On my last visit to Selçuk, I also visited the place where the Temple of Artemis used to be. When I looked down from the top of that old temple area, I almost cried. All that was left from the Sanctuary of Artemis, which was once one of the seven wonders of the world, was a column. It wasn’t a real column either. They had stacked some stones from the Temple of Artemis on top of each other to form a column. There were also rows of stones scattered around the area. As I looked at all of these with sad eyes, I heard a voice behind me.
“I have some things that might interest you. Would you like to look at them?”
I noticed a tall, bearded man selling Artemis statues of different sizes a short distance away. His stall looked quite rich. Although I wasn’t planning on buying a statue, I was involuntarily drawn to his stall. The copies of old Ephesus coins decorated with the bee figure, the symbol of the goddess, caught my attention. The man was a talkative person, constantly talking about something, saying that he had been selling sacred objects in front of the Temple of Artemis for a very long time. I found it strange that he used the term ‘sacred’ for copies of old goddess carvings. After all, the days of those who saw and respected Artemis as the protective force of nature, or even as the very essence of nature, were long gone. But I didn’t say anything to the man about it. I thought ‘sacred’ was a memorized word for him. The salesman was quite knowledgeable about the temple’s history. According to him, the Temple of Artemis was burned down one night in 365 BC. The magnificent building was engulfed in flames, and when the fire was extinguished, there was not much left. According to the salesman, it was not true that a madman named Herostratos burned the temple.
“It has been said for thousands of years that Herostratos burned it. That’s how it’s been recorded in history, but that’s not true. The priests who looted its treasures actually burned the temple. And they blamed it on Herostratos. People still believe that today, books say that, but I know the truth.”
I was very surprised by what the man said. Thinking that he was a crazy person like Herostratos, I involuntarily walked away from the stall. When he looked at me as if to ask where I was going, I told him that I was going down to the area where the Temple of Artemis used to be and that I wanted to see the stones up close. Just as I said, “Good luck to you,” and started walking, he called after me and said word for word:
“I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Herostratos.”
I left the incredulity behind in a few seconds, fell into the clutches of fear and ran down to the temple area. I walked for a long time in the Sanctuary of Artemis, relieved that there were other people around. I dreamed of old times as I looked at the stones around. After walking all around the area, I turned back the way I came and saw that there was someone else in the place of the man who introduced himself as Herostratos. The stall and the people on it were also different from before. I went up to the short, dark-skinned man with hesitation and said, “Excuse me, there was another vendor here a moment ago. He was tall and bearded. He was behind the counter just like you, selling Artemis statues. Where is he?” I asked.
The man looked at me in surprise and then said, “There is no other seller here, lady. I am the only one who has been selling Artemis statues here for years.”
Written by Author and Archaeologist Özlem Ertan for the Ephesus Foundation.