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Analysis Of The Marble Column From The Temple Of Artemis At Sardis

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The marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis is from the Hellenistic period and can be visited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It is part of the Ancient Greek exhibition. This column stands over fifty-eight feet high at the center of a room. Overall, it looks smooth and very large. At the capital, the delicate foliate is symmetrically decorated with fine details. The capital is slightly smaller than others found at the site, indicating that it does not belong to the outer colonnade . Because this column was from the Ancient Greeks, we can assume that the sculptor will focus on symmetry, fine details and perfect execution because these were characteristics present in most of the art. The column was part of a temple dedicated to the goddess of the wildness and childbirth, Artemis. The people in Sardis would worship her for a good harvest year because most Ancient Greeks were polytheistic and believed that different Gods had different attributes that could help them grant their wishes.
The column was standing by itself in the center of the hall, tall and impressive. Feelings of awe caused viewers to reach out and touch the column, as if they could not believe that this marvelous column was in front of them. Angry yet patience guards reminded them that this column is part of the museum exhibition and not of a temple. In Ancient Greece, this column would have been part of colonnade that held the load of the lintel. Then the floor would be raised from the

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