Artemis Ephesia, also known as Artemis of Ephesus/Ephesos, is a form of Artemis that was worshiped in the city of Ephesos in Ionia, now modern-day Turkey. Her temple in Ephesos was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and her cult one of the most widespread. The Ephesians always considered her unique to the city, but there were shrines and temples to Ephesia in many other places throughout Asia Minor and beyond.
Callimachus in his Hymn to Artemis attributed the Temple of Artemis to the Amazons. No matter who created it, it was built and destroyed three times, the third temple being the one designated as one of the Wonders of the World. Today only ruins remain at the original site.
Model of the Temple of Artemis as seen in Istanbul, Turkey
It is likely that the cult of Artemis Ephesia stemmed from that of a previous local goddess, which made Ephesia unique compared to the typical face of Artemis, sister of Apollon. The original cult statue of Artemis Ephesia was made of wood, which has not survived. What has survived are marble copies, mostly copies from the Roman period. However, you can see that her iconography is rather archaic and was influenced greatly from the pre-Hellenic cult that existed in the same area. That being said, most of the worshipers of Ephesia did not necessarily consider her to be a separate goddess as modern practitioners and scholars tend to.
Artemis Ephesia is shown standing straight up, as if a pillar, with her feet pointing outwards from the bottom and he arms outstretched. She wears the mural crown representing the city walls of Ephesos on her head. She is covered in animals, including bees, bulls, lions, griffins, and stags as well as other animals.
The most defining aspect of her is the multiple protuberances on her body. They have been theorized to represent multiple breasts, drops of amber, bull testicles, eggs, even beehives, but the true nature of them is unknown. Their likely representations as icons of her fertility is apparent, but the exact origin and identity of the objects is unknown at this time.
Artemis from Ephesos Roman marble copy of Greek original Vatican Museum
As for her character, Artemis Ephesia is a goddess mainly of fertility and the earth, representing the nourishing aspects of nature. She is greatly associated with animals, particularly bees, which were a symbol of the city itself. She was savior and mother to those who lived in Ephesos and to those who worshiped her.
Her cult existed several hundred years into the growth of Christianity, to the point where Ephesos and the goddess of that city is mentioned within the Bible. The third temple was destroyed in 262 CE by the Goths, and many in the city turned to Christianity rather than rebuild the temple for a fourth time.
The Carving Witch 