TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS IN SARDIS ~ ASIA MINOR

Soon after Sardis was liberated by Alexander the Great, the construction of the Temple of Artemis began in about 334 BCE. The original temple was probably a dipteros - a temple with two rows of columns around an enclosed inner section. Unusually, the entrance was on the west side; a feature required by the nature of the site.

Just outside the entrance, there was an altar of Artemis much older than the temple itself,dating from the 6th century BCE. In the Hellenistic period, the altar was incorporated into a large stepped platform that still exists.

Construction on the temple was abandoned during the late Hellenistic period, probably due to the decline of Seleucid patronage in Lydia. Construction resumed c.175 BCE but it was again abandoned before its completion. The temple was then damaged by an earthquake in 17 CE.

At some point during this period, Artemis shared Her temple with Zeus. This is based on an early inscription at the site honoring both Artemis and Zeus, and a large head of Zeus that was discovered in the temple.

The third and most impressive stage of construction began during the Roman period, in about 150 CE. The project started after Sardis' gained the prestigious title of neokoros, "temple-warden." This newly acquired status meant that Sardis had to have a temple dedicated to the imperial family. The Temple of Artemis was thus divided into essentialy two separate temples: one half for Artemis and the Empress Faustina and the other half for Zeus and Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-61).

Most of what is left today at the site of the Temple dates from the Roman rebuild in the 2nd century.On the western side of the temple is a freestanding altar to Artemis that dates from the 6th-5th century BCE. Only two complete columns and a few partial ones still stand from the temple; however, it still remains an impressive site, reminiscent of the long and fascinating history of these lands. 

SOURCE: sacred-destinations.com