Gathering of the Gods
He was a young and magnificent man. He had such unshakable confidence that from a distance he looked like one of the gods of Olympus. The ground trembled beneath his sandaled feet, and people bowed before him.
That impressive man was Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia. As he walked through the streets of Ephesus, under the gazes filled with admiration and fear of the townspeople, he was contemplating the great empire he dreamed of building. He was determined to unite all the Hellenes under the roof of his kingdom and cleanse Anatolia of the Persian Iranians. Subsequently, he would conquer all the East. Had he not set out from Macedonia for this very reason?
Alexander the Great watched the well-maintained streets and temples of Ephesus with a smile. Until he reached the under-construction Temple of Artemis... The priests of Artemis, the great mother of Ephesus, greeted him. All of them respectfully saluted Alexander, whose star was rising day by day.
Years ago, Alexander of Macedonia had heard from others about the unique beauty of the old Temple of Artemis, which had been set on fire the very night he was born. How would the new one, built in its place, turn out? Much progress had actually been made in the temple's construction, and the main axis of the structure had already emerged. The statue of the goddess had been placed in the sacred room, and the temple had begun to be used, but there were still many tasks to be completed. As he toured the temple, a brilliant idea came to Alexander's mind. He proudly turned to the high priest and announced his desire to bear the costs of completing the temple in the most beautiful way. His intention was to go down in history as the king who rebuilt the Temple of Artemis and to ensure that Ephesus, the most beautiful city of Anatolia, would always remain grateful to him.
Megabyzos, the chief priest of the Temple of Artemis, was a wise man, aware that directly rejecting Alexander's generous offer could have negative repercussions. On the other hand, he did not want to grant such an honor to a foreign king who had come from far-off Macedonia and thus belittle the Ephesians. So, what could he do? The powerful king in front of him was looking at the priest with questioning eyes, expecting a positive answer. After what felt like an eternity, although it was only a minute, the priest knew what to say to the king. It was no secret that Alexander saw himself as a superhuman, even divine being. It was this characteristic of Alexander that inspired the priest of Artemis.
“You are very generous, my lord. We Ephesians will always remain grateful to you. But you are not an ordinary king. You are also a god,” said the priest, and when he saw Alexander smiling proudly as he listened, he continued: “You know very well that it would be unbecoming for one god to commission a temple for another god. We Ephesians would never allow anyone to question your divine power. Therefore, it is much more appropriate for the new temple of our goddess to be built with the resources of the Ephesians.”
Though Alexander was not pleased with what he heard, he remained silent. If he objected to the priest, he would have to forgo his claim of divinity. He bid farewell to the priests and priestesses of Artemis, the great mother of Ephesus and mistress of nature, and set out on the road once more. Alexander's dreams and ambition were so great that he soon forgot how the Ephesian priest had outwitted him with intelligence. His entire being was filled with the dream of establishing a great world empire. He would achieve his dreams at any cost. To be a god demanded it.
Written by Archaeologist Özlem Ertan for the Ephesus Foundation.
He was a young and magnificent man. He had such unshakable confidence that from a distance he looked like one of the gods of Olympus. The ground trembled beneath his sandaled feet, and people bowed before him.
That impressive man was Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia. As he walked through the streets of Ephesus, under the gazes filled with admiration and fear of the townspeople, he was contemplating the great empire he dreamed of building. He was determined to unite all the Hellenes under the roof of his kingdom and cleanse Anatolia of the Persian Iranians. Subsequently, he would conquer all the East. Had he not set out from Macedonia for this very reason?
Alexander the Great watched the well-maintained streets and temples of Ephesus with a smile. Until he reached the under-construction Temple of Artemis... The priests of Artemis, the great mother of Ephesus, greeted him. All of them respectfully saluted Alexander, whose star was rising day by day.
Years ago, Alexander of Macedonia had heard from others about the unique beauty of the old Temple of Artemis, which had been set on fire the very night he was born. How would the new one, built in its place, turn out? Much progress had actually been made in the temple's construction, and the main axis of the structure had already emerged. The statue of the goddess had been placed in the sacred room, and the temple had begun to be used, but there were still many tasks to be completed. As he toured the temple, a brilliant idea came to Alexander's mind. He proudly turned to the high priest and announced his desire to bear the costs of completing the temple in the most beautiful way. His intention was to go down in history as the king who rebuilt the Temple of Artemis and to ensure that Ephesus, the most beautiful city of Anatolia, would always remain grateful to him.
Megabyzos, the chief priest of the Temple of Artemis, was a wise man, aware that directly rejecting Alexander's generous offer could have negative repercussions. On the other hand, he did not want to grant such an honor to a foreign king who had come from far-off Macedonia and thus belittle the Ephesians. So, what could he do? The powerful king in front of him was looking at the priest with questioning eyes, expecting a positive answer. After what felt like an eternity, although it was only a minute, the priest knew what to say to the king. It was no secret that Alexander saw himself as a superhuman, even divine being. It was this characteristic of Alexander that inspired the priest of Artemis.
“You are very generous, my lord. We Ephesians will always remain grateful to you. But you are not an ordinary king. You are also a god,” said the priest, and when he saw Alexander smiling proudly as he listened, he continued: “You know very well that it would be unbecoming for one god to commission a temple for another god. We Ephesians would never allow anyone to question your divine power. Therefore, it is much more appropriate for the new temple of our goddess to be built with the resources of the Ephesians.”
Though Alexander was not pleased with what he heard, he remained silent. If he objected to the priest, he would have to forgo his claim of divinity. He bid farewell to the priests and priestesses of Artemis, the great mother of Ephesus and mistress of nature, and set out on the road once more. Alexander's dreams and ambition were so great that he soon forgot how the Ephesian priest had outwitted him with intelligence. His entire being was filled with the dream of establishing a great world empire. He would achieve his dreams at any cost. To be a god demanded it.
Written by Archaeologist Özlem Ertan for the Ephesus Foundation.