The Cult of ArtémisEphesia in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean

Abstract

The Sanctuary of Artemis at Ephesus is known as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World". The goddess with such a special iconography has been the subject of countless studies but many questions still remain. Being a prosperous port city, Ephesus was visited throughout antiquity by the various ancient populations, as archaeological evidence shows.

Its location in Asia Minor, a region of contact between East and West, allowed it to spread, first locally in the neighboring cities and then throughout the Mediterranean, through the exchange networks. Its cult, in fact, was exported from the archaic period by the Phocaeans, who left to found Massalia with a copy of the cult statue, and was very successful in the following periods, so much so that during the Roman period it was present in the majority of the cities of the Empire.

Keywords: Asia Minor, Ancient Mediterranean, Artemis, Ephesus, Cultural exchanges.