The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was destroyed by arson in 356 BC. The fire devastated the great sanctuary of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, in the Greek city of Ephesus in Anatolia.
Ancient writers traditionally blamed a man named Herostratus, who supposedly set fire to the temple’s wooden roof to make his name famous. The Ephesians executed him and attempted to ban mention of his name, but later historians preserved it. His story gave rise to the term “Herostratic fame,” meaning notoriety achieved through a destructive act.
The date is especially memorable because tradition places the fire on the same day Alexander the Great was born. Plutarch later joked that Artemis was absent because she was attending Alexander’s birth. Modern scholars have questioned whether Herostratus was truly responsible, but 356 BC remains the standard date and answer in historical references.
The temple was later rebuilt on an even grander scale before eventually declining and being dismantled over subsequent centuries.