Church in Ephesus. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the seven wonders of the world
How Russia was treated during the time of Ivan the Terrible, we know from the words of European silkworms for whom ANY people outside Europe (including the Chinese) are barbarians and savages! But the fact that Italian architects came to us in a stream suggests that Russia was a dynamically developing state and smart people were drawn to her! And the spiteful critics stank ... just like you now!
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you read the Torah, other works of Judaism. maybe you will be closer to this people rich in talents!
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The coat of arms of the Dacians "Attacking Falcon" is now the Coat of Arms of Ukraine Dacians The great Roman Trajan Is reputed to be the conqueror of the proud Dacians But the chronicle of Trajan is only a deceit He got a slave *, and the glorious Dac Went northeast to the Varangians And behind the Prut ** then the Romans, then the Turks Behind the black, blackness rose in a wave From the Dacians in that land (the "chocks" achieved ***) No appearance, no spirit left And the glorious Dak, sweeping away the nomads Settled in new wild lands Cultivating them and protecting Building fortresses on the rivers of Moldova, laid the foundation for the glorious Dak And in the east, Kiev was founded - a city Beyond the Volga, beyond the Urals, then the messiah left And gave faith to all the nomadic Vikings Moldova, Ukraine, all of Russia Great descendants of the glorious Dacians * slave - a man who dreams not of freedom, but of his own slaves. ** The Prut is the river that Trajan was able to reach and practically along which the "Trajan rampart" is marked. *** "chocks" - people who make incomprehensible sounds, which the Slavs (especially the southwestern ones) usually shunned (in Rus' they were also called "Germans"). For reference: DAKI (lat. Daci) - a group of Thracian tribes, descendants of the Aryans, who occupied the territory north of the Danube to the spurs of the Carpathian Mountains and east to the Dnieper (according to some sources - to the Crimea). Known to the Greeks already in the 5th century. BC e., and from the 1st c. BC e. the Romans came into direct contact with the Dacians. The Dacian society was highly developed, although, apparently, not all tribes were distinguished by the same level of development. The Dacians were engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding; they developed mining and metal processing, ceramic production using a potter's wheel. Already in the 5th and 4th centuries. BC e. The Dacians traded with Greek cities, and from the 1st c. BC e. - with Roman merchants; minted silver coins. Even in the middle of the 1st c. BC e. The Dacians, under the leadership of their king and leader Burebista, extended their power to the tribes of the Danubian right bank and some of the Greek western Pontic cities. Dacia reached its greatest prosperity under Decebalus, who united under his rule part of the Sarmatian tribes. The Dacians (the Greeks called them the Getae) unsuccessfully tried to conquer Darius (the Persian king), Philip (the father of Alexander the Great) and the Macedonian himself. Dacians beat the enemy on their territory. Similar methods of fighting the invaders were then used by Stefan cel Mare (the Great), Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Kutuzov. Within 1 century. BC e. - 1 in. n. e. the Romans also undertook a series of campaigns against the Dacians (under Augustus, Nero). Under Domitian, the war with the Dacians ended unsuccessfully for the Romans. Under the terms of peace (in 89), the Romans were obliged to pay annual subsidies to the Dacas and provide them with Roman artisans and masters of "peaceful and military specialties." The next and last stage of the struggle of the Romans with the Dacians falls on the time of Trajan, when, as a result of wars in 101-102 and in 105-106, part of Dacia (west of the Prut River), separated by the Trajan rampart, lost its independence and was turned into a Roman province. And this happened only because then the Dacians themselves unleashed a war of conquest for the first time and the moral advantage was on the side of the Romans. Those Dacians who remained in the occupied territory west of the Prut (Trajan rampart) were turned into slaves by the Romans. And the free or, as they called themselves, the glorious Dacians strengthened their positions east of the Prut and called this fortified area Molt-dava (Moldova, because molta is a lot and dava is a fortress). The territory of the glorious Dacians then stretched from the Prut to the Dnieper and even to the Crimea. Trajan's contemporaries described the Dacians as follows: "... people of taller than average height, blond hair, blue eyes, a wide nose. They are engaged in cattle breeding, agriculture and crafts. They live in chopped huts ...". And these people have not disappeared. On the contrary, moving to the East, the glorious Dacians (later - the Slavs) founded the fortress of Kyiv on the right bank of the Dnieper to protect against the raids of the barbarians from the East. And then the territory of the glorious Dacians or Slavs was named Kievan Rus, and the Coat of Arms of the Dacians (attacking falcon) is still the State Emblem of Ukraine (renamed to a trident). In the 5th c. The eastern part of the Roman Empire collapsed and the free Dacians again shifted to the right bank of the Prut, pushing the Roman slaves along with their (then already few) masters to the West. In these territories, the Principality of Moldavia (descendants of the glorious Dacians) and Wallachia (descendants of former slaves) were subsequently formed. In the middle of the second millennium, hordes of Ottomans constantly rolled into Moldova, but Stefan cel Mare skillfully held them back, destroying the Turks on his territory. As a rule, along with the Turks, the Wallachians also went to Moldova for prey. For this betrayal, Stefan burned Bucharest twice. Conquering Wallachia, Stefan did not annex it to Moldova, but appointed his cousin Vlad Tepes (Dracula), then Vlad the Monk (Tepes's son) to rule the Wallachians. Further events are described in some detail in the official chronicle.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus is the third of the world's recognized Seven Wonders of the World.
In the 6th century BC, the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, founded on the western coast of Asia Minor in Caria in the 12th century BC, reached an unprecedented flourishing. The patroness of the city was Artemis - the daughter of the king of the gods and people of the almighty Zeus and Leto, the sister of the golden-haired Apollo.
Artemis was the goddess of fertility, the patroness of animals and hunting, as well as the goddess of the moon, then the patroness of chastity and the guardian of women in childbirth.
However, this intention also had practical implications. The inhabitants of Ephesus conducted large usurious operations, gave money at high interest in loans. The elders hoped that the new structure would increase the turnover of the "bank" of Artemis.
Temple construction
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The Temple of Artemis was built many times. But the early wooden buildings fell into disrepair, burned down or died from the frequent earthquakes here, and therefore in the middle of the 6th century BC it was decided to build, sparing no expense and time, a magnificent dwelling for the patron goddess, especially since it was possible to enlist the promise of neighboring cities and states to participate in such a solid undertaking.
Pliny, in his description of the temple, says: "... it is surrounded by one hundred and twenty-seven columns, donated by the same number of kings." It is unlikely that there were so many kings favorably disposed towards Ephesus in the district, but it is obvious that the construction became to some extent a common cause of the neighbors of Ephesus. At least the richest of the despots - Croesus, king of Lydia, made a generous contribution.
There was no shortage of architects, painters and sculptors. 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 construction of the temple was entrusted to the famous architect of antiquity Hersifron, who proposed to build a temple of marble and surround it with two rows of marble columns.
Given the seismic activity of the region, Chersiphon decided to build the temple on a wetland, assuming that soft soils would work to mitigate ground vibrations. (This principle still works, only houses are now built on springs)
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 really justified the architect's hopes and ensured the durability of the temple.
For the delivery of heavy blocks and columns over viscous swampy soils, Hersifron applied an ingenious and simple solution. Metal rods were driven into the ends of the column shafts, and wooden bushings were put on them, from which shafts went to the bulls. The columns turned into rollers, wheels obediently rolling behind teams of dozens of pairs of bulls.
When the great Khersifron himself turned out to be powerless, Artemis came to his aid: she was an interested person. Despite all efforts, Hersifron could not put the stone beam of the threshold in place. Artemis had to intervene and during the night the beam lowered itself into the necessary grooves.
Hersiphron did not live to see the completion of the temple. After his premature death, the functions of the chief architect passed to his son Metagenes, and when he died, the temple was completed by Peonit and Demetrius. The temple was completed around 450 BC.
The construction of the first temple of Artemis in Ephesus lasted about 150 years.
Sasha Mitrahovich 31.10.2015 00:41
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What was the first Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis was considered the largest sanctuary of the ancient world: its length was 110 m, and its width was 55 m. Along the walls on the outside of the temple, the roof was supported by 127 columns 18 m high. 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 Skopas.
In the middle of the temple was a fifteen-meter sculpture of the goddess, which was made of ebony and ivory, and decorated with precious stones and gold. Since Artemis was revered as the patroness of all living things, animals were depicted on her clothes.
The pediments of the temple were decorated with grandiose sculptural compositions made of marble.
Legend of the Temple of Artemis
The inhabitants of Ephesus, having decided to build a temple of marble, faced an unforeseen problem, the absence of the marble itself in sufficient proximity to the construction site.
As always, in such cases, the case or the goddess Artemis herself helped: the shepherd Pixodorus pastured his flock not far from the city. The rams, having decided to fight, bowed their heads and rushed towards each other but missed. One ram hit a nearby rock with its horn and broke off a piece of rock of dazzling whiteness. The lucky shepherd pointed out this place to the builders and became famous and rich.
Sasha Mitrahovich 31.10.2015 10:46
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Herostratus, an unremarkable man, decides to achieve immortality by committing a crime that no one else has ever committed.
It is for the sake of glory, for the sake of immortality, that he burns the temple of Artemis, which stood for about 200 years. It happened in 356 BC, on the day when Alexander the Great was born.
The birth of such a great historical figure was so important to Artemis that she sacrificed her magnificent temple, present at the birth of the future conqueror of the world, at a time when her sanctuary was consumed by fire. But the goddess is therefore a goddess, she foresaw that Alexander the Great would restore the temple and make it even more majestic and beautiful.
The wooden parts of the temple, dried by the sun, stocks of grain dumped in its cellars, offerings, paintings and clothes of the priests - all this turned out to be excellent food for the fire. Ceiling beams burst with a crash, columns fell, splitting, and the temple ceased to exist.
And now the compatriots of Herostratus face a problem: what terrible execution to invent a scoundrel, so that no one else has a similar idea?
Perhaps, if the Ephesians had not been gifted with a rich imagination, if there had not been philosophers and poets there who puzzled over this problem and felt responsible to future generations, Herostratus would have been executed, and that would be the end of it. For a few more years, the townsfolk would have said: “There was one madman who burned down our beautiful temple ... only what was his name, God forbid 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 with oblivion a person who dreamed of immortal glory.
The gods laughed at the wise Ephesians. Throughout Ionia, in Hellas, in Egypt, in Persia - everywhere people told the story of Herostratus and instead of oblivion, this name, on the contrary, became known to the whole world and became a household name.
Sasha Mitrahovich 31.10.2015 10:49
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And the temple of Ephesus decided to build again. The second temple was built by the architect Cheirocrates, the famous inventor who is credited with the planning of Alexandria, the model city of the Hellenic world, and with the idea of turning Mount Athos into a statue of Alexander the Great with a vessel in his hand from which a river flows.
True, this time the construction took a few years. And the merit of this is the long-dead Hersifron. Now there were no mysteries and technical inventions. The path was paved. It was only necessary to repeat what was done earlier. And so they did. True, on an even larger scale than before. The new temple was 109 meters long and 50 meters wide. 127 twenty-meter columns surrounded it in two rows, and some of the columns were carved and the bas-reliefs on them were made by the famous sculptor Skopas.
This temple was recognized as a wonder of the world, although, perhaps, the first one built by Chersiphon had more grounds for this title.
The restoration of such a grandiose structure was a very expensive undertaking, the townspeople collected funds for the construction in all possible ways.
At this time, Alexander the Great approached Ephesus with his army. Wishing to testify his respect for the sanctuary, Alexander immediately offered to cover all past and future construction costs on one condition: that his name appear in the dedicatory inscription. How can you refuse the beneficence behind which the hardened phalanxes of the Macedonians stand?
The second temple of Artemis was in no way inferior to the first and looked no less magnificent. Therefore, the Ephesians, in order to thank Alexander the Great for patronage, decided to install a portrait of the commander in the temple and ordered work from Apelles, who portrayed the commander with a lightning bolt in his hand.
The picture from the hands of the painter came out so perfect and reliable that the inhabitants of the city, when they came for the order, it seemed as if a hand armed with lightning really protruded from the canvas. For this work, the Ephesians generously thanked Apelles by paying him 25 gold talents, which is more than 600 kg in kilograms, the world still does not know the artist whose painting is so expensive.
Temple decoration
Inside, the temple was decorated with wonderful statues by Praxiteles and Scopas, but even more magnificent were the paintings of this temple.
In our imagination, Greek ancient art is first of all sculpture, then architecture. But Greek painting, with the exception of a few frescoes, we almost do not know. But painting existed, was widespread, highly valued by contemporaries and, according to the opinions of connoisseurs, who cannot be suspected of ignorance, often surpassed sculpture. It can be assumed that the painting of Hellas and Ionia, which has not survived to this day, is one of the biggest and bitter losses that world art had to suffer.
In the same temple there was a picture in which Odysseus, in a fit of madness, harnessed an ox to a horse, pictures depicting men immersed in thought, a warrior sheathing his sword, and other canvases...
Sasha Mitrahovich 31.10.2015 10:52
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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 held him in high esteem and with rich gifts contributed to his fame and fortune. It is known that Vibius Salutarius donated to the temple, better known in the Roman Empire under the name of the Temple of Diana, many gold and silver statues, which were taken out to the theater for public viewing on major holidays.
The glory of the temple was largely the cause of its death during early Christianity. Ephesus remained a stronghold of the pagans for a long time: Artemis did not want to yield glory and wealth to the new god. It is said that the Ephesians expelled the Apostle Paul and his supporters from their city. Such sins could not go unpunished. new god sent Goths to Ephesus, who plundered the sanctuary of Artemis in 263. The growing Christianity continued to hate the deserted temple. Preachers raised crowds of fanatics against this personification of the past, but the temple still stood.
Sunset of the cult of Artemis and the death of the temple
In 263 AD the Goths who broke into Asia Minor, having heard about the innumerable riches of the city and Artemision, plundered the sanctuary. The next blow was the prohibition of pagan cults in the Roman Empire in 391 under Theodosius I the Great. It is known, however, that the cult of Artemis continued to go here for another two centuries, until this place was finally abandoned after an earthquake. In 1869, as a result of excavations begun by the English archaeologist J.T. Wood in a swamp at the supposed site of the sanctuary, the base plate of the structure was discovered and numerous offerings to the temple were found. The famous reliefs of the columns of Artemision are currently in the British Museum (London).
A masterpiece of architectural art, the Temple of Artemis glorified the entire Greek civilization. Its ruins remind of the former glory of a powerful state.
Modernity of the temple
The fourth wonder of the world, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, is no longer found in Greece. It is worth looking for in Selcuk, a Turkish city. At one time, the ancient Greek Ephesus was located there. And tourists are often offered excursions from the resort town of Marmaris to the ruins sacred place patroness of an ancient civilization.
From the ancient miracle, only ruins remained, which are absolutely not similar to the temple of the goddess Artemis in Ephesus.
Artemis
The goddess of motherhood, hunting, courage and courage was the favorite of all the inhabitants of the Greek state. Every ancient city built sanctuaries in honor of her. The Greeks brought generous gifts to the goddess, arranged feasts.
Artemis was the beautiful sister of Apollo, the god of the sun and music. Their father was the powerful conqueror of lightning - Zeus.
Faithful wives prayed to the goddess to protect their husbands in battle and give offspring, as well as warlike Amazons. They chose Artemis as their main patroness.
Ephesus was one of the central cities of the cult of the eternally young huntress Artemis. Here it was decided to begin the construction of her temple.
Creation of a shrine
Legend has it that the Amazons decided to glorify Artemis for all ages. For this they built a wonderful house for her in Ephesus.
But, according to official sources, it was built by order of Croesus, the king from Lydia, by two architects: Metagenes and his father Khersifron. Vladyka liked the idea so much that he even presented two of the designers with a column each.
The location was chosen already on the existing foundation of the ancient sanctuary, now forgotten pro-Hellenic goddess. She also patronized women, but was forgotten with the advent of the Olympian cults.
The first buildings made of wood constantly burned down, collapsed, suffered under the influence of earthquakes. But in the sixth century BC, around the year 560, Croesus agreed to sponsor a project unprecedented in scale at the time. The townspeople also donated money to complete the world's most beautiful Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. History has not even preserved its outlines.
It was decided to make the sanctuary not on hard ground, but in a soft swamp, so that the earthquake would not damage it.
And so that the large-scale structure would not sink into the swamp, a large hole was dug under it, which was filled with wool and coal for several meters.
Similar unusual decisions were made during the transportation of columns. They were fastened to the oxen like wheels. This not only made it easier for the animals to work, but also made it possible to increase the volume of transportation.
The ancient Greeks believed that Artemis also helped with construction. The architects said that they could not put the central beam of the threshold in place. They already wanted to give up. But then a goddess appeared in front of them in the guise of a bystander. She set to work, and the threshold fell into place just perfect.
During the life of Khersifron, only the frame of the building and the colonnade along it were completed. Work on the temple lasted a total of one hundred and twenty years. After Metagen, Demetrius and Peonite joined the project. Four architects added new details to their taste.
Metagen finished the top at the sanctuary. He came up with a revolutionary way to carefully and smoothly raise the architrave on top of the capitals of the columns. To do this, Metagen ordered to fill sewn bags with sand, put on top, and on top of the crossbar itself. Unable to withstand the weight, the fabric was torn, and the filler was slowly pouring out of it. As a result, the architrave became perfect.
In the year five hundred and fifty before Christmas Church of Christ Artemis in Ephesus finished building.
original appearance
Apparently ancient goddess did not favor her sanctuary, since it was destroyed several times. In its original form, the temple stood for only two hundred years.
Its length reached one hundred and ten meters, and its width - fifty-five. The columns went around the building in a couple of rows. Each of them reached eighteen meters in height. Another legend tells how 127 monarchs from all over the world gave one column to the sanctuary.
The roof was lined with marble slabs.
Herostratus Glory
The name of a selfish Greek became synonymous with undeserved popularity. According to legend, Alexander the Great was born on the day when there was a terrible fire in Ephesus. Artemis was too busy with the future king to save her temple.
And at that time, unknown to anyone at that time, the unremarkable Greek Herostratus decided that The best way make yourself popular - set fire to the fourth wonder of the world.
He climbed into the temple of Artemis at Ephesus and set it on fire. In 356 BC, the most beautiful building, which took more than a hundred years to complete, burned down.
The city council condemned the criminal to complete oblivion. Nevertheless, modern people also know his name.
Reconstruction
Alexander the Great ordered to reconstruct the temple of Artemis in Ephesus - the wonder of the world of the Ancient World. Donations were taken from all over Greece. The building was rebuilt by Alexander Deinocrates. He decided to keep the same layout of the temple, while raising it one more level higher.
The emperor wanted his name to appear on the sanctuary itself. He offered the townspeople to pay in full for the reconstruction in exchange for this service. The Ephesians refused, arguing that a god cannot build a temple of his own kind.
Undertook to restore the beautiful structure and new artists, sculptors. They used marble in their work. Now the columns were twenty meters long. They were made from large stone blocks, which were eventually joined together.
In the middle of a wonder of the world
Inside, it was decorated with bas-reliefs by famous artists and the work of the sculptor Praxiteles. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was the largest among the existing shrines of ancient civilizations. The Parthenon of Athens turned out to be several times smaller.
The central figure of the temple was the statue of Artemis.
During the archaeological excavations of this place, a many-breasted figurine of Artemis Polystamos was found, symbolizing abundance. Some scholars believe that these are not the breasts of the goddess, but the ritual beads with which she is hung.
Temple of Artemis of Ephesus has become a real center of cultural and business life of the city. It was led by both the priests of the goddess themselves and the authorities of the city.
He stood for five hundred years in such a shaky place. When the Romans came, they did not touch it, making it the temple of a similar cult of Diana. Different rulers installed statues of gold and silver in the room. The temple was bathed in precious offerings.
The place quickly became famous. He began to be attributed to the seven wonders of the world.
When Christianity came to Ephesus, according to legend, Artemis was angry with the new religion, and the inhabitants of the city drove out the followers of Jesus and his apostles. They were punished for these actions.
Destruction of the sanctuary
The holy place of the Greeks was subjected to barbarian sack by the Gothic nomads in 263 AD. However, it survived.
In the 400s, the Christian rulers decided to destroy the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. A new one was built on the site of the old pagan church. It was demolished soon after.
During the Byzantine Empire, marble was smashed to other churches and buildings. Sophia Cathedral was built thanks to antique columns. The roof, made of this material, was dismantled first. After that, the columns were left without support and simply fell into the swampy area.
It took several decades to erase all memories of the once largest temple in the world.
They also forgot where the building stood. Only in 1869 the scientist Wood from England found its ruins. In the twentieth century, they dug out the foundation of the temple. When archaeologists removed the first stones, they found an older version of the ancient shrine, which was set on fire by Herostratus.
There is now almost nothing left of the giant ancient structure with a hundred columns. The fact that once upon a time the mighty temple of Artemis of Ephesus towered on that place is reminded of a dilapidated column standing alone. Its height is only fourteen meters. Time did not spare four more.
When, in 1870, a new English expedition began to work at the site indicated by Wood, they discovered pieces of a frieze and various small remains of an ancient temple. The excavated artifacts are now protected in the British Historical Museum, in London, as well as in the museum of the Turkish capital.
Where is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus?
You can get to the historical monument thanks to numerous signs. He settled in Artemision.
The tourist needs to turn right after he left Selçuk on the highway to Kusadasi. Turning at the first turn, you can easily get to the place.
The whole walk around the temple will not take more than fifteen minutes at most, with reading the information stand at the site where the fourth wonder of the world used to be located - the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.
You can go and see where the temple was, absolutely free.
In the city of Selcuk, it is worth going to the Museum of the History of Ephesus. Some finds from the temple of the goddess Artemis are kept there.
Once the Greek seaside city of Ephesus was a major trading point. It is famous for the fact that the temple of Artemis was located here - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Temple construction
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was so large that it immediately entered the list of the seven wonders of the world. In terms of finance, the enterprise was taken under the wing of the king of Lydia Croesus, the construction process was given to the architect from Knossos Harsiphron. Under his leadership, walls and columns were erected. The post of chief architect was later taken over by his son Metagen. At the final stage, the construction was led by Peonit and Demetrius.
When construction was completed in 550 BC, the doors of the temple were opened to the locals. Although today it was not possible to recreate the former magnificent decoration of the temple, it is doubtful that the architects did not try their best. It is known that the statue of the goddess herself was made of gold and ivory.
Long-term archaeological excavations allow us to imagine the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus. This is a huge building, measuring 105 by 51 meters. These are eighteen-meter columns, in the amount of one hundred and twenty-seven, supporting the ceiling. According to legends and rumors, the number of columns corresponded to the number of Greek rulers, because each of them gave one to the temple.
Artemision, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus (an ancient city in Caria, on the western coast of Asia Minor), was one of the most celebrated centers of pilgrimage in the ancient world.
Artemis has long been revered in the cities of Asia Minor as the goddess of fertility. But the Asia Minor Artemis and Greek goddess hunting Artemis, as it were, is not one character in history. The ancient inhabitants of Asia Minor therefore called their goddess Artemis of Ephesus.
The festival of the goddess Artemis was both there and there. In Ephesus, magnificent festivities were held this month in honor of the birth of the goddess.
Who built the Temple of Artemis
According to legend, the ancient temple of Artemis was built by the legendary Amazons, who were also considered the founders of the city. In the VI century BC. e. the inhabitants of the city decided to build a new temple, which would surpass all previous sanctuaries in beauty and grandeur.
The construction of the temple was entrusted to the architect Khersifron from Knossos. He proposed a project for a giant marble dipter (a type of temple in which the sanctuary was surrounded by two rows of columns). The choice of white marble as a material is partly due to the fact that it was during that period that deposits of white marble were discovered near Ephesus.
Vitruvius tells about it this way: “When the citizens of Ephesus decided to build a temple of marble for Diana and discussed whether to deliver it from Paros, Proconnese, Heraclea or Thasos, it happened that the shepherd Pixodarus drove his sheep to graze on this very place; and there two rams running towards each other slipped one past the other, and from a raid one of them hit a rock, from which a fragment bounced dazzlingly white color. Here, they say, Pixodar left the sheep in the mountains and ran to bring the fragment to Ephesus in the midst of the discussion of the aforementioned issue.
The temple was supposed to be built near the mouth of the Caistre River, where the soil was wet and swampy. This choice was due to the desire to protect the temple from earthquakes that often occur in Ephesus. At the suggestion of Khersifron, a foundation pit was dug into which a mixture of charcoal and wool was poured. Then the laying of the foundation began.
Long building
According to legend, the construction of Artemision lasted 120 years. One way or another, all the cities of Asia Minor took part in it. Hersifron died when the work was in full swing. It is not known exactly which part was built under him. Information of ancient authors on this subject is contradictory. Scientists agree only that he managed to finish the main building and the colonnade.
The construction of the upper part of the temple was continued by his son Metagen. The erection of this structure contributed to the improvement of construction techniques and the emergence of new, previously unknown techniques. Metagen also did not live to see the completion of the grandiose object. The architects Peonit and Demetrius completed the construction of the temple. Artemision was admired by all who saw him. True, he did not stand for long, about 100 years.
Greek who burned the Temple of Artemis
In 356 BC. e. a certain Herostratus, a resident of Ephesus, decided to leave his name in the annals of history by destroying the main shrine of Asia Minor. He set fire to the temple. The building was badly damaged. The roof collapsed, columns and walls burned. The news of the death of Artemision shocked the entire Hellenistic world. There is a legend that on the day when the temple of Artemis of Ephesus was destroyed, Alexander the Great was born.
The inhabitants of all the Ionian cities made a joint decision never and nowhere to pronounce the name of Herostratus. But as you can see, we know this name, Herostratus immortalized his name!
The writers were not supposed to mention him even during the story about the fire in the temple. Thus, they wanted Herostratus' desire to become famous, which pushed him to destroy the greatest shrine, not to be fulfilled. Nevertheless, his name remained in history, but this is not the kind of glory that should be proud of. It is no coincidence that the expression "Gerostrat's glory" has become synonymous with fame achieved through a crime or some unseemly act.
The inhabitants of Ephesus could not come to terms with the death of the temple and decided to start raising funds for its restoration. The townspeople generously gave away their savings and jewelry. The temple was rebuilt according to the old plan, but it was raised to a higher stepped foundation so that the sanctuary would not be lost among those buildings that were built after its destruction.
Temple to be
The restored temple was striking in its scale. It covered an area of 110 by 55 meters and was surrounded by a double row of columns, each 18 meters high. The architecture of the new building combined features of the Ionian and Corinthian orders. Inside, 36 columns decorated with reliefs were installed.
The temple was lined from the inside with marble slabs, the roof was also covered with marble tiles. In the center of the main room was a huge (15 meters high) statue of Artemis, which was carved from wood and decorated with many jewels. Famous sculptors and painters took part in the decoration of the temple.
The reliefs of one of the columns were made by the famous artist and sculptor Skopas, who created the statue of Queen Artemisia in the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. The Athenian sculptor Praxiteles decorated the altar with reliefs. Famous artists of that time donated their paintings to the temple, for example, Apelles, a native of Ephesus.
The Temple of Artemis of Ephesus has become one of the famous museums of antiquity. Many paintings and sculptures were located both in the interior of the temple and in the stone fence near it. There was also a statue of a woman made by the Samian craftsman Roik, who, according to ancient authors, was the first to invent a method for casting sculptures from copper.
Peculiar bank
Artemision was not just a museum and an art gallery. Like other Greek temples, it was a kind of mutual benefit fund and a bank. Both people and entire states from all over the Hellenic world kept their money here. For example, the famous historian Xenophon, a student of Socrates, left a large amount of money for the priests to keep for safekeeping before going to Persia. During his absence, the priests of the temple could dispose of them as they saw fit.
In the event of his death, all the money went to the temple. After returning, Xenophon, as a token of gratitude, built a small temple, an exact copy of Ephesus, with the saved money in the city of Skillunte, in Elis. The priests of the Temple of Artemis did not just take care of the money transferred to them for safekeeping. They gave them to everyone at high interest rates and thus increased the wealth of the temple.
In the II century BC. e. Roman power was established in Asia Minor. Many cities were sacked and fell into decay. But Ephesus continued to flourish.
It became the residence of the Roman proconsul, and therefore significant funds were allocated for its improvement. Artemision also continued to grow rich.
- First, a large sum was allocated to him by the city authorities.
- Secondly, the temple received part of the money that went to the treasury after the confiscation of property and the collection of fines.
Living in the 2nd century A.D. e. the writer Dio Chrysostomos wrote: “At the Ephesians ... a lot of private money was invested in the temple of Artemis, not only Ephesians, but also foreigners and people from anywhere, as well as money belonging to peoples and kings. All depositors place their deposits for the sake of safety, since no one will ever dare to offend this place, although there have been countless wars and the city has been taken more than once. It is clear that the money is simply on the account, but usually they are loaned to the Ephesians against letters of loan.
The Temple of Artemis was famous for its wealth
The wealth of the temple was not only money, but also land. And the main source of the splendor of the temple were the gifts that were presented to the goddess by pious citizens. Many left their property to the church by will. Thanksgiving decrees with the names of donors who presented the goddess with especially generous gifts were carved on stone and exhibited in the temple to encourage others. Among those who received special gratitude was a noble and wealthy resident of Ephesus - Damian. At his own expense, he built a portico 200 meters long along the road that went from the city to the temple. In the portico, named after Damian's wife, everyone going to the temple could hide during bad weather.
On several stone slabs, a decree of gratitude was engraved to the Roman horseman Vibius Salutarius, who donated many silver and gold statues and a large sum of money to the temple of Artemis. Ephesians valued these statues very much. They were looked after by a specially appointed priest, and on the days of major holidays they were transported under guard to the theater and installed on a pedestal.
The Romans left behind Artemision the right of asylum that he traditionally had - not a single state criminal or runaway slave could be captured on the territory of the temple. It was believed that he was under the protection of the goddess Artemis herself.
Capture of Ephesus
In the 3rd century A.D. e. Rome's former might was gone. The state hardly restrained the pressure of numerous enemies. They repeatedly staged raids, robbing and ruining the local population. In 263, Ephesus was captured by the Goths, the sanctuary of Artemis was plundered. With the approval of Christianity, the temple of the pagan goddess began to be attacked by Christian preachers, who set crowds of believers on him. Marble slabs of Artemision were used in the construction of various structures. And then on the site of the temple was erected christian church which was also soon destroyed.
The building of the temple suffered most of all from the fact that it was built on swampy soil. Over time, the remains of the ruined temple were covered in a quagmire. The city of Ephesus itself lost its former importance, the harbor became shallow, the ships stopped mooring at the pier. And in 1426 it was captured by the Turks, and a small Turkish village arose on the site of the ancient city.
Excavations
Only in the second half of the 19th century did a serious study of these places by archaeologists begin. An expedition of the British Museum, led by the English engineer and archaeologist J.T. Wood, worked for almost seven years, excavating at the site of Ephesus. During this time, archaeologists have made many finds. The Ephesian theater was discovered, designed for 24 thousand spectators, a library and many other majestic buildings. And on the eve of 1870, under a 60-meter layer of silt, archaeologists discovered traces famous temple Artemis of Ephesus, considered in ancient world one of the wonders of the world.
The excavations were continued under the direction of the Austrian scientist Anton Bammer. It was possible to find out that the temple was a rectangle surrounded by columns. Inside it was a courtyard, and in the center there was a slab, on which, apparently, either an altar or the statue of Artemis itself was located. In 1903, the Englishman David Hogarth, while examining the ruins of the temple, discovered brooches, hair clips, precious earrings and many small coins made of an alloy of gold and silver, in ancient times called an electron.
Archaeologists have found fragments of columns with reliefs, which are now stored in the British Museum. The foundation of the temple was completely opened. However, this is not enough to restore the true appearance of Artemision. The appearance of the statue of Artemis is being restored from images on coins and from a copy found in the middle of the 20th century. We can only guess what the temple actually looked like - one of the greatest miracles created by the genius and labor of man.