Why did Herostratus actually burn one of the wonders of the world - the temple of Artemis

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

On the night of July 21, 356 BC. in the ancient world, two important historical events took place. One person created history, another erased it. In the evening in the city of Pella, the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia, one of the wives of King Philip II, Olympias, gave birth to a boy. In a few years, this child will create one of the largest empires of the ancient world, rewriting the history of much of Europe, Asia and northeastern Africa. Another event was more prosaic: a madman set fire to the temple.

The newborn was none other than the future Alexander the Great. The Pyro's name was Herostratus. The temple, which was set on fire, was also not easy. It was one of the most magnificent temples on Earth, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world - the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Now it is the territory of modern Turkey, near the town of Selcuk.

Long before the appearance of the city of Ephesus itself, even one and a half thousand years before our era, there were already human settlements in the area. The tribes that lived there worshiped the Great Mother. When the Ionians conquered the territory, they liked the cult, the idea too. They made some changes and the cult was transformed into the worship of the goddess of fertility and hunting, Artemis. She was asked for help in childbirth, for a happy marriage. Among the ancient Greeks, Artemis was the patroness of all life on Earth. For their great goddess, the Greeks decided to build such a magnificent temple, which was immediately included in the list of wonders of the world.

A colossal piece of architectural art and the first Greek marble structure. The size of the building was impressive - it occupied an area equal to two modern sports stadiums. The columns of the temple in height were slightly less than today's five-story building. They stood in two rows along the wide ceremonial aisle around the cella, where the altar of the goddess Artemis was located.

Funds for the construction of this temple were donated by the legendary Lydian king Croesus. The architectural project was developed by Khersifron. He decided to build the building from marble without fail. By a happy coincidence, he was found nearby. The place for the construction was also non-standard. Due to frequent earthquakes in the region, the architect decided to build the temple in a swamp. Such soil will soften tremors and thus protect the building itself. A huge pit was dug under the building, which was covered with coal and wool, and a foundation was already built on top.

Inside, the temple of Artemis was wonderfully decorated with carvings, sculptures and reliefs on the walls. The roof was decorated with marble slabs. The statue of the goddess was carved from ebony and ivory, the figure was inlaid with precious stones and gold.

The majestic building was not only a cultural and spiritual center, but also a financial and business one. There was a local bank, run by priests. Unfortunately, the wonderful temple existed for a very short time - only two hundred years. That night, when the whole kingdom of Macedonia celebrated the birth of the royal firstborn, one humble citizen named Herostratus decided to immortalize his name in history. He entered a beautiful temple and set it on fire. It burst into flames almost instantly, because there was a lot of wood trim inside, and burned to the ground. In the morning, all that was left were columns black from fire and smoldering ruins.

At one time, the majestic temple was spared even by the cruel Persians, who captured Ephesus a couple of decades earlier. The ancient Greeks believed that Artemis personally protected him. But apparently that night the goddess was so distracted by the birth of Alexander the Great that she completely forgot about the temple and could not save it. Herostratus was immediately arrested. Everyone was interested in only one thing: why did he do it? According to the official version, Herostratus burned down the temple in order to gain eternal glory for himself. Only now he made a confession under torture. So can you believe this? If you are guided by modern laws, then no.

The authorities executed the perpetrator and forbade anyone to mention his name. Many respected the decree, but the witness of what happened, the historian Theopompus, mentioned Herostratus in his writings. Then other chroniclers became interested in the personality of the arsonist. So if Herostratus really did it for the sake of glory, then he achieved his goal. True, this glory is peculiar, closely associated with shame. Now the expression "Herostratic glory" is used exclusively in connection with shameful fame, with shame for eternity.

The destruction of the temple by fire was an omen that the great commander, Alexander the Great, was destined to conquer Asia Minor by his very destiny. After all, Artemis herself, observing his birth, sacrificed her own temple. The Roman historian Valery Maximus wrote that the name of Herostratus would have sunk into oblivion if it were not for the genius of eloquence Theopompus, who returned him from the shadow of nothingness, and included in history. Indeed, the name of the arsonist is written in all history books, and the names of his judges have long been forgotten.

After this blasphemous act, the Greeks built an even more magnificent temple on the site of the burnt one. Alexander the Great himself wanted to sponsor the construction, but on condition that his name would be imprinted in the inscriptions on the temple. The Ephesians very delicately refused the great commander, saying that "it is not good for God to build temples in honor of other gods." Nevertheless, Alexander the Great helped and his portrait, by Apelles, with lightning in hand, adorned one of the walls. The new temple was very impressive, more beautiful than the previous one, and this time stood for six hundred years. It was destroyed by the tribes of the East German Goths in the 3rd century.

Heraclitus, the famous ancient Greek philosopher and fellow countryman of Herostratus, believed that everything changes: it is impossible to enter the same river twice, new waters flow to the incoming person. Likewise, human life is constantly changing, but these changes occur as a result of the struggle. Everything in the world is cyclical, fire is both a beginning and an end to everything.

Of course, we are unlikely to ever know why Herostratus actually burned the temple of Artemis. The great Salvador Dali once said: "Running ahead of History is much more interesting than describing it."

Read about other interesting facts of ancient Greek history and mythology in our article Baths of Aphrodite in Cyprus - a place where people come for beauty and youth.