John Turtle Wood
John Turtle Wood (born February 13, 1821 in London , † March 25, 1890 in Worthing ) was a British architect , engineer and archaeologist . He became known as the rediscoverer and first excavator of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus .
Wood began studying architecture in Cambridge and Venice in 1853, graduating in 1858. In the same year he was commissioned by the Oriental Railway Company to design railway stations in the Ottoman Empire for the railway line from Smyrna to Aydın . On site he began to be interested in the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the remains of which had been lost for over 500 years. In 1863 he gave up his assignment to devote himself entirely to the search for what was once the wonder of the world. He was supported in this by the British Museum , which obtained the firm for him through the British Ambassador in Constantinople and promised a small reimbursement of costs. In return, the museum secured ownership of the finds.
In 1867, during his excavations, Wood came across the Sacred Road that had connected Ephesus to Artemision. As a result, he uncovered them until he finally discovered on December 31, 1869 the sparse remains of the temple, which were hidden under a meter-high sand dune. He was able to recover some damaged sculptures and architectural parts and bring them to London. In 1877 his excavation publication Discoveries at Ephesus, including the site and remains of the Great Temple of Diana , was published, which also contained a reconstruction sketch of the floor plan of Artemision. The publication, however, disappointed experts due to its inaccuracy. In 1884 Wood presented a revised version of his reconstruction of the floor plan.
Fonts
- Discoveries at Ephesus: including the site and remains of the Great Temple of Diana . Longmans, Green, London 1877. Reprinted by Olms, Hildesheim 1975, ISBN 3-487-05482-5 .
- Modern discoveries on the site of ancient Ephesus . Religious Tract Society, London 1890.
literature
- Wilfried Schaber: The archaic temple of Artemis of Ephesus - design principles and reconstruction . Stiftland, Waldsassen 1982, pp. 27–31.
Web links
- Literature by and about John Turtle Wood in the WorldCat bibliographic database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wood, John Turtle |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British architect, engineer and archaeologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 13, 1821 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 25, 1890 |
| Place of death | Worthing |