Marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis

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This magnificent marble column is an ancient relic, with its section of a fluted Ionic column standing proudly over fifty-eight feet high in its original location at the Temple of Artemis. The intricate foliate carving on the capital sets it apart from other capitals found at the temple, boasting a unique and delicate design that showcases the skill of its creators. The torus, or foliated base, features an exceptionally elaborate vegetal scale-like pattern that adds to its overall beauty. This particular capital is slightly smaller than others discovered at the site, suggesting that it does not belong to the outer colonnade, but rather to one of the inner structures. Two similar pairs of columns, marked in red on the accompanying plan, stood tall in the east and west porches, and this column may have originated from one or more of those pairs. Alternatively, it could have come from the cella or the inner back porch. Restoration work has been done to preserve parts of the fluted shaft, while the profiled base below the torus is a faithful reproduction of the original.