digitally composited image, 2006

Ephesus, Turkey,June
Legacy: Three Grandmothers

The Hellenistic statue of Artemis mediates eastern and western thought.
Not a classical maiden, but a goddess clothed in sensual symbols of a fertile, mystic world: testicles of bulls, seed pearls, and symbols of the zodiac.
Mythological beasts as well as her characteristic dog, deer and lions, accompany her.

The statue is votive in nature: a personification of the goddess, not a portrait. Its location was not in the great temple outside the walls of the city but in the city hall. Artemis extends her hands in acknowledgement of the candles lit, the prayers and the gifts offered.

The Greek word for statue (agalma) is derived from the word agallomai (= to rejoice).
Statues were painted, not the stark white marble we view today.