09-09-2010, 12:12 AM
Paul B wrote:
Gaius Julius Quartus/John wrote:
Neither these, nor the 'many breasted' theory, turn out to be true. The 'Mother Goddess/Cybele' worship at Ephesus went back a long time, to the bronze age, with a sequence of pottery finds that extend forward to Middle Geometric times, in the second half of the eighth century BC. The peripteral (column colonnade style) temple at Ephesus was the earliest example of a peripteral type on the coast of Asia Minor, and perhaps the earliest Greek temple surrounded by colonnades anywhere.In the seventh century BC, a flood destroyed the temple, depositing over half a meter of sand and scattering flotsam over the former floor of hard-packed clay.
In the flood debris were the remains of a carved ivory plaque of a griffin and the Tree of Life, apparently North Syrian. More importantly, flood deposits buried in place a hoard against the north wall that included drilled amber tear-shaped drops with elliptical cross-sections, which had once dressed the wooden effigy of the Lady of Ephesus; (the original wooden statue itself was probably destroyed in the flood.) It is these rare and expensive amber tear-dropped necklace parts which decorated the original that have given rise to the later modern interpretations.It is of course possible that they had some ritual significance, though it should be noted that the customary offering to the Goddess was jewelry, hence the 'over-jewelled' look of the statue, and it may mean no more than that.
A new temple, now built entirely of marble, with its peripteral columns doubled to make a wide ceremonial passage round the cella, was designed and constructed around 550 BC by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes, and paid for by Croesus of Lydia. A new ebony or grapewood cult statue was sculpted by Endoios,and a naiskos to house it was erected east of the open-air altar. This was the famous 'many breasted' image now familiar, with its necklace of amber crystals now carved in place, but the statue is (appropriately) mainly middle-eastern in style, not Greek. The temple itself was around three times as big as the Parthenon, and took over 120 years to build. Over the centuries it was endowed with many precious statues in particular. It was because of its size and wealth that it became one of the 'seven wonders of the world'.Naturally, over the centuries, the style of worship of the 'Mother Goddess of Ephesus' changed - the Greeks in typical fashion identifying her with Artemis, largely through the connection as 'moon Goddess'.
Croesus' temple was a widely respected place of refuge, a tradition that was linked in myth with the Amazons who took refuge there, both from Heracles and from Dionysus.
This epic monument was destroyed by a fame seeking arsonist, traditionally in 356 BC on the night Alexander was born, but more probably in reality 395 BC aprox, and later burnt by Goths in 268 AD, the Ephesians restoring/rebuilding each time.
In 401AD, the temple in its last version was finally destroyed and razed to the ground by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom, and the best stones and statues carted off to Constantinople for use in the construction of other buildings, the remaining marble burnt to make lime..... Some of the columns in Hagia Sophia originally belonged to the temple of Artemis of Ephesus.
Quote:I've read that a likely explanation for the "breasts" on statues of Artemis of Ephesus is that they are stylized honeybee hives. Unlike modern hives, the ancient hives were dome-shaped. Sort of a land of "milk and honey" thing.
Gaius Julius Quartus/John wrote:
Quote:but another theory is that the collection of items on the Artemis of Ephesus statues are bull testicles. This line of thinking goes along with bull sacrifice at major festivals (in spring), at which time the bull was killed, burnt, with the choice portions dedicated to the deity, and the rest eaten by all those at the festival. Why testicles? They represent the power of the bull - ie the power of procreation and new life. I believe that a number of bone fragments have been recovered nearby the altar of Artemis at Ephesus, including goats and bulls.
Neither these, nor the 'many breasted' theory, turn out to be true. The 'Mother Goddess/Cybele' worship at Ephesus went back a long time, to the bronze age, with a sequence of pottery finds that extend forward to Middle Geometric times, in the second half of the eighth century BC. The peripteral (column colonnade style) temple at Ephesus was the earliest example of a peripteral type on the coast of Asia Minor, and perhaps the earliest Greek temple surrounded by colonnades anywhere.In the seventh century BC, a flood destroyed the temple, depositing over half a meter of sand and scattering flotsam over the former floor of hard-packed clay.
In the flood debris were the remains of a carved ivory plaque of a griffin and the Tree of Life, apparently North Syrian. More importantly, flood deposits buried in place a hoard against the north wall that included drilled amber tear-shaped drops with elliptical cross-sections, which had once dressed the wooden effigy of the Lady of Ephesus; (the original wooden statue itself was probably destroyed in the flood.) It is these rare and expensive amber tear-dropped necklace parts which decorated the original that have given rise to the later modern interpretations.It is of course possible that they had some ritual significance, though it should be noted that the customary offering to the Goddess was jewelry, hence the 'over-jewelled' look of the statue, and it may mean no more than that.
A new temple, now built entirely of marble, with its peripteral columns doubled to make a wide ceremonial passage round the cella, was designed and constructed around 550 BC by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes, and paid for by Croesus of Lydia. A new ebony or grapewood cult statue was sculpted by Endoios,and a naiskos to house it was erected east of the open-air altar. This was the famous 'many breasted' image now familiar, with its necklace of amber crystals now carved in place, but the statue is (appropriately) mainly middle-eastern in style, not Greek. The temple itself was around three times as big as the Parthenon, and took over 120 years to build. Over the centuries it was endowed with many precious statues in particular. It was because of its size and wealth that it became one of the 'seven wonders of the world'.Naturally, over the centuries, the style of worship of the 'Mother Goddess of Ephesus' changed - the Greeks in typical fashion identifying her with Artemis, largely through the connection as 'moon Goddess'.
Croesus' temple was a widely respected place of refuge, a tradition that was linked in myth with the Amazons who took refuge there, both from Heracles and from Dionysus.
This epic monument was destroyed by a fame seeking arsonist, traditionally in 356 BC on the night Alexander was born, but more probably in reality 395 BC aprox, and later burnt by Goths in 268 AD, the Ephesians restoring/rebuilding each time.
In 401AD, the temple in its last version was finally destroyed and razed to the ground by a mob led by St. John Chrysostom, and the best stones and statues carted off to Constantinople for use in the construction of other buildings, the remaining marble burnt to make lime..... Some of the columns in Hagia Sophia originally belonged to the temple of Artemis of Ephesus.
"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori " - Horace
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
(It is a sweet and proper thing to die for ones country)
"No son-of-a-bitch ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country" - George C Scott as General George S. Patton
Paul McDonnell-Staff
