Herostratus
Herostratus | |
|---|---|
| Ἡρόστρατος | |
Non-contemporary depiction | |
| Born | |
| Died | c. 356 BC Ephesus |
| Cause of death | Execution |
| Nationality | Ephesian |
| Known for | Destroying the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus—and, concomitantly, seeking fame at any cost |
Herostratus (Ancient Greek: Ἡρόστρατος) was a Greek arsonist, accused of seeking notoriety by destroying the second Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (on the outskirts of present-day Selçuk), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The arson prompted his execution and the creation of a damnatio memoriae law forbidding anyone to mention his name, orally or in writing. The law was ineffective, as evidenced by surviving accounts of his crime. Thus, Herostratus' name has become an eponym for both arsonist and someone who commits a criminal act solely to become famous while the term herostratic fame came to refer to notorious type of fame.