 The
temple is at the beginning of the
Selcuk-Kusadasi road. This temple,
one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, was first popular
around 334 to 250 BC. It was
destroyed and had to be rebuilt
seven times because of earthquakes,
looting and fire. Today there is
nothing left of the Ionic structure
surrounded by massive columns but
its altar area. The temple was made
with the world's best marble and was
a truly gigantic structure. Some of
the remains are in the British
Museum in London.
The present temple site was from the
Hellenistic period. It is thought
that similar to monotheistic
religions, the Ephesian Artemis
combined the strength of many gods.
The temple had 127 columns, on a
field 105 by 55 meters and was 17.65
m high. The altar was approached by
13 steps. Lydian king Croesus
donated the 36 columns on the front.
 There
were a number of priests officiating
at the temple, along with a high
priest. It was considered an honor
to be the high priest.
  There
was another class of priests serving
the temple who were called
"curates", who were named for
demi-gods in mythology. Mythology
said that when Dionysius was born
from Zeus' leg the curates were
instructed to make noise so Zeus'
wife Hera would not notice. In the
same way these curates made noise
when Artemis was born from Leto.
 One
of the noteworthy features of the
Temple of Artemis is that it
functioned as a bank. The high
priest was also a credit officer and
was security for those who deposited
valuables in the temple or who made
sizeable contributions. The drawing
at the side shows something off what
the temple's former glory must have
been. To see the drawing enlarged
simply tic it.
 Of
those things that set this temple
apart, the most important was its
being a safe haven for those who
took refuge inside. This, of course,
led to quite a population of
criminals living in the temple.
There are those who say that the
cult and religious practices of
Artemis, along with the temple were
established along lines similar in
structure to bee communities |
