Pontic Archaeology

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was numbered among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World(1). It was built and destroyed three times, and today there is only a single column left standing at the site(1). Originally built in the 6th century BCE by Ionian settlers, the temple dedicated to Artemis may have been built on the remains of a site dedicated to Cybele(2). An important Anantolian deity of the moon, nature and fertility, the goddess Cybele’s cult was later to spread throughout the region during the Roman period(3). Artemis was considered the patron goddess and protector of the Ephesians(4), whose tradition claimed nearby Ortygia as the birthplace of the celestial twins(4) rather than the floating island of Delos(5). Indeed there are indications that the site of the Ephesian Temple of Artemis was used for major Goddess worship as early as the 8th century BCE(4).

While Artemis was a virginal goddess of the hunt, and therefore very different from Cybele, she nevertheless had enough similar traits to be syncretized with her. Artemis, after all, was associated with the moon as her brother Apollo was with the sun, and she was also the protectress of women in childbirth, having midwifed her mother’s birth of her twin. The specific version of Artemis that was worshiped at Ephesus, with her strong fertility associations, spread throughout the Mediterranean and was worshiped in other Greek cities(2). By the time of the Roman empire, Artemis was viewed as synonymous with not only Cybele, but also the Egyptian Isis(4).

“In addition to these universalizing factors, the practice of active syncretism, particularly of political deities, should be borne in mind. Imperial interests, first Hellenistic and later Roman, had a great deal at stake in the identification of divine figures around whom political activity centered with the political rulers of the moment, now also understood on a divine level in the imperial cult. This identification probably took place in Ephesus as early as the Persian period,69 and certainly within the Hellenistic and Roman empires. Syncretism, however, is not a one-way flow from above, but rather an organic process of development of ideas and institutions within a multicultural society that is itself in the process of development. Ideas and identifications flowed not only into but also among Greece, Italy, Anatolia, and Egypt.”

Lidonnici, Lynn R. “The Images of Artemis Ephesia and Greco-Roman Worship: A Reconsideration.” The Harvard Theological Review 85, no. 4 (1992): 389-415.

Artemis’s importance to Ephesus as its deity has been likened to that of Athena and Athens(4.) Artemis Ephesus belonged to the polis of Ephesus- she was a political goddess, and her international transformation reflected that of Hellenistic world(4). The cult statue of Artemis was highly valued by the Ephesians(6). Legend and local tradition stated that the cult statue had fallen out of the sky into the site, and the temple built around it(6). The cult statue was said to already be ancient in the Hellenistic period, and there is conjecture that the archaic statue was preserved into the period of the third temple(6).

After a flood destroyed the first iteration of the temple, a new one was created(2). Since there had been an influx of Greek settlers to this region, the new temple was built in the grand Ionian style and has been credited to different architects, Cherisphron of Knossos or the father-team of Cherisphron and Metagenes(1). According to Vitruvius, Chrerisphron and Metagenes initiated construction, but the work was completed by a local, Paeonius of Ephesus(1). This temple was made of marble, with two rows of columns featuring carved designs of the Greek gods and goddesses(2). The temple became a very famous one, drawing visitors from around the region and even receiving patronage by the Lydian king Croesus(1). This temple also utilized an innovative method of earthquake remediation: it was built on marshy ground, and layers of charcoal and marble chips were placed under the foundations- both of these measures would have acted as shock absorbers(1). 

However impressive, this temple was not to last, and was burned down by a fame-seeking arsonist(1). Anecdotally, this arson occurred on July 21st, 356 BCE- the birth date of Alexander the great. As related by Cartwright, Plutarch was noted to have had this to say about these two events:

“It was this coincidence which inspired Hegesias of Magnesia to utter a joke which was flat enough to have put the fire out: he said it was no wonder the temple of Artemis was destroyed, since the goddess was busy attending to the birth of Alexander. But those of the Magi who were then at Ephesus interpreted the destruction of the temple as the portent of a far greater disaster, and they ran through the city beating their faces and crying out that that day had brought forth a great scourge and calamity for Asia.”

Cartwright, Mark.“Temple of Artemis at Ephesus”

The temple’s friezes and artworks, reflected Egyptian and Mycenaean influences, in addition to local ones(6). In its architecture and joint work, there were also influences from Hittite and Anatolian artists and builders(6). Both the methods of construction, and the choice of subject matter, reflected the international influences present at Ephesus, including Ionian, Hittite, Egyptian, and Etruscan(6). Depictions of lions, Heracles, and warriors in chariots and on horseback were common motifs dating back to the first temple ruins(6). Depictions of sphinxes and gorgons have also been uncovered, which fits in with the ferocious female theme of a temple dedicated to Artemis and decorated with depictions of wounded Amazons(6). Winged figures of Artemis, first attributed to the Etruscans, were present, and were similar to depictions of Nike in other cities(6). An entire wall of the temple may have been covered in a mural of the battle of Troy, reflecting both the Greek and Anatolian heritage of the Ephesians(6).

The decorative frieze of the temple carried scenes involving Amazons, who were, in Greek mythology, supposed to have sought shelter at Ephesus from Hercules. The architrave blocks above the columns are estimated to have weighed 24 tons each, and the feat of engineering that put them in place led to the Ephesians believing it was the work of Artemis herself. According to Vitruvius in his On Architecture (2.9.13), the cult statue of Artemis which stood within the temple (and for which the whole project was actually started) was made of cedar wood.”

Cartwright, Mark.“Temple of Artemis at Ephesus”

The city of Ephesus thrived up through Roman times, partly because of all the travelers who journeyed to see the Temple of Artemis(2). The temple of Artemis was important to the city financially, not just because of the religious tourism that it drove, but also because it acted as a bank reserve for Ephesus(2). The temple was, unfortunately, destroyed again by the invading Gothic tribes in 267 CE(1). Although it was rehabilitated once again by the locals, the temple was not to last- it was destroyed for the final time by a mob of Christians railing against idolatry in 401 CE(1).These Christians viewed Artemis as a demon, and may have purposefully misrepresented her garments as multiple breasts(4). However, this structure, which had been considered the most beautiful and impressive of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was not to be forgotten(1). The Temple of Artemis has the distinction of being the first ancient site that modern archaeologists went looking for(1). A team from the British Museum, led by John Turtle Wood, found the site and began excavating it in 1869(1). In addition to remains from the final temple, the team also found statues and votive offerings from the second temple, along with the archaic first temple(1).

The conception of Artemis of Ephesisa evolved along with the city- she was not a static deity, but reflected changing political and social situations in the regions, and adapted to meet the needs of her worshippers(4). She is typically depicted as a many-breasted goddess, emphasizing hyper-fertility(4) However, scholars now believe that the statues of Ephesian Artemis were often adorned with ritual offerings, such as jewelry, clothing adornments, and pendants, which have since been incorporated as carved features in later copies of her statues(4). The offerings may have even included the preserved testes of sacred sacrificial bulls, although this “masculinization” of Artemis has been widely criticized(4). Today, all that remains of the temple that was once described as the most beautiful of the Seven Wonders of the World is a single column that has been reconstructed from recovered fragments(1).

Bibliography

1. Cartwright, Mark.“Temple of Artemis at Ephesus”. Published July 26, 2018. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Accessed June 29, 2019. https://www.ancient.eu/Temple_of_Artemis_at_Ephesus/
2. “The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus”. Last updated April 30, 2015. The University of Warwick.
3. Wasson, Donald L. “Cybele”. Published February 4, 2015. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Accessed June 30th, 2019. https://www.ancient.eu/Cybele/
4. LiDonnici, Lynn R. “The Images of Artemis Ephesia and Greco-Roman Worship: A Reconsideration.” Harvard Theological Review 85, no. 4 (1992): 389. https://onesearch.cuny.edu/permalink/f/1s0o0p4/TN_jstor_archive_321510059
5. Atsma, Aaron. “Artemis”. The Theoi Project. Accessed June 30, 2019. https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Artemis.html
6. Lethaby, W. R. “The Earlier Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies 37 (1917): 1-16. doi:10.2307/625450.