The City that Built the Largest Greek Temple in the World

Ephesus was one of the most important cities in the ancient Greek and Roman world. It was even older than Rome itself, founded around 950 BC. Very early on in the Archaic Age, it became home to the most important sanctuary of the cult of Artemis, and for the rest of ancient pagan history, was the prime location for her worship in the Greek speaking world. The Ephesians built a massive temple to her, which was rebuilt twice more, with the 3rd temple making the list of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. This gave Ephesus a prestige that only a handful of other cities enjoyed for their own reasons, such as Olympia for the Olympic Games, Athens for the Parthenon, and Delphi for its infamous oracle at the Temple of Apollo, who was the brother of Artemis. Ephesus continued to be an important Greek city through the Classical Age, even though it was under the Persians, as well as during the Hellenistic Age. Not only was the temple rebuilt twice, but the city was rebuilt in