FORGET THE GEROSTRAT! TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS OF EPHESUS
There was such a wonder of the world - one of seven. It was called the Temple of Ephesian Artemis. And every educated Hellene would tell you that this temple fell victim to a maniac - Herostratus. The name of this Herostratus was included not only in the encyclopedia, but also in sayings and expressions like “Herostratus villainy”.
And yet there is a lot of mystery in this story. It turns out that Herostratus never burned the temple, because of which he became such a famous villain.
But I would say that this is more likely not a mystery, but a misunderstanding.
From ignorance.
The city of Ephesus and the area around it were called the Greek polis. Greece mainly consisted of policies - city-states.
Ephesus lay not in Greece itself, but on the other side of the sea, in Asia Minor. Now this land belongs to Turkey. The busiest sea routes of antiquity walked past him - from Egypt to Chersonesos through the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Having become rich in trade, Ephesus built palaces and temples. The goddess Artemis was considered the patroness of the city, and her temple was the main temple of Ephesus. True, for a thousand years of the city's existence, the unfortunate temple was fatally unlucky: it will burn, then it will be destroyed by an earthquake. And no wonder - after all, it was made of wood.
Finally, in the 4th century BC, the Ephesians decided to build a temple that would not be afraid of anything, and the goddess would be satisfied.
The construction was so grand that the inhabitants of Ephesus turned to neighboring cities and countries for help. The Roman historian Pliny wrote that the temple was "surrounded by twenty-seven columns, donated by the same number of kings."
True, Pliny wrote many years after these events, when the temple no longer existed, he could be mistaken. But we know for sure that some of the neighbors helped Ephesus. In particular, Croesus, the richest king of Lydia, allocated a large amount.
After heated discussions, the project of the architect Khersifron was adopted. He chose a swampy riverbank for construction, which caused at first ridicule, and then the respect of fellow citizens. Indeed, where is the best place to place a heavy building in a seismically hazardous area? In the swamp! Because the swamp will extinguish any tremors. The temple will float in the slurry. But how, then, to prevent him from drowning? And Khersifron decided to first dig a deep pit and fill it with a mixture of wool and charcoal. The result is a multi-meter pillow.
The architect was right. The temple has calmly survived many earthquakes and other natural disasters. True, not this one, but another ...
The construction of a giant temple in the swamp required unusual solutions. Every day was a challenge for the architect. For example, when they brought in columns fifteen meters long and weighing seventy tons each, it turned out that it was impossible to drag them to the construction site - the soft soil did not allow any carriage to drive up to the temple. Then Khersifron ordered to drive the sleeves into the ends of the marble columns, tie the ropes to the sleeves, harness dozens of bulls and roll the columns like rollers. And the columns, like rollers, obediently rolled behind the bulls.
But Khersifron finished off a nondescript, albeit heavy beam, which had to be laid in the threshold of the temple. And she didn’t want to. The architect struggled with this problem for more than a week, until the goddess Artemis came to his aid. At night, while the architect was asleep, the beam dropped to the right place by itself. But Khersifron did not survive this. The great architect died from overwork, and his son and two other architects were completing the construction of the temple.
Finally, the temple was completed and handed over to customers.
His fame was so great that thousands of pilgrims came to him from all over the then World.
The temple stood for a hundred years.
In 356 BC, this miracle of the ancient world perished.
Once upon a time there was a man named Herostratus who could not become famous in any way. Not in literature, not in business, not in philosophy, not in military affairs.
Maybe his beloved girl was encouraging, maybe she was pursuing schizophrenia, but, having wondered how to become famous, he decided to burn down the temple of Artemis. Fortunately, this was not difficult to do. It never occurred to anyone that someone would want to burn him, so probably there were no guards with mallets around him at night.
On the other hand, wooden beams, ceilings, stocks of dry grain and all kinds of material values in the basements of the temple were a wonderful combustible material. Nothing was required - bring a twig, and it will flash. And so it happened.
In 356, Herostratus did his dirty deed and greeted the firefighters with a cry:
- I did it!
Everything would have ended quietly if not for the desire of the townspeople to punish the arsonist with dignity.
The city council decided: to forget his name, never to mention it anywhere, so that the main goal of Herostratus - glory - would not touch him with its gilded wing.
The gods laughed at the Ephesians. All over the world, people told about the punishment they invented for the arsonist Herostratus.
His name is known today much better than the names of the builders of the temple or the kings who ruled in neighboring states. Forgot writers and commanders ... But Herostratus is remembered.
And the Ephesians decided to build the temple anew and even better than before.
This second temple became a wonder of the world.
So at least in this Herostratus could not triumph. His villainy only led to the birth of a miracle, much more significant than the previous temple.
This time the builders knew everything that Chersyphron had invented, and were able to go one step further.
The new temple was much larger than its predecessor: one hundred and nine meters in length, fifty in width. The building was surrounded by two rows of columns, and all the columns were carved - the greatest sculptor Skopas carved scenes from myths on them.
The geographer Strabo wrote in those years: "After a certain Herostratus burned down the temple, the citizens erected another, more beautiful one, collecting women's jewelry for this, donating their own property and selling the columns of the burnt temple."
But some envious people claimed that the Ephesians spent money on the temple, given to them by the Persians and kept in the burned down temple.
In the midst of the construction of the temple, Alexander the Great approached Ephesus. Ephesus was a Greek city, an ally of the Macedonians, so the king was accepted as a friend. Alexander intervened in disputes about financing the construction and, being a good politician, offered to cover all expenses and even pay the debts of the Ephesians, but on one small condition: there should be an inscription of thanks on the temple, in which this feat of Alexander would be glorified.
The Ephesians did not like this. They did not want to make grateful inscriptions on their church, it is better to let the women be left without decorations.
And there was one bum - maybe not a bum, but that's what the legend says - who said with a smile:
- Is it fitting for a living god to erect a temple for other gods?
Alexander found himself in a difficult position. If you agree that you are a god, there can be no question of an inscription, but you will make an inscription - what kind of god are you?
So Alexander paid a modest sum and went off to conquer the world.
It is known that the temple of Artemis was decorated with the best paintings.
We are used to the fact that Greek art is temples and statues. But the Greeks also loved painting, only it, unfortunately, did not reach us.
The plots of the paintings hanging in the temple are known from the descriptions. In order to appease Alexander the Great, they ordered the painting to Apelles, who depicted the great king with a lightning in his hand, like Zeus.
The temple was so wonderfully calculated and built that after that it stood for another half a millennium.
The Romans revered the temple of Artemis and considered it a wonder of the world.
But when the times of Christianity came, then persecution began against the temple. Ephesus remained a stronghold of paganism for a long time, and with the help of Artemis, the Ephesians even expelled the Apostle Paul and his followers from the city. But in 263 Ephesus was captured by the barbarians of the Goths and plundered the sanctuary. And in the days of Byzantium, the temple began to be pulled apart for buildings. The roof was dismantled, then the columns began to fall, and gradually the remains of the temple disappeared into the swamp and river sediments. Even the place where he stood was forgotten.
In 1869, after many years of searching, the English archaeologist Voodoo managed to unearth the foundation of the temple. The temple of Artemis was fully opened only in the next century.
And then they found another foundation, under the first one. This was the foundation of the temple burned by Herostratus.
His name was remembered by descendants. The punishment was execution, and as a capital punishment - the order to completely forget it. For this, special heralds were hired, who for many decades traveled throughout Greece and announced the following order: "Do not dare remember the name of the mad Herostratus, who burned the temple of the goddess Artemis out of ambition."
But the ancient Greek historian Theopompus, who told about the crime of Herostratus, kept his name for posterity. Later, the works of Theopomp, preserved in fragments, became the basis for the work of later historians (Strabo, Aulus Helius, Valery Maxim), who also talked about the burning of the temple of Artemis and, accordingly, about the criminal himself. Thus, Herostratus achieved his goal: he acquired an immortal, albeit shameful, glory - the glory of Herostratus.
On the site of the burnt temple, the inhabitants of this city built a new temple of Artemis of Ephesus, called the "wonder of the world."
Reflection in culture and literature
The expression "Herostratus' glory" became winged, denoting a glory equal to eternal shame; the shameful fame of a person who became famous only by destroying what was created by others. The expression exists in different versions and phrases: "Herostratus' glory", "Herostratus' laurels", "to acquire Herostratus' laurels".
Also, the act of Herostratus was reflected in the literature. In 1939, a collection of short stories "The Wall" by the French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Sartre was published, where one of the short stories is called "Herostratus".
Literature
- Herostratus (eng.). - Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
Categories:
- Personalities alphabetically
- Personalities of the 4th century BC NS.
- Persons: Ancient Greece
- Born in Greece
- Vandals
- Metaphors
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Synonyms:See what "Herostratus" is in other dictionaries:
- (Greek). An Ephesian native who burned in 365 BC the magnificent temple of Diana at Ephesus just to gain some fame. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. GEROSTRATES the Greek ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language
See the ambitious Dictionary of Russian synonyms. Practical guide. M .: Russian language. Z.E. Aleksandrova. 2011. herostratus n., Number of synonyms: 2 ... Synonym dictionary
Greek from Ephesus (M. Asia), burned in 356 BC. e., to immortalize their name, the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus (one of the 7 wonders of the world). In a figurative sense, an ambitious person seeking fame at any cost ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (Herostratus, Ηρόστρατος). Destroyer of the Ephesian temple of Artemis with the aim of becoming famous (356 BC). Indeed, history has preserved his name. (Source: "Concise Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities." M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, edition of A. Suvorin ... Encyclopedia of mythology
Herostratus- HEROSTRATES, an ancient Greek from the city of Ephesus (Asia Minor), burned in 356 BC to immortalize his name, the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus (one of the 7 wonders of the world). In a figurative sense, an ambitious person seeking fame at any cost. ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
I. (footnote) Crazy Art Slayer Cf. You attacked Pushkin so good-naturedly that in no way we can take you for an ardent Herostratus. Dostoevsky. Crete. Art. 3, 1. Cf. Only at the end of the last century did some ... ... Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary
A; m. [Greek. Herostratos] [with capital letter] ◊ Lavra, glory of Herostratus. Anyone who achieves fame, fame at any cost, does not stop before senseless destruction, the destruction of which l. ● By the name of a Greek from Ephesus, who burned in 356 ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Herostratus- (Greek Herostratos) (IV century BC) Greek from Ephesus (Asia Minor). Thirst for glory pushed him to set fire to the temple of Artemis in 356, which was considered one of the 7 wonders of the world. The name of G., by the decision of the inhabitants of the city, was consigned to oblivion, but he is mentioned ... The ancient world. Reference dictionary.
Herostratus- a, m. 1) Greek, who in 356 BC. NS. burned down the temple of Artemis in Ephesus (Asia Minor). 2) transfer. An ambitious person seeking fame at any cost. Etymology: Greek Hērostratos. Encyclopedic commentary: The Temple of Artemis of Ephesus was considered one of ... Popular dictionary of the Russian language
GEROSTRAT- An inhabitant of Ephesus, in which the temple of Artemis was located, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. To become famous, in 356 BC. NS. Herostratus burned this temple ... Dictionary-guide to Ancient Greece and Rome, mythology
Confusion has long arisen with the temple of Artemis of Ephesus, and therefore it is not entirely clear which of these temples to speak of: the last or the penultimate? For a long time, the authors writing about this wonder of the world have an inaccurate idea of what Herostratus burned and what Hersyphron built. The Temple of Artemis was built many times. But the early wooden buildings fell into disrepair, burned down or perished from earthquakes that are not uncommon here, and therefore in the middle of the 6th century BC it was decided to build a new one. The project of the famous Khersifron was recognized as the best. He proposed to build a temple of marble, and according to the then rare principle of the Ionic dipter, that is, to surround it with two rows of marble columns.
The sad experience of the previous construction in Ephesus made the architect think about how to ensure a long life for the temple. The decision was bold and unconventional: to put the temple in a swamp by the river. Khersiphron reasoned that the soft swampy soil would serve as a shock absorber in future earthquakes. And so that the marble colossus would not sink into the ground under its weight, a deep pit was dug, which was filled with a mixture of charcoal and wool - a pillow several meters thick. This pillow actually met the architect's expectations and ensured the longevity of the temple. True, not this, but another ...
Obviously, the construction of the temple was a continuous engineering puzzle, as there is information in ancient sources. Not to mention the calculations that had to be carried out in order to be sure of such an unorthodox foundation, it was necessary to solve, for example, the problem of delivering multi-ton columns through a swamp. What carts the builders did not design, they inexorably bogged down under the weight of the load. Khersiphron found an ingeniously simple solution. Metal rods were driven into the ends of the column trunks, and wooden bushings were put on them, from which the shafts went to the bulls. The columns turned into rollers, wheels, obediently rolling behind teams of dozens of pairs of bulls. How it was decorated, what statues stood in it and what frescoes and paintings there were, what the statue of Artemis looked like, we do not know. And it is better not to believe those authors who describe in detail the decoration of the temple, its carved columns, created by the remarkable sculptor Scopas, the statue of Artemis, and so on. This has nothing to do with the described temple. Everything that Hersyphron and his successors did disappeared because of Herostratus.
The story of Herostratus is perhaps one of the most instructive parables in the history of our planet. An unremarkable person decides to achieve immortality by committing a crime equal to which no one has ever committed (at least considering that Herostratus did without the help of the army, priests, the apparatus of coercion and executioners). It is for the sake of glory, for the sake of immortality that he burns down the temple of Artemis, which has stood for less than a hundred years. This happened in 356 BC. By the way, exactly on the day Alexander the Great was born.
Wooden parts of the temple, dried by the sun, stocks of grain piled in its basements, offerings, paintings and clothes of the priests - all this turned out to be excellent food for fire. The floor beams burst with a crash, the columns fell, splitting - the temple ceased to exist.
And now the compatriots of Herostratus are faced with a problem: what terrible execution can a villain think of so that no one else has a similar idea?
Perhaps, if the Ephesians were not gifted with a rich imagination, if there were no philosophers and poets who racked their brains over this problem and felt responsibility to future generations, Herostratus would have been executed, and that would be the end of it. For a few more years, the townsfolk would say: "There was one madman who burned down our beautiful temple ... just what was his name, God forbid the memory ..." And we would have forgotten Herostratus.
But the Ephesians decided to put an end to the claims of Herostratus with one blow and made a tragic mistake. They decided to forget Herostratus. Not to mention his name anywhere and never - to punish by oblivion a person who dreamed of immortal glory.
The gods laughed at the wise Ephesians. All over Ionia, in Hellas, in Egypt, in Persia - everywhere people told: "Do you know what an amazing execution they thought up in Ephesus for this arsonist? He will now be forgotten forever. No one will know his name. By the way, what was his name? Herostratus?" Yes, we will definitely forget this Herostratus. "
And, of course, they did not forget. And the Ephesians decided to build the temple again. This temple was recognized as a wonder of the world, although, perhaps, the first one, built by Khersiphon, had more grounds for this title. Inside, the temple was decorated with wonderful statues by Praxiteles and Scopas, but the pictures of this temple were even more magnificent.
In our imagination, Greek antique art is primarily sculpture, then architecture. But Greek painting, with the exception of a few frescoes, we hardly know. But painting existed, was widespread, highly valued by contemporaries and, if one is to believe the reviews of connoisseurs, who cannot be suspected of ignorance, it was often superior to sculpture. It can be assumed that the painting of Hellas and Ionia, which has not survived to this day, is one of the greatest and most bitter losses that world art had to suffer. The calculations of the architects who built the temple in the swamp turned out to be accurate. The temple stood for another half a millennium. The Romans highly valued him and contributed to his fame and fortune with rich gifts. It is known that Vibius Salutarius presented the temple, better known in the Roman Empire as the Temple of Diana, many gold and silver statues, which were taken out to the theater for public viewing on the days of major holidays.
The glory of the temple was largely the reason for its death during the early Christianity. Ephesus remained a stronghold of the pagans for a long time: Artemis did not want to yield fame and wealth to a new god. It is said that the Ephesians expelled the Apostle Paul and his followers from their city. Such sins could not go unpunished. The new god sent the Goths to Ephesus, who plundered the sanctuary of Artemis in 263. The growing Christianity continued to hate the deserted church. The preachers raised crowds of fanatics against this personification of the past, but the temple was still standing.
When Ephesus fell under the rule of Christian Byzantium, the next stage of its death began. They began to pull the marble cladding from it to various buildings, the roof was also dismantled, and the unity of the structure was broken. And when the columns began to fall, their fragments were sucked in by the same swamp, which saved the temple from destruction earlier. And after a few decades, the last traces of the best temple of Ionia were hidden under the slurry and sediments of the river. Even the place where he stood was gradually forgotten.
It took the English archaeologist Voodoo many months to find traces of the temple. On October 31, 1869, he was lucky. The complete foundation of the temple was uncovered only in our century. And under it are the traces of a temple burnt by Herostratus.
The fire in the temple was a clear omen that the fate of Asia Minor was decided: the great commander was destined to completely subjugate it. No wonder Artemis, being present at his birth, was distracted and could not protect her temple.
The Temple of Artemis of Ephesus is located in Turkey, near the city of Selcuk, which is located in the south of the province of Izmir. The city of Ephesus, in which the temple was installed, does not exist now, whereas several millennia ago more than 200 thousand people lived here, and therefore it was considered not just a big city, but at that time was a real metropolis.
The first settlements appeared here long before the appearance of the city itself (about 1.5 thousand years BC) - the area near the Kaistr River was ideal for this. Ephesus appeared later, in the XI century. BC e., when the Ionians came here and, having seized the territory, found that the cult of the ancient goddess "Great Mother" is extremely revered here. They liked the idea, and they only slightly modified it according to their mythology: they began to worship Artemis, the goddess of fertility and hunting (the ancient Greeks considered her the patroness of all life on earth, female chastity, happy marriage and the guardian of women in labor). And a few centuries later, a majestic temple was built for her, which contemporaries almost immediately included in the list of wonders of the world.
Temple of Artemis. Source: pinterest.com
The money for the construction of the temple was given by Croesus, the last king of Lydia, famous for his legendary wealth. Khersyphron of Knossos worked on the project of the building, who faced a number of unexpected problems during the construction of the sanctuary, and therefore he applied several non-standard and original engineering solutions. It was decided to build the temple from marble, however, no one knew exactly where it could be obtained in the required quantity. They say that chance helped here: sheep grazed not far from the city. Once the animals started a fight between themselves, one of the males did not hit the opponent, but with all his might hit the rock, from which a huge piece of marble fell off due to a strong blow - this is how the problem was solved.
The second unique feature of the Temple of Artemis was that it was built in a swamp. The architect Khersifron came to such a non-standard solution for one simple reason: earthquakes happened here often - and houses, including temples, were often destroyed for this reason. The swampy soil will soften the tremors, thus protecting the temple. And so that the structure did not settle, the builders dug a huge pit, filled it with coal and wool - and only after that they began to build the foundation from above.
Source: wikipedia.org
The Temple of Artemis was considered the largest sanctuary of the ancient world: it was 110 m long and 55 m wide. 127 columns 18 m high supported the roof along the walls from the outside of the temple. The walls and roof of the sanctuary were decorated with marble slabs. The walls of the temple were decorated from the inside with sculptures made by Praxiteles and reliefs carved by Scopas. In the middle of the temple there was a fifteen-meter sculpture of the goddess, which was made of ebony and ivory, and decorated with precious stones and metals. Since Artemis was revered as the patroness of all living things, animals were depicted on her clothes.
The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, unlike other similar structures, was not only the cultural and spiritual center of the city, but was also a financial and business center: a local bank was located here, negotiations were carried out, transactions were made. It had complete independence from local authorities, and was ruled by a college of priests.
However, the temple did not last long - about two hundred years. In 356 BC. e one of the inhabitants of the city, Herostratus, wishing to become famous, set fire to the sanctuary. It was not difficult: despite the fact that the building itself was built of marble, many of the works in the middle were made of wood.
The crime of Herostratus
Even the Persians, who captured Ephesus in 396 BC, did not dare to encroach on the temple. NS. The Greeks were sure that the goddess herself was personally guarding her sanctuary. The authorities of Ephesus, and ordinary citizens, were worried about the question: why did Herostratus do this? The official version says that Herostratus set fire to the temple of Artemis in order to become famous. True, the Greek historian Theopompus argued that Herostratus gave this confession under torture. Based on modern laws, this makes the recognition of Herostratus null and void. Theopompus' works have survived only partially, but the burning of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, described by him, attracted the attention of the Roman writer Victor Maximus, who lived in the 1st century AD. NS. He included the instructive, in his opinion, story of Herostratus in his book, after which this plot spread throughout the world, and the name of Herostratus became a household name. If Herostratus really set fire to the temple, and did not become an innocent victim of ancient Greek justice, then he achieved his goal - his descendants remember him after two and a half millennia.
On the night of July 21, 356 BC, a large fire occurred in the Greek city of Ephesus. The shocked residents discovered that the fire had destroyed their main pride - the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus.
Hot on the heels, the alleged culprit of the fire was detained. The suspect turned out to be a local resident named Herostratus.
The cult of Artemis was developed in Ephesus and brought not only moral satisfaction, but also financial income. Ephesus was, in modern terms, the center of religious tourism. Admirers of Artemis flocked to the temple in her honor from all over Greece, replenishing the treasury of Ephesus and enriching the locals.
The sanctuary of Artemis on the site of the future temple first appeared in the 8th century BC, and the construction of a large temple began in the first half of the 6th century BC. NS. and lasted for about a century.
Among those who financed the construction of the temple at the initial stage was the famous "ancient Greek oligarch" - the king of Lydia Croesus, who was one of the richest people in ancient history.
Not much is known about the interior decoration of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. It is only known that the best masters of the Greek world took part in the creation of the sculptural decoration of the temple, and the statue of the goddess Artemis was made of gold and ivory. But even those who saw the huge white marble temple outside admired its magnificence.
Model of the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus in Turkey in the Miniaturk park. Photo: wikipedia.org
Among other things, the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus combined the functions of a cult, financial and business institution. Here major transactions were concluded, business negotiations were conducted, “disputes between economic entities” were resolved.
Pyro confessed under torture
Even the Persians, who captured Ephesus in 396 BC, did not dare to encroach on the temple. The Greeks were sure that the goddess herself was personally guarding her sanctuary.
But, apparently, on a July night in 356 BC, Artemis went away somewhere ...
The many-breasted Artemis of Ephesus. Photo: wikipedia.org
The fate of the perpetrator of the fire was obvious - it was absolutely impossible to forgive the sacrilege and the most severe financial damage to the city.
However, the authorities of Ephesus, and ordinary citizens, were worried about the question: why did Herostratus do this?
The official version says that Herostratus set fire to the temple of Artemis in order to become famous. True, the Greek historian Theopompus claimed that Herostratus gave this confession under torture. Based on modern laws, this makes the recognition of Herostratus null and void.
However, in Ancient Greece, the presumption of innocence was looked at more simply - the exposed arsonist was executed, and as an additional measure ordered to consign his name to oblivion.
PR campaign of Victor Maxim
In general, the ancient Greek historians obeyed and carried out the order of the authorities, but there was one who could not restrain himself and, despite the risk of sharing the fate of Herostratus, told about what actually happened in Ephesus.
Theopompus' works have survived only partially, but the burning of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, described by him, attracted the attention of the Roman writer Victor Maximus, who lived in the 1st century AD.
Victor Maxim included the instructive, in his opinion, story of Herostratus in his book, after which this story spread around the world, and the name of Herostratus became a household name.
If Herostratus really set fire to the temple, and did not become an innocent victim of ancient Greek justice, then he achieved his goal - his descendants remember him after two and a half millennia.
Here was Macedonian
As for the temple itself, the inhabitants of Ephesus threw all their strength into its restoration. Half a century later, the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus again received pilgrims, becoming better than before.
This time the legendary conqueror Alexander the Great became one of the "sponsors" of the construction. By the way, according to legend, Alexander was born on the very night when Herostratus started the fire that made him famous.
Alexander the Great on a fragment of an ancient Roman mosaic from Pompeii, a copy from an ancient Greek painting. Illustration source: wikipedia.org
The Temple of Artemis of Ephesus was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. True, some historians believe that this applies only to the restored temple, and the sanctuary burned by Herostratus was much more modest. Some even express a seditious thought - the arson, organized by Herostratus, rendered Ephesus a service, ridding itself of its old and obsolete temple and allowing the site to be freed up for new construction.
The restored Temple of Artemis at Ephesus stood safely until 263 AD, when it was plundered by the Goths. Nevertheless, the temple existed until the end of the 4th century and was closed as part of the struggle of the emperor Theodosius against paganism. The place of the temple of Artemis in Ephesus was taken by a Christian church, which was then also destroyed.
The glory of Herostratus turned out to be stronger
Then a fairly typical story for all times and peoples took place - local residents began to dismantle the walls of the once great temple for building materials. So the descendants of those who tried to consign Herostratus to oblivion, consigned to oblivion Artemis along with her sanctuary.
View of the ruins of the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus. Photo: wikipedia.org
Centuries have passed. The temple, built in the swampy area, has completely disappeared. Only in the second half of the 19th century, archaeologists managed to literally get to the bottom of the pearl of the ancient world, establishing the exact location of the temple. A few decades later, archaeologists were able to completely reveal the foundation of the temple of Artemis of Ephesus covered with a layer of earth.
However, whatever one may say, one of the seven wonders of antiquity is remembered today much worse than the name of the one who set it on fire.
