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: 127 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.
How to go?... Artemision is located 18 km away from Kusadasi,
in the entrance of Selcuk. As it is close to Ephesus
and The
Basilica of Saint John, it may be a stop on your excursion.
There is easy transportation to Artemision by minibuses
from Kusadasi in every 15 minutes. The road takes about 30
minutes. Alternatively, you can join to daily tours
provided by almost every agencies in Kusadasi for a
better knowledge about the area.
You can book a private tour to the Artemision with OTTI's Ephesus Tours
