Although the foundation of the temple dates back to the seventh century BC, the structure that earned a spot in the list of Wonders was built around 550 BC. Referred to as the great marble temple, or temple D, it was sponsored by the Lydian king Croesus and was designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron. It was decorated with bronze statues sculpted by the most skilled artists of their time: Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas, and Phradmon.
The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution. For years, the sanctuary was visited by merchants, tourists, artisans, and kings who paid homage to the goddess by sharing their profits with her. Recent archeological excavations at the site revealed gifts from pilgrims including statuettes of Artemis made of gold and ivory... earrings, bracelets, and necklaces... artifacts from as far as Persia and India.
On the night of 21 July 356 BC, a man named Herostratus burned the temple to ground in an attempt to immortalize his name. He did indeed. Strangely enough, Alexander the Great was born the same night. The historian Plutarch later wrote that the goddess was "too busy taking care of the birth of Alexander to send help to her threatened temple". Over the next two decades, the temple was restored and is labeled "temple E" by archeologists. And when Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor, he helped rebuild the destroyed temple.
When St Paul visited Ephesus to preach Christianity in the first century AD, he was confronted by the Artemis' cult who had no plans to abandon their goddess. And when the temple was again destroyed by the Goths in AD 262, the Ephesians vowed to rebuild. By the fourth century AD, most Ephesians had converted to Christianity and the temple lost its religious glamor. The final chapter came when in AD 401 the Temple of Artemis was torn down by St John Chrysostom. Ephesus was later deserted, and only in the late nineteenth century has the site been excavated. The digging revealed the temple's foundation and the road to the now swampy site. Attempts were recently made to rebuilt the temple, but only a few columns have been re-erected.
Seven Wonders of the World:
1. The Pyramids of Giza
Built in the 3rd millenium BC,are the oldest of the seven wonders and the
Only ones remaining intact today.
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Perhaps built by King Nebuchadnezzar II about 600 BC, were a mountainlike
Series of planted terraces.
3. The Statue of Zeus
(5th century BC) in Olympia, Greece, was created by Greek sculptor Phidias.
4. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
(4th century BC) was a monumental marble tomb.
5. The Colossus of Rhodes
(280 BC) was a bronze statue of the Greek sun god Helios.
6. The Pharos of Alexandria
(3rd century BC), located in Alexandria, Egypt, was a famous ancient lighthouse.
Note: The color painting at the top of the page is of artistic nature and does not necessarily Represent an accurate reconstruction of the Wonder.
