Herostratus

Herostratus was a Greek man who burned the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus in 356 BCE to make his name famous. His notoriety gave rise to the idea of herostratic fame: lasting recognition gained through destructive acts.

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Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: An ancient Greek temple at Ephesus, famed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Herostratus set fire to this sanctuary in 356 BCE.
Strabo: A Greek geographer and historian of the Augustan age, best known for his work Geography. He reports that the Ephesians forbade Herostratus’s name from being spoken.
Herostratic fame: Fame sought through a notorious or destructive act, named after Herostratus. The term captures the motive ancient accounts assign to his arson.
Herostratic fame (historical term): A phrase for notoriety gained through destruction, derived from later accounts of Herostratus. Its familiar meaning rests on ancient reports rather than testimony by Herostratus himself.
Ephesus: An ancient Greek city on the western coast of Asia Minor, near modern Selçuk, Turkey. Its Artemision was the site of Herostratus’s arson.
Valerius Maximus: A Roman author of the first century CE who compiled memorable historical anecdotes. His account helped transmit the story of Herostratus’s crime and motive.
Damnatio memoriae: A practice of condemning a person’s memory through the removal of their name or public honors. The Ephesians’ reported ban on Herostratus’s name tried to deny the fame he sought.
Ancient Greek historiography: The writing and interpretation of the past by authors in ancient Greece. Herostratus’s motives and punishment survive through later historical writing.
Artemis: A Greek goddess associated with hunting, wilderness, childbirth, and the protection of young people. The temple Herostratus burned was dedicated to her.
Plutarch: A Greek biographer and essayist of the first and second centuries CE, known for Parallel Lives and Moralia. He recounts the temple fire and Alexander’s offer to rebuild the sanctuary.