The Temple of Artemis

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Greek Temple of Artemis (Artemision) was built near the ancient city of Ephesus in today’s Turkey.  The temple was dedicated to the Ephesus’ goddess of fertility and was the largest Greek temple ever built as well as the first to be constructed almost entirely of marble.  It was built on marshy land in an effort to prevent damage from earthquakes and the foundation was laid over a bed of “packed charcoal and sheepskins.”

The Temple was rebuilt three times with the second and third structures being the most elaborate.  The second Temple was designed by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and was a mixture of Classic Greek and Near-Eastern design.  Construction began around 550 BC and it took about 10 years to build.  The Temple measured 377 feet by 180 feet and had a total of 127 Ionic columns that stood sixty-feet high.  Of these, thirty-six were intricately carved with reliefs.  After it was deliberately destroyed by fire and looting, a third structure was built.  This one was the largest at 450 feet long x 225 feet wide.      

The ancient Greek poet, Antipater of Sidon wrote of the Temple of Artemis, “I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand.” 

At The Conco Companies, we have been busy working on modern day wonders ourselves such as setting the world record for the largest continuous mat pour for the new Wilshire Grand Center in L.A.  The Center will be the tallest building in the U.S. west of the Mississippi.  To reach the upper levels of the tower, we are using a new state-of-the art electric pump to pump concrete 400 ft. horizontally and then 1,000 ft. vertically.

The Conco Companies are a leading supplier of commercial concrete services for the Western United States.  Our extensive services include commercial, educational, parking and other construction development as well as public works projects.  We have regional offices to serve California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, and Nevada.