Fragment from The Ephesus temple at The British Museum, London

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The Temple of Artemis or Artemision, also known as the Temple of Diana, was a magnificent Greek temple dedicated to the revered goddess Artemis and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Located in the bustling city of Ephesus, near the modern town of Selçuk in present-day Turkey, it stood tall for centuries before its eventual destruction in 401 AD. The latest remains at the site are only foundations and sculptural fragments. The first sanctuary, a temenos, dated back to the Bronze Age and predated the Ionic immigration by many years. Callimachus, in his poetic Hymn to Artemis, attributed it to the legendary Amazons. A devastating flood destroyed the old temple in the 7th century BC, but it was soon rebuilt under the skilled architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes, who worked tirelessly on the project for 10 years at the expense of Croesus of Lydia. Tragedy struck once more when an act of arson destroyed the temple in 356 BC, but it was quickly rebuilt as a grand Wonder. Antipater of Sidon, who compiled the list of Seven Wonders, described the finished temple with awe: "I have seen the imposing wall of Babylon and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, but when I saw the Temple of Artemis that reached for the clouds, those other marvels lost their luster, and I exclaimed, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun has never shone on a sight so grand'." This remarkable object is part of "Scan The World," a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory. Through this community-driven project, we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the globe for the public to access free of charge. If you have interesting items to share, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can contribute. Scanned using photogrammetry technology processed with Agisoft PhotoScan.