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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus was built to honor the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature. Although the temple's foundation dates to the seventh century BC, the structure itself was built around 550BC. The great marble temple, or temple D, was sponsored by the Lydian king Croesus and designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron.

In it were bronze statues including four ancient bronze statues of Amazons. The temple was both a religious institution and a marketplace. Recent archeological excavations revealed gifts from pilgrims including gold and ivory statuettes and artifacts from as far as Persia and India.

Herostratus burned the temple to ground on the night of 21 July 356 BC in an effort to immortalize his name. It was restored as temple E over the next 20 years,but destroyed by the Goths in AD 262. St. John Chrysostom tore the temple down in AD 401.

The temple was rectangular, built of marble with a decorated façade overlooking a  spacious courtyard. Marble steps led to a high terrace approximately 80 m (260 ft) by 130 m (430 ft) in plan. 127 columns about 20 m (60 ft) high and decorated  with Ionic capitals and carved circular sides, were aligned orthogonally over the platform area, aside from the central house of the goddess. There is no evidence whether or not a statue of the goddess stood in the center of the sanctuary.

 

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