| The temple of Artemision is known as one of the Seven Wonders of
the ancient world. It has been built in the areas of Ephesus on a
flat area which has over the centuries turned into a swamp.
 Today
one can only see the ruins of the foundations of this marvelous
construction of the Hellenistic Age, entirely made of marble and
full of sculptured columns' capitals and shafts.
The most beautiful remaining of this temple are today exhibited
in the London British Museum. The oldest remaining found date back
till the VIth century B.C.
It was surrounded by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon the
orders of the Lydian King, Kreisos, during the VIth century B.C.
Most of the exhibits in the London British Museum belong to this
period.
The new Artemision has been rebuilt in the second century B.C.
Located on top of the previous one, it had tremendous dimensions:
125 columns of each 17,5 meters high.
Unfortunately this one has also been destroyed by fire,
reconstructed and again demolished by earthquakes, rebuilt and at
last looted by Goths one year later. The statue of many-breasted Artemision was the symbol of the
temple but also of abundance, hunting and wild life.
The genuine statue of Artemision, removed during the fire, is today
exhibited in the Selcuk museum. Many copies of this statue found
during the latest excavations date from the Roman period. |
