Scopas of Paros was the Architect, he was a very famous sculptor.
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Artemis the Goddess of Fertility
- The great temple was the first building to be built completely out of marble. the temple had 36 columns whose lower portions were carved with figures in high-relief.
- The temple also housed many works of art including four bronze statues of Amazon women.
- Pliny recorded the length of this new temple at 425 feet and the width at 225 feet. Some 127 columns, 60 feet in height, supported the roof, so it was double the size of the Acropolis of Athens.
- It took approx. 120 years to complete, and Alexander the Great offered to finance the completion of the temple as long as was credited as the builder. How did the city fathers get around that? They were smart they told him "It is not fitting that one god should build a temple for another god"
- The city of Ephesus, and the temple became a pilgrim destination which made the silver smiths rich men, as they sold "souvenir " idols of Artemis.
- the religion of Artemis was in decline by the time the great Temple of Artemis was destroyed during a raid by the Goths in 268 A.D.,
- The temple was rebuilt again, but in 391 it was closed by the Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great after he made Christianity the state religion.
- The temple itself was destroyed by a Christian mob in 401 and the stoned was recycled into other buildings.
- When the Roman Emperor Constantine rebuilt much of Ephesus a century later, he declined to restore the temple. He too had become a Christian and had little interest in pagan religions.
The Temple Today
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- In 1863 the British Museum sent John Turtle Wood, an architect, to search for the temple.
- He searched for the temple for six years. In 1869, at the bottom of a muddy twenty-foot deep test pit, his crew struck the base of the great temple.
- The remains of some of the sculptured portions of the temple were found and shipped to the British Museum where they can be viewed today.
- Today the site of the temple near the modern town of Selçuk is only a marshy field. A single column has been erected to remind visitors that once there stood in this place one of the wonders of the ancient world.
10 top Reasons Why You Should Visit Ephesus:
- The temple of Artemis, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, was built there. Although only 1 pillar remains of the original structure, you can always say: “I have been there”
- It was a major ancient Greek city which became one of the largest cities in the world at the time of the Roman empire (250,000 inhabitants).
- You can see what sparked the imagination of the owner of the "Nike" brand running shoe.
- The library of Celsus, one of the largest in the ancient world.
- The Bible book of Ephesus, was written to the congregation in this city, and the city is described in the Bible Book of Acts, Ephesus was one of the seven congregations of Asia mentioned in the Bible book of Revelation and the Gospel of John was written here.
- Jesus Mother Mary is traditionally thought to have spent her final years here, and you can visit her home.
- One of the best preserved ancient ruins in the world.
- You can still see the wealth of the city, roads paved in marble you can still walk on.
- See the Theatre where Gladiators fought, and Christians were Martyred.
- See how much the landscape has changed, Ancient Ephesus was a major commercial port, the ruins are now over 3 miles from the ocean
Bibliography
- Janas, Mavrick. World Traveler Me. Terrace, 21 03 2013.
- Museum of Unnatural Mystery. 08 02 2013 <www.unmuseum.org/ephesus.htm>.
- The Seven Wonders of the ancient world. 08 02 2013 <http://www.seven-wonders-world.com/temple_artemis_ephesus.htm>.