The Temple of Artemis known as one of the Seven Wonders of the  ancient World. It has been  built in the areas of Ephesus on a flat area which has over  the centuries  turned into a swamp. When  you visit  Ephesus today,you can only see the ruins of the foundations of this glamorous construction of the Hellenistic Age. It was entirely made of marble and full of sculpted columns’ capitals and shafts.   The most beautiful remaining of this temple are today exhibited unfortunately in the London British Museum.

The oldest remaining found date back till the 6th century BC. It was surrounded by 36 huge columns,later enlarged upon the orders of the  Lydia King, Kreisos,during the 6th century BC. Most of the exhibits in the London British Museum belong to this period.

The new Artemis has been rebuilt in the 2nd century BC. Located on top of the previous one,it had tremendous dimensions 127 columns each 17,5 m high. Unfortunately this one has also been destroyed by fire, reconstructed and again demolished by eartquakes, rebuilt and looted by Goths one year later.

The statue of many breasted Artemis was the symbol of the temple but also of abundance,hunting and wild life. The genuine statue of Artemis, 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.

At Ephesus, where her great temple was one of the seven wonders of the World, Artemis was represented with a mural crown, with a disc behind the crown; on her breast, a garland of flowers as a sign of influence in spring time. Lions cling to her arms; as mother of wild animals; her legs are closely bandaged and ornamented  wit figures of bulls,stags , lions and griffins;at the sides are flowers and bees.This figures may have resembled the original image of the goddes which had fallen from heaven.