1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:08,559 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: show that proves there's more than one way to make history. 4 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lucier, and in this episode, we're looking at 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: the story of the ancient world's most notorious arsonist, a 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: temple hating firebug who gave up his reputation and his 7 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: life for a chance to live in infamy. The day 8 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: was July twenty first, three point fifty six BC. A 9 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: mysterious anarchist named Herostratus set fire to the world renowned 10 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: Temple of Artemis. The people of ancient Greece were stunned 11 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: by this brazen act of sacrile, but they were even 12 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: more confused by the mad arsonist's motive. After being apprehended 13 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: and tortured, Herostratus admitted that he had torched the temple 14 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: for no other reason than to immortalize his name. The 15 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: Temple of Artemis, sometimes called the Artemisium, was located near 16 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: the ancient port city of Ephesus, close to what is 17 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: now the town of Salzuk in modern day Turkey. The 18 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 1: early history of Ephesus went largely unrecorded, but we do 19 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: know it was once considered the most important trading center 20 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: in the Mediterranean world. We also know that Ephesus fell 21 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: under the rule of the Lydian kings in the seventh 22 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: century BC. During their reign, the city grew wealthy and 23 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: became a city of learning where men and women shared 24 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: the same rights and privileges. Ephesus is largely remembered today 25 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: as the birthplace of the pre Socratic philosopher Heraclitis, but 26 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: it was also home to many lesser known female artists, sculptors, painters, 27 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: and teachers, including the artist Temerity, who painted a famous 28 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: portrait of Artemis in the fifth century BC. Artemis was 29 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: one of the most revered goddesses in the ancient Greek pantheon, 30 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: but the Ephesians laid a special claim to her, believing 31 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: she was born near their city and not on the 32 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: island of Delos as other Greeks believed. And while most 33 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: cities praised Artemis as the goddess of hunting and wild animals, 34 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: the Ephesians worshiped her as the goddess of fertility and 35 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: the protector of women and young girls. In fact, Ephesian 36 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,359 Speaker 1: women would often call on Artemis during childbirth and ask 37 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: her to ease the pain of labor or to ensure 38 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: the safe delivery of the baby. Artemis was basically the 39 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,359 Speaker 1: patron deity of Ephesus, which is why the city had 40 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: a temple devoted to her since as far back as 41 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: the Bronze Age. The original structure was likely built in 42 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: the latter half of the eighth century BC, but it 43 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: was wiped out by a flood less than one hundred 44 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: years later. Despite her temple being buried under several feet 45 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: of sand and debris, Artemis remained the Ephesian's goddess of choice. 46 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,640 Speaker 1: She was honoured with regular processions through the city and 47 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: with daily customs devoted to her worship. It was with 48 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: this high standing in mind that the Lydian king Creesus 49 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: decided to fund the rebuilding of the Temple of Artemis 50 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:31,079 Speaker 1: in the mid sixth century BC. Designed to be far 51 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: sturdier than its predecessor, the new temple's foundation and columns 52 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: would be made entirely of marble, while its interior and 53 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: roof would be framed with thick wooden beams. It took 54 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: about one hundred and twenty years or so to complete 55 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,240 Speaker 1: the project, but once it was finished, few would argue 56 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 1: that the weight wasn't worth it. The new and improved 57 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: Temple of Artemis was one of the largest ever built 58 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,400 Speaker 1: in Ancient Greece. It measured more than three hundred and 59 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: fifty feet long and one hundred and eighty feet wide 60 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: light and each of its one hundred and twenty seven 61 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: columns stood roughly sixty feet tall. Inside the temple contained 62 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: a treasure trove of relief carvings, sculptures, and paintings, including 63 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: a towering statue of its namesake. Ephesian worshippers would visit 64 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: the temple daily, but plenty of pilgrims and tourists would 65 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: gather there as well, with many having traveled long distances 66 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: just to see the temple and hopefully earned the goddess's favor. 67 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: For nearly one hundred years after its completion, the Temple 68 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: of Artemis served as a house of worship, a tourist destination, 69 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 1: and an art gallery all in one. That is, of course, 70 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,599 Speaker 1: until Harris Stratus came along. On the evening of July 71 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: twenty first, three point fifty six BC, he made his 72 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: way to the temple under cover of darkness and set 73 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: fire to its wooden roof. The flame spread quickly through 74 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: the wooden interior, engulfing all its lavish furnishings, including the 75 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: statue of Artemis. The morning, the temple lay in ruins, 76 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: with nothing left standing but a few blackened marble columns. 77 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: Very little is known about the man who burned the temple. 78 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,479 Speaker 1: He was certainly of a lower class, possibly even enslaved, 79 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: and many historians suspect he wasn't Ephesian by birth. There 80 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: are all kinds of potential motives one could assign to 81 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: his act of destruction. Maybe it was politically motivated, an 82 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: act of anarchy aimed at destabilizing the unjust society responsible 83 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: for his low station. Or perhaps Herostratus was an ancient misogynist, 84 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: someone who chafed at women's equal standing and took out 85 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: that anger on their supposed protector. A third option, and 86 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,480 Speaker 1: a fairly compelling one, is that he was simply unwell 87 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: and wasn't thinking clearly. But as plausible as those explanations 88 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: may seem, none of them are the one offered by Herostratus. 89 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 1: He was promptly arrested, having made no effort to escape, 90 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:00,799 Speaker 1: and was subsequently tortured on the rack till he finally 91 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:04,839 Speaker 1: confessed his true motive. It turned out Herostratus had his 92 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: eyes set on fame the whole time. He wanted to 93 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 1: be remembered, to leave his mark on history, and he 94 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: decided the best way to do it was to destroy 95 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: the symbol of his city, a wonder of the ancient 96 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: world that may have stood forever if not for him. 97 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: Ephesian authorities sentenced Herostratus to death for his arson, but 98 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 1: they didn't stop at simply condemning his body and mind. 99 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: They also instituted a special kind of punishment known as 100 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: damnadio memori or condemnation of memory. Under this order, the 101 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: public was forbidden from ever speaking or writing the culprit's name. 102 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,719 Speaker 1: This was done both to discourage others from committing similar 103 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: crimes and to ensure that Herostratus didn't get his wish. 104 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 1: Far from being remembered, he would be forever condemned to 105 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: obscurity instead, effectively erased from history. However, that's clearly not 106 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:06,480 Speaker 1: how things turned out. Some historians of the era chose 107 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,119 Speaker 1: not to abide by the Ephesian's punishment and wrote down 108 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: his story, name and all before it could be forgotten. 109 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: As a result, Herostratus's name was not only remembered, it 110 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: became the basis for the term Herostratic fame, which essentially 111 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: means fame at any cost. Oh and in an extra 112 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: layer of irony, the names of those who judged, sentenced, 113 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: and executed Herostratus have long since been forgotten. After the 114 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: loss of their temple, the Ephesians wondered why Artemis had 115 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: allowed it to be destroyed in the first place. It 116 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: seemed like a faith shaking question, but years later the 117 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: city got its answer. It turned out the future Greek 118 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: king Alexander the Great had been born on the very 119 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: same day that Herostratus burned the temple. It stood to reason, then, 120 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: at least in the minds of the Ephesians, that Artemis 121 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: must have been busy that day assisting in the birth 122 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 1: of the future ruler. She hadn't abandoned her temple then, 123 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: as they had feared. She just happened to leave it 124 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: unattended on the worst possible day. Alexander would eventually try 125 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: to make good on that debt by offering to pay 126 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: to rebuild the temple, but the Ephesians wouldn't have it. 127 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: They insisted on covering the costs themselves, and although it 128 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: took a while, they did eventually build a third version 129 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: of the Temple of Artemis. Reportedly, it was even grander 130 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: than the last one, roughly four times the size of 131 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: the Parthenon, and impressive enough to be named one of 132 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: the Seven Wonders of the World. Unfortunately, the third temple 133 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: was destroyed as well, this time by a horde of 134 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: goth invaders in two sixty two AD. That was essentially 135 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: the end of Ephesus and of the Temple of Artemis. 136 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 1: Neither was ever rebuilt again, and today only a few 137 00:08:56,200 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: scattered ruins remain, just as Heristratus. What of won? I'm 138 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: Gabe Lucier and hopefully you now know a little more 139 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. If you enjoyed 140 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: today's episode, consider keeping up with us on Twitter, Facebook, 141 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: and Instagram. You can find us at TDI HC Show. 142 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 1: You can also rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, 143 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: or you can reach out directly by writing to This 144 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Maze and 145 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 1: Ben Hackett for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 146 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again soon for another day 147 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: in History Class.