Temple of Artemis (Artemision)
Temple of Artemis (Artemision) is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Ephesus audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type ruins
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Ephesus Ephesus guide
About Temple of Artemis (Artemision)
Once counted among the Seven Wonders, the Artemision is now a marshy, near-empty field marked by a single re-erected column, often topped by a nesting stork.
The Temple of Artemis, or Artemision, at Ephesus was counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built and rebuilt several times on the same low, marshy site; the great marble temple, funded in part by King Croesus of Lydia, was begun around 550 BC under the architect Chersiphron. Ancient authors such as Pliny the Elder described the rebuilt temple as roughly 115 metres long, with about 127 columns some 18 metres high.
In 356 BC, a man named Herostratus is said to have deliberately burned the temple down to make his name immortal, giving rise to the term Herostratic fame. The site was rediscovered in 1869 after a six-year search led by John Turtle Wood for the British Museum, where sculpted fragments are now displayed. Today almost nothing survives: the site is a marshy, near-empty field whose only vertical feature is a single column reassembled in the twentieth century from miscellaneous fragments.
Did you know? In 356 BC, Herostratus is said to have burned the temple purely to immortalise his own name; legend adds that Artemis was away attending the birth of Alexander the Great that night.
How long should you spend at Temple of Artemis (Artemision)?
Plan about ~45 min at Temple of Artemis (Artemision). That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Temple of Artemis (Artemision) worth visiting?
Temple of Artemis (Artemision) is one of the 18 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Ephesus, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Ephesus
Day 2 of the Ephesus in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Temple of Artemis (Artemision)
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