Reports about the temple of the goddess Artemis. Temple of Artemis of Ephesus - a lost wonder of the world

Interesting fact— on the modern territory there are the remains of two of the seven wonders of the ancient world. We, of course, did not miss the opportunity and watched both (the first miracle is). Today I want to talk about Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, which was built near ancient Ephesus.

Temple of Artemis was built in the 6th century. BC in honor of the patroness of the city (Ephesus), the goddess Artemis. Moreover, the cult of the goddess goes back to ancient times - even before the Greeks appeared in these places, the city worshiped a goddess who was called the “Great Mother”. The Greeks named her Artemis and built a huge and incredible temple in her honor.

Artemis- one of the most significant goddesses in ancient Greek mythology, the patroness of all life on earth, the goddess of hunting, chastity and fertility, beautiful but cruel.

For the construction of the temple, very unusual place- in the swamp. In those days, many buildings were destroyed by frequent earthquakes, so the architect decided to build the temple in a swampy area in the hope that during an earthquake the soil would absorb and the temple would remain intact. Subsequently, this decision turned out to be erroneous - at present, almost all the remains of the temple have sunk to the bottom of the swamp.

When the temple was completed (and it took almost 120 years to build!), the final dimensions were 110 m in length and 55 m in width, the temple was installed 127 columns 18 m high. So the spectacle is truly impressive.

5. Video

And, of course, a short video that we shot in the swamp with the Temple of Artemis:

Have you ever seen the wonders of the world or perhaps been to the places where they were once built? What does it feel like to be in such a significant place with a rich history? Where is it worth visiting? Share in the comments!

Seven Wonders of the World: Temple of Artemis of Ephesus

TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS AT EPHESUS - a majestic temple in honor of Artemis, goddess of the moon, patroness of animals and young girls. Built in 560 BC. King Croesus of Lydia in the city of Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor, north of the Meander River.
Considered one of the so-called "seven wonders of the world"; was the center of veneration for the goddess Artemis, whose cult merged with the cult of the local goddess of fertility, depicted as a nursing mother.

The temple was built on swampy soil, the foundation was previously strengthened to avoid destruction from earthquakes that were frequent in those places. Architects Chersifon and Metagenes from the island of Crete erected a rectangular temple (55 × 105 m), which was surrounded by 127 Ionic columns 18 m high. There were 8 columns in each of the two rows of the main facade. The construction of the temple lasted 120 years, it was completed by the architects Peonit and Demetrius.

In 356 BC A resident of Ephesus, Herostratus, deciding to become famous and perpetuate his name, set fire to the famous temple, the walls were damaged in the fire, and the roof collapsed. It was decided to rebuild the sanctuary. Using the collected funds, the architect Kheirokrat rebuilt the temple, making minor changes: the base of the temple was raised and the number of steps was increased. Inside there was a huge statue of Artemis in the form of a nursing mother (15 m). The sculpture was made of wood, clothes and jewelry were made of gold. The following centuries brought a lot of destruction: in 263 the temple was plundered by the Goths, during Byzantine Empire The marble slabs of the temple were used for other buildings; later, a Christian church that has not been preserved was erected on the site of the temple. But the greatest destruction was caused by the swampy soil on which the temple was located. As a result of excavations, the foundation of the structure and fragments of columns decorated with reliefs have now been found; they are in the British Museum.

The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus is one of the seven wonders of the world - the most famous monuments of sculpture and architecture, described by ancient historians and travelers, incl. “father of history” Herodotus (b. c. 484 – d. c. 425 BC) in his History. This number, along with the Temple of Artemis (c. 550 BC) and the ancient Egyptian pyramids (3 thousand BC), included hanging gardens Semiramis (7th century BC), mausoleum at Halicarnassus (mid 4th century BC), Colossus of Rhodes (statue of Helios on Rhodes, c. 292–280 BC), statue Zeus in Olympia (Greece, c. 430 BC), lighthouse on Pharos Island in Alexandria (Egypt, 3rd century BC).

Almost entirely only the pyramids have survived to this day. Near the city of Hilla in Iraq there are ruins of vaulted structures: apparently, “hanging gardens” were laid out on their roofs. The British Museum in London contains fragments of sculpture from the Halicarnassus mausoleum (sculptors Scopas, Timothy, Briaxis, Leochares). From the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (Ionian dipter), rebuilt by architect. Heirokrat, the foundations have been preserved. Other “wonders of the world” are known only from images and descriptions.

Why did Herostratus burn the temple of Artemis of Ephesus?

Herostratus is a Greek from the city of Ephesus (Asia Minor), who in 366 BC. burned the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, considered one of the seven wonders of the world. He did this only (as he confessed during torture) so that his name would reach posterity. Although the inhabitants of Ephesus decided not to pronounce his name, Herostratus was mentioned by the ancient Greek historian Theopompus (4th century BC). According to legend, the temple burned down on the very night when Alexander the Great was born. The name Herostratus has acquired a household name for people trying to gain “Herostratus glory” to the detriment of cultural and natural monuments.

The image of Artemis (in the ancient Greek pantheon, the goddess of the hunt, who also personified the Moon), here in Asia Minor merged with the ideas of the pre-Hellenic population about the even more ancient Carian goddess of fertility and fertility, who, by the way, was also the patroness of the Amazons.

A cult building dedicated to Artemis has existed in Ephesus since time immemorial. In any case, the most ancient relics that belonged to the sanctuary date back to the 8th century BC. e. Today they are today in the British Museum. Presumably, the first temple of Artemis was destroyed by the Cimmerians.

Between 550 and 460 BC. e., at a time when Ephesus reached unprecedented prosperity, it was built new temple, representing at that time the most grandiose structure ever erected from marble. The Ephesians, who decided to honor Artemis with a sanctuary superior in beauty to all other religious buildings known at that time, entrusted the construction of the temple to the famous architect Heirsiphron of Knossos.

The architect chose a swampy lowland on the outskirts of Ephesus, near the mouth of the Caister River, as the site for the construction of Artemision (as the temple was called here). This choice was due to the fact that earthquakes often occurred in this area, and on springy, swampy soil, earth vibrations would be less destructive. In order to eliminate even the smallest risk of damage to the temple by an earthquake, Khersiphron ordered to dig a deep pit and fill it with a mixture of charcoal and cotton, and on this base, designed to dampen tremors, install the foundation of a grandiose sanctuary.

The construction of the Temple of Artemis lasted 120 years. All cities and states of Asia Minor took part in it. Let's say the Lydian king Croesus, the same one whose wealth became a proverb, sent marble columns decorated with relief images of gods, as evidenced by two inscriptions on the surviving bases of the columns. When, finally, the construction of the temple was completed, it caused surprise and delight among everyone who had the opportunity to admire the majestic and at the same time elegant marble structure. The facades were decorated with sculptures and bas-reliefs created by famous masters of those times.

But that Artemision stood for no more than a hundred years. In the summer of 356 BC. e. A city madman named Herostratus, eager to glorify his name, set fire to the temple. There is no reliable data on how he managed to do this, but it is known that the fire quickly engulfed the ceiling, made of precious Lebanese cedar, and soon the sanctuary turned into a mountain of hot stone.

According to legend, it was on the night of the burning of the temple that the Macedonian queen Olympias gave birth to a boy who was destined to become the ruler of the ancient world. The happy father, King Philip, named his son Alexander.

When, 23 years later, Alexander the Great, already sanctified by the glory of the great conqueror, approached the walls of Ephesus, work on the restoration of the sanctuary of Artemis was in full swing. The Hellenic Ephesians greeted Alexander friendly, and the king decided to thank his new allies with significant monetary donations for the restoration of Artemision. At the same time, the commander wished that a marble stele be installed in the temple on which his great deeds would be recorded. However, in the eyes of the Ephesians, the Macedonian Alexander remained a barbarian, that is, a person whose native language was not Greek. And glorify the barbarian in Greek temple was unacceptable.

In order not to anger the powerful king with a direct refusal, the Ephesians resorted to diplomatic cunning: they proclaimed Alexander equal to god. This made it possible for the priests of Artemis to indicate to the king that it was not acceptable for a god to build temples to other gods, so Artemision was completed without the participation of the king of Macedonia.

The work was led by the architect Heirokrat. He adopted the design of his predecessors as a basis, but made the temple taller.

Artemision, built according to the plans of Heirocrates, occupied a huge area - 110 by 55 meters. According to the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, the temple was surrounded by 127 marble columns. Their height reached 18 meters. This is approximately the level of the roof of a modern six-story building.

In the temple, made of snow-white marble slabs, stood a 15-meter statue of the goddess, created from precious wood, ivory and gold. For a long time it was unknown what appearance it actually had, until in the 50s of the last century a gold antique coin with an image of the temple statue of Artemis of Ephesus was found, and over time, archaeologists discovered a small copy of the statue.

Many outstanding Greek artists and sculptors decorated Artemision with their creations. The famous Athenian sculptor Praxiteles created bas-reliefs on the friezes. Another famous master, Skopas, performed wonderful carvings of the columns. A special place was occupied by paintings by Apelles, an outstanding artist who was from Ephesus. Thus, Artemision was one of the largest and most famous museums of antiquity. His art gallery was no less famous than the collection of paintings in the propylaea of ​​the Athenian Acropolis.

However, not only paintings and sculptures were kept in Ephesus Temple. The sanctuary has long been also a treasury and a bank. Your money, gold, precious jewelry The Temple of Artemis was entrusted to the preservation not only by private individuals, but also by the state.

The Greek commander Xenophon, who became more famous for his historical works, mentions that when he went on a campaign, he left here a large sum money. While he was absent, the priests had the right to freely dispose of the money, and in the event of the death of the investor, everything remained to the temple. Military luck did not turn away from Xenophon, he returned with victory, and as a sign of gratitude, he built a small temple of Artemis in Greece with saved money, which was an exact copy of the Ephesian one.

Much later, in the 2nd century AD, when Ephesus became the capital of the Roman province of Asia, the Temple of Artemis lost neither its significance nor its wealth. The Romans recognized it as the “treasury of Asia.” Here is what the Roman writer Dion Chrysostomos reports about this: “A lot of money not only from Ephesians, but also from foreigners, as well as money that belonged to other cities and kings, was invested in the treasury of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. “They keep money here for safety,” the writer continues, “because no one will ever dare to desecrate or destroy this sacred place, although there were numerous wars during which Ephesus was taken several times.”

To this we add that under both the Greeks and the Romans the sanctuary of Artemis had the sacred right of refuge and protection. On the territory of the temple, no one dared to detain either a state criminal or a slave who had escaped from a cruel master, because they were under the protection of Artemis.

The fame of the beauty and treasures of Artemision spread throughout the ancient world. And this fame in 263 AD. e. attracted hordes of Gothic tribes here. By that time, the Roman Empire had lost its former power and was no longer able to defend its borders and provinces. The Goths captured Ephesus and plundered the famous sanctuary.

Soon Christianity came to Asia Minor. The cult of Artemis was replaced by the worship of the Virgin Mary, and the destroyed sanctuary of the goddess was perceived by Christians only as the temple of a pagan idol. Viceroys Byzantine emperors allowed the townspeople to take marble slabs from the ruins of Artemision to build their houses, as if from a quarry. A church was also built from the ruins of the Hellenic temple. A small Byzantine chapel still stands here today. By the way, when the Hagia Sophia Cathedral was erected in Constantinople (VI century), it was decorated with columns of ancient temples, which were collected throughout the empire. The cathedral also contains several columns that once adorned Artemision.

No less damage was caused to the Temple of Artemis by the marshy soil, which, according to the plan of the architect Heirocrates, was supposed to protect the structure from earthquakes. All that remained of the sanctuary was swallowed up by a viscous swamp. The Caistros River covered not only Artemision with silt, but also the port of Ephesus (today from the coast Mediterranean Sea Ephesus is separated by 6 km of land).

Once deprived of access to the sea, the flourishing city quickly fell into decay, and when the Turks captured Ephesus in 1426, only ruins appeared before them. The conquerors did not restore Ephesus, but built the town of Selchuk in the valley, using the marble of ancient ruins as building material. Now the swamp that swallowed the remains of the Temple of Artemis lies on the outskirts of this provincial Turkish city.

The only reminder of the once magnificent Temple of Artemis is a lone Ionic column, built in the 19th century from rubble among the reeds. Until this time, no one could indicate where exactly the legendary wonder of the world was located. History owes confirmation of the exact location of the Temple of Artemis to the English architect and engineer John Turtle Wood, an employee of the British Museum. He began his survey work in 1863, and it continued for several years.

The key to solving the location of the temple was an inscription discovered during excavations of the ancient theater in Ephesus. It indicated that the Temple of Artemis of Ephesus lay in the direction of the Sacred Road, due north. John Wood managed to pump out the swamp waters, and at a depth of more than six meters the foundations of the temple were found, and underneath them were traces of the sanctuary burned by Herostratus.

Excursions to the Temple of Artemis

The historical area, where the Temple of Artemis once amazed people with its grandeur, is located within the town of Selcuk, 700 m from the bus station and 20 km from popular resort Kusadasi.

It is better to get from Kusadasi to Selcuk by dolmuş (Turkish minibus). It is more convenient than taking a bus and cheaper than taking a taxi (about 5 Turkish lira).

Visiting the attraction itself is free.

You can also explore this place by going to bus tour to Ephesus from any resort town Turkey. Myself antique city, thanks to restoration work, is getting prettier every year, and the object called the “Temple of Artemis” is included in the traditional list of historical attractions of the popular tourist route. A quarter of an hour is enough to explore it, but, of course, this historical area is worthy of a visit.

If you are lucky, you will see a touching and symbolic action here: from time to time one of the boys living in the neighborhood comes here and, sitting on the bank of a swamp that has swallowed up the ruins of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, carefully writes out the notes of national Turkish melodies on a simple pipe . This paradoxical scene is a kind of epitaph to the ancient era, and it really makes an impression. The musician, in turn, quite rightly expects generous encouragement.

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The coat of arms of Dacians “Attacking Falcon” is now the Emblem of Ukraine Dacians The great Roman Trajan is reputed as the conqueror of the proud Dacians But the chronicle of Trajan is only a deception He got a slave *, and the glorious Dacian Went to the northeast to the Varangians And beyond the Prut** are either the Romans or the Turks Behind the rabble, blackness rose like a wave from the Dacians in that land (the “chocks” achieved it) Neither the appearance nor the spirit remained. And the glorious Dac, sweeping away the nomads, settled into new wild lands, cultivating them and protecting them, building fortresses on the rivers of Moldova, the glorious Dac began And in the east, Kyiv was founded - a city Beyond the Volga, beyond the Urals, then the Messiah left And gave faith to all the nomadic Varangians Moldova, Ukraine, all of Russia Great descendants of the glorious Dacians *slave - a person who dreams not of freedom, but of his own slaves. **Prut is a river that Trajan was able to reach and practically along which the “Trajan rampart” is designated. ***“chocks” are people who make incomprehensible sounds, whom the Slavs (especially the southwestern ones) usually shunned (in Rus' they were also called “Germans”). For reference: DACI (lat. Daci) is 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 century. BC e. The Romans came into direct contact with the Dacians. Dacian society was highly developed, although, apparently, not all tribes had 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 1st century. BC e. - with Roman merchants; minted silver coins. Back in the middle of the 1st century. BC e. The Dacians, under the leadership of their king and leader Burebista, extended their power to the tribes of the Danube right bank and some of the Greek Western Pontic cities. Dacia reached its greatest prosperity under Decebalus, who united part of the Sarmatian tribes under his rule. Darius (the Persian king), Philip (the father of Alexander the Great) and the Macedonian himself tried unsuccessfully to conquer the Dacians (the Greeks called them Getae). The 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, and Kutuzov. During the 1st century. BC e. - 1st century 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 the Dacians annual subsidies and provide them with Roman artisans and masters of “peaceful and military specialties.” The next and final stage of the struggle of the Romans with the Dacians occurs during the time of Trajan, when, as a result of the wars in 101-102 and 105-106, part of Dacia ( west of the river Prut), separated by the Trajan rampart, lost its independence and was turned into a Roman province. And this happened only because then for the first time the Dacians themselves unleashed a war of conquest and the moral advantage was on the side of the Romans. Those Dacians who remained in the occupied territory west of the Prut (Trajan Wall) 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, for molta - many and dava - fortress). 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The photo of which today depicts only a few columns is rightfully considered one of the wonders of the ancient world.

According to legend, Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo, took care of animals and plants, took care of livestock and wild animals, and could cause the growth of trees, flowers and shrubs. She did not deprive people of her attention, giving them happiness in the family and the blessing of having children. Women often made sacrifices to her as the patroness of procreation.

The first Temple of Artemis was built in the sixth century BC in the Greek city of Ephesus, which is now the Turkish province of Izmir. In the middle of the fourth century BC. it was burned by Herostratus, then restored and again destroyed by the Gothic barbarians.

The Temple of Artemis stood on the site of the sanctuary of the Carian goddess, patroness of fertility, located in this area. Funds for its construction were donated by the famous Lydian rich man King Croesus, whose inscriptions are still preserved on the bases of the columns, and the project, as Strabo writes, was developed by the architect Chersiphron of Knossos. During his time, a colonnade was installed and walls were erected, and when he died, the construction was continued by his son, and then by the architects Demetrius and Paeonius.

The huge white stone temple of Artemis evoked admiration and surprise. We have not received exact information about exactly how it was decorated inside. It is only known that the sculptural decoration of one of the miracles Ancient world The best craftsmen worked, and the statue of the goddess itself was created from ivory and gold.

This sacred site was not only used for religious services and ceremonies, it almost immediately became a business and financial center. Since it was governed by a college of priests only, it was practically independent of the city government.

In 356 BC, on the night when Alexander the Great was born, the vain Herostratus, wanting to become famous, set fire to this magnificent temple. However, by the beginning of the third century BC, the temple of Artemis was completely restored and received its previous appearance. The money for the reconstruction was allocated by Alexander the Great, and the work was carried out by the architect Heinocrates, who this time raised the building to an even higher base. The dimensions of the temple were impressive: 51 meters wide and 105 meters long. The roof was supported by 127 columns in eight rows.

The photo of the temple, unfortunately, today shows only one restored column; inside it was decorated with statues and reliefs of Scopas and Praxiteles. The Ephesians, in gratitude, ordered his portrait, which depicted the great commander like Zeus - with lightning in his hand.

And in the middle of the third century, the sanctuary of Artemis was destroyed by the Goths. Later, a small church was built in its place, which was also demolished.

The facings were looted, the roof was dismantled, and soon the columns began to fall due to a violation of the unity of the structure. The falling stone blocks were eventually sucked into the swamp on which the Temple of Artemis was built. And several decades later, the place where one of the best architectural works of Ionia stood was even forgotten.

It took the English explorer Voodoo many years to find at least some traces of the temple, and in 1869 he was finally lucky. Work on opening the foundation of the temple was completed only in the last century, and at the same time traces of the columns of the very first version, burned by Herostratus, were found.