National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Friday, July 4, 2008

Photo Gallery: New 7 Wonders vs. Ancient 7 Wonders

More
News
Photos

Photo Gallery: New 7 Wonders vs. Ancient 7 Wonders

Email to a Friend

<< Previous 14 of 14

RELATED STORIES

The Temple of Artemis, Turkey

The great marble temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis was completed around 550 B.C. at Ephesus, near the modern-day town of Selçuk in Turkey.

In addition to its 120 columns, each standing 60 feet (20 meters) high, the temple was said to have held many exquisite artworks, including bronze statues of the Amazons, a mythical race of female warriors.

A man named Herostratus reportedly burned down the temple in 356 B.C. in an attempt to immortalize his name. After being restored, the temple was destroyed by the Goths in A.D. 262 and again by the Christians in A.D. 401 on the orders of Saint John Chrysostom, then archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul).

Today the temple's foundations have been excavated and some of its columns re-erected.

• More Photos in the News
• Today's 15 Most Read Stories
• Free Email Newsletter: Focus on Photography

—Color engraving by Ferdinand Knab/The Bridgeman Art Library/Getty Images