The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was a temple made of marble that was over 400 feet long with over 100 60-feet high columns. It was decorated with many works of art including bronze statues sculpted by artists such as Pheidias, Polycleitus, Kresilas, and Phradmon. It was built in honor of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature. It was sponsored by the Lydian king Croesus and was designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron. It was built around 550 B.C.

The temple served as both a marketplace and a religious institution. It was visited by merchants, tourists, artisans, and kings who would sometimes share their profits (statuettes, earrings, bracelets, etc.) with the goddess.

It was first destroyed in 356 B.C. by a man named Herostratus, who burned the temple to the ground in an attempt to immortalize his name. It was restored over the next two decades. It was again destroyed in A.D. 262 by invading Goths. The Ephesians vowed to rebuild the temple, but most Ephesians had converted to Christianity by that time and the religious importance of the temple was gone. It was finally torn down in A.D. 401 by St. John Chrysostom, and the city of Esphesus was later deserted.