The temple of Artemis in Sardis was the third largest temple of Artemis in Asia Minor after the temples of Ephesus and Magnesia on the Meander. The temple has such an unusual architecture that it is not easy to conclude that it was originally a traditional Greek temple.
Due to the unusual construction and the fact that there is no trace of the cornices and gables and that the temple has often been altered and left unfinished, it is difficult to understand the original design and subsequent repair.

In the third and last construction phase the Naos was transformed into a double temple. The western part continued to serve the worship of Artemis, while in the eastern part Faustina, the deified wife of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius, was worshipped. The head of her colossal statue excavated at the temple proves this assumption.

In Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess of hunting, the forest, the moon and the guardian of women and children. She is one of the twelve great Olympic gods and therefore one of the most important deities of Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She corresponds to Diana in Roman mythology.