The Temple of Artemis was built around 550 B.C in honor the Greek goddess
Artemis.
The temple was built in the ancient city of Ephesus near the modern town of Selcuk to the south of Izmir
in Turkey, and it took 120 years to build.
The temple was decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the most skilled artists of their time.
The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution.
The foundation of the temple was rectangular in form, similar to most temples at the time.
The building was made of marble and adorned with golden pillars and silver statuettes.
The temple was 377 feet long, 180 feet wide, and had 127 columns each 60 feet in height.
Artemis was the Greek goddess, the virginal huntress and twin of
Apollo, who supplanted
the Titan
Selene as Godness of the Moon.
The site of the temple was rediscovered in 1869 on an expedition sponsored by the British Museum.
Several artifacts and sculptures from the temple can be seen in the museum today.
The temple was set to fire on 356 B.C. by
Herostratus. He held nothing personally against Artemis
or the temple, but saw its destruction as a path to personal fame.
The temple was reconstructed after the death of Alexander the Great, and it was destroyed
again in 262 by the barbarians.
