DIANA, TE3let.E or. A magnificent structure at Ephesus, built at the public charge, and re corded as one of the ...even wonder, of the world. The site was early the seat of the worship of the Asiatic nature-goddess, whom the Greeks iden tified with Artemis, and legend told of inan• temples burned before the Ephesians, in the sixth century it.c., began the earlier of the two famous temples. C'hersipliT011. of was the chief architect, and the work was continued by his son AletagelleS. According to Pliny, 120 years elapsed before it was completed, hut the state ment is somewhat doubtful. as it seems clear that the sculptured bases of the columns and the frieze and corniee belong to the same era, the time of King ('reeves (q.v.), who contributed largely to the building. This temple was burned in it.c. :356 by a certain llerostratus, who wished to immortalize himself ; and the myth-mongers asserted tliat the tire occurred on the night when Alexander the Ilreat was born. The fire seems to have destroyed only a part of the temple. and its reconstruction was at ranee begun. under the lif Dinocra tes ( q.v.) . This teni ple seems to been plundered and perhaps burned by the I:otlis in A.D. 2'32. Of these struc tures, soni• remains were found by J. T. \Vont],
who conducted exeavat ions at Ephesus from 1463 to I574. though not till 1560 was the true site determined. 'The lower platform was 41S feet inches by 230 feet inches, while the top of the stylobate measured 312 feet any invites by 163 feet !IL:: inches, was In feet IOU. inches above the lower platform. The temple bail two rows of eight columns eaeli across the front. and probably Iwo rows of 20 columns each on the sides, counting corner columns twice. 'rho columns were about tin feet high, of the Ionic order, and :36 of them hail the lower drums s•ulp lured in relief. The sculptures and fragmentq of the architecture of both the earlier and later temples are HOW in the 11ritish .Museum. The ma terial hardly suffices for a satisfactory restoration, and the schemes proposed differ widely in details. Consult: Wood. Discor, ries at Epti•sus (London, 1'477); Ferguson, Temple of Diana at in Transactions of Royal 1nstitute of Pri 1,11 IrcliIects Lon don, IS1:31; and Nurray, "Sculptured Columns of the Temple of Diana at in -/ournaf of the floyal Institute of Brit is!) .t reh it eel s (London, 1S9.1) .