The Temple of Artemis was one of the largest ancient temples and, prior to its construction, it is possible that an altar dedicated to Artemis had been placed there since the 5th century BC. According to some sources, it was built on the spot where an ancient temple dedicated to Cybele, the goddess of abundance, was previously located. The Carians and Lelegians, who inhabited the area before the Ionians, worshipped this goddess whom they called the “great mother”. The Ionians named this goddess “Artemis”.
Initially, the temple was surrounded by walls and a wooden statue dedicated to Artemis was placed there. When the Lydian king Cresus invaded the city, the temple was destroyed by a flood. In the 7th century BC, Cresus began to build the temple with new stone in the same position as the old one and adorned it with columns.

The Temple of Artemis (also known as the Temple of Diana) was included among the Seven Wonders of the World. It was 115 m long and 55 m wide. Its construction lasted 120 years and its architectural order was Ionica Dipteros with double rows of columns along the length and triple rows along the sides along the width. The temple consisted of 127 columns with a diameter of 1.20m and a height of 19m.
However, a man called Herostratus, who wanted to become famous and wished his name to be immortal, burnt down the temple in 356 BC, on the night Alexander the Great was born. For this reason, Ephesians used to say that Artemis couldn’t save her temple because she was too busy as she was far away, in the place where Alexander was given birth. The Ephesians began rebuilding the temple of Artemis, which was to be the same as the old one, and they created an incomparable beauty
Alexander the Great visited Ephesus in 334 BC after defeating the Persians. Impressed by the temple, he organized a parade to pay homage to the goddess and promised the Ephesians to rebuild the temple. However, the Ephesians refused Alexander’s offer, saying that it wasn’t fair for one god to build a temple for another. During the Roman era, Nero plundered the temple of Artemis and later the Goths destroyed it.