Artemis of Ephesus: The 'Mother' Goddess Everyone Gets Wrong

Why does Artemis of Ephesus look so different from the Greek huntress we know? Her statue’s unusual imagery has puzzled scholars for centuries. In this video, we explore the history, symbolism, and religious significance of Ephesian Artemis.

Thumbnail design by @hotcyder
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters

00:00 Artemis the Huntress? Or the Ephesian?
1:43 Ephesus and the Artemision
9:53 The Story of Ephesian Artemis
11:18 Analysis of Her Imagery
17:15 Artemis in the New Testament
20:37 Announcing RFB Ephesus Tour!

[stuart]

Andrew - "my google search history is never going to recover from this"

[ricericerat]

Oh hey! That's my hometown! When I was a kid, we used to have a replica statue of artemis right in the centre of Selçuk, and I was always confused why she seemed to be so different from what I've learned about artemis. Yet, let me tell you, even in this day and age, growing up right next to ephesus, she has always felt like my hometowns patron goddess. I could be anywhere in the world but even an image of ephesian artemis will bring me right back home. Delightful video <3

[TheOneCalledSloth]

The bulbs might also be bee hives. Her skirt has bees crawling on her. Ephesian coins commonly have images with Artemis, dear or bees on them.

[fabrisseterbrugghe]

I went to the Ephesus Museum last year. I was thrilled to finally see that statue.

One thing, those marble walkways can be slick. Be very, very careful. One of the people on our tour ended up in a wheelchair after slipping at Ephesus.

[felixkostelbauer]

Slight correction: The pillar seen in the Artemision isn't really the last pillar left standing, but was erected by archaeologists to give visitors at least some form of scale of the original temple. If you look closely you can see that the parts of the pillar don't really fit together as they were collected from around the area.

[JamesBushik]

I too was surprised that you did not explore the honeycomb hypothesis for the bulbs, which on the statues are immediately close to other bee imagery, are a neatly arranged in hexagonal patterns, and visually resemble both the real life birth of bees and the overflowing honey from the comb. I see honey and new life.

[ChrisRowe]

Also don't overlook the fact that she is depicted flanked with lions just like Cybele and just like prehistoric anatolian fertility figures going back to the seated woman of Çatalhöyük . To me, Artemis of Ephesus' iconography, seens to very much a continuation of that of the fertility goddess worshipped in Anatolia for thousands of years prior, and I dare say much of the iconography of the virgin Mary is also a continuation of this (the pose with the outstretched hands for example). It's not a coincidence that Ephesus has a so-called "House of the virgin Mary" there - the cult of Mary basically supplanted that of Artemis, fulfilling much the same role, continuing traditions of the "great mother" established as far back as Catalhöyük

[alanl.]

I can always expect to learn something new when watching your videos. I remember watching your stuff when I was still in high school, I’m glad you’re still making educational content. Keep it up!

[kellysouter]

Its not cringy to say something moved you, its honest. I like some honesty.

[amym.]

If the bulbs usually appear in odd numbers it seems to me that they wouldn't represent things that normally come in pairs.

[julianneb]

My boss is named Dyana (Artemis) and her family calls her Hunny, what amazing serendipity, thanks Andrew for sharing!

[acecat]

Personally I'm most convinced by the amber bead theory given that it takes the least hoops to jump through, has archaeological support, and explains easily why another nearby cult would depict a male god with that feature. But I appreciate your clarity that we really just don't have a clearcut answer. I also appreciate your search history sacrifice.

[SG-jsqn]

To me, the image most closely matches wine skins, which appear to have been in use from close to 2000 BC onward. They are fluid filled, thus the smooth globular appearance. They are positioned on the chest to help people recognize them, because people wore their wine skins on their chest.

[cindyb]

On that note, Dr. Henry's deadpan humor never ceases to fail. Thank you! 😅🤭

[rainbowkrampus]

Might be interesting to do a stand alone video about the role of procession rituals in society.
They've come up in broader discussions about specific belief systems but a compare and contrast seems like it would make for some interesting discussion.
Like, circumambulation around a stupa is quite different from a prescribed stroll through a city. Very different set of social roles on display even while they're both functionally just walking in a loop.

[KomodoMagic]

Oh, that explains Artemis earlier design in Shin Megami Tensei

[BlackLotusVisualArchive]

I'd love to see a video on Greek-Mesopotamian syncretisms during the Selecid. Notably, they syncretized Nanaya with Artemis, despite them sharing almost opposite characteristics (Nanaya is a love goddess with not many hunting or martial aspects, she's much like the later worship of Aphrodite after her cult got more divorced from Ashtart).

I've heard one explanation is that the syncretisms weren't out of similarities but because of the geneaological role; Zeus and Marduk were syncretized, and so Apollo was syncretized with Nabu and it's by chance that they chose Nanaya instead of Tashmetum for Artemis. But it doesn't explain how many of Artemis' lunar aspects became incorporated into Nanaya's cult, especially when she spread into Bactria and Sogdia

[ChaconnesAreFunPlay]

Excellent; been waiting for you to make a video on Artemis of Ephesus. Now I can’t wait to have one on Cybele/Magna Mater and her cult.

[TheModernHermeticist]

The bull testicles thing could have some (extremely tenuous) support in the story of Gilgamesh. After killing the Bull of Heaven, Enkidu takes one of its thighs, or its testicles, depending on the translation and interpretation, and throws it at Ishtar in an act of defiance. But this is reaaaally a stretch...

[jacobnestle]

You won't see THAT Artemis in the Percy Jackson show, I guarantee it