The
temple of Artemision is known as one
of the Seven Wonders of the Antic 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 BC. It was surrounded
by 36 huge columns, later enlarged upon
the orders of the Lydian King, Kreisos,
during the VIth century BC. Most of the
exhibits in the London British Museum
belong to this period.
The new Artemision has been rebuilt
in the IInd century BC. 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 back from the Roman period.
Quoted
from From KusadasiGuide.com
with permission.
