and sightseers, many of donated jewellery and other treasures to Artemis and her temple. Its splendour also attracted many worshippers and pilgrims, strengthening the cult of Artemis. The Temple of Artemis was eventually rebuilt remaining true to the original except for a raised platform, a feature of classical architecture adopted in the construction of later temples. By 263 AD, the temple had been plundered by Nero and destroyed by the Goths. On July 21, 356 BC, the night Alexander the Great was born, legend has it that a psychopathic arsonist intent on immortality set fire to the temple. Twenty-two years later, during his sweep through Asia Minor, Alexander the Great offered to reconstruct the temple. The temple was again reconstructed in the 4th century, but by the end of that century the temple had been abandoned and was being used as a marble quarry for new buildings, including churches. The site of the temple was rediscovered in 1869 on an expedition sponsored by the British Museum, and several artefacts and sculptures from the reconstructed temple can be seen in the museum today.
The Temple of Artemis was one of seven Wonders of the ancient world. It was so big that it took 120 years to finish it. It’s hard to believe but it was one of the largest temples built in the ancient times. The temple was built in 550 BC. Its foundation measured at 377 by 40 feet. It stood in the Greek city of Aphasias, on the west coast which we all know as Turkey. The whole temple was entirely marble expect for its tile covered wooden roof. It was as a dedication to the Greek Goddess Artemis. The architects who made this temple were known as Chersiphron and his son Metagenes. This temple didn’t last long. In 550 BC King Cruesus of Lydia conquered Ephesus and other Greek sites of Asia Minor. During the fight, the temple was destroyed. Another temple was built in place of the first one. Croesus Ephesian wanted to have his name in history. He managed to do exactly this by burning the temple to ashes. The citizens of Ephesus were so appalled that they said anyone who spoke of Herostratus would be put to death. The temple also held many works of art. Four bronze statues of Amazon women were held in the Temple of Artemis. The length of this temple was 425 feet and the width was 225 feet. It has a sum of 127 columns, 60 feet in height that supported the roof. Today the site of this temple is a marshy field. A single column has been erected to remind visitors that there once stood a wonder of the Ancient world and only a solitary column remains of this one structure.
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