Herostratus

• the notorious Ephesian who, in order to make himself famous, set fire to the temple of Diana at Ephesus, Sol. 40, 3.

(Ἡρόστρατος), a merchant of Naucratis in Egypt, who, in one of his voyages, bought at Paphos a little image of Aphrodite. (Ol. 23, B. C. 688-685.) On his return to Naucratis a storm ensued, which was stilled by the goddess, who regarded Naucratis with especial favour, and who, as a sign of her presence with Herostratus and his crew, caused myrtles to spring forth all around her. Herostratus, when safely landed, gave an entertainment to his friends, to celebrate his deliverance, and presented each of his guests with a myrtle crown: hence such a chaplet was called στέφανος Ναυκρατίτης. (Polycharm. apud Athen. xv. pp. 675, f. 676, a, b; Casaub. ad loc. ; comp. Hdt. 2.135.) [E.E]

(Ἡρόστρατος), an Ephesian, set fire to the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, which had been begun by Chersiphron, and completed by Demetrius and Paeonius. It was burnt on the same night that Alexander the Great was born, B. C. 356, whereupon it was remarked by Hegesias the Magnesian, that the conflagration was not to be wondered at, since the goddess was absent from Ephesus, and attending on the delivery of Olympias: an observation, says Plutarch, frigid enough to have put out the fire. The stroke of genius in question, however, is ascribed by Cicero, whose taste it does not seem to have shocked, to Timaeus of Tauromenium. Herostratus was put to the torture for his deed, and confessed that he had fired the temple to immortalise himself. The Ephesians passed a decree condemning his name to oblivion; but Theopompus embalmed him in his history, like a fly in amber. (Strab. xiv. p.640 ; Plut. Alex. 3; Cic. De Nat. Door. 2.27; V. Max. 8.14. Ext. 5; Gel. 2.6.) [E.E]

(Ἡρόστρατος). An Ephesian who set fire to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus on the same night that Alexander the Great was born, B.C. 356, in order to immortalize himself. The Ephesians passed a decree condemning his name to oblivion, but as might naturally be expected, this only increased his notoriety, and made him more absolutely certain of the attainment of his object (Plut. Alex. 3; Val. Max. viii. 14, 5; Gell.ii. 6).