Herostratus

Herostratus
Ἡρόστρατος
Non-contemporary depiction
Born	Ephesus (modern-day Selçuk, İzmir, Turkey)
Died	c. 356 BC Ephesus
Cause of death	Execution
Nationality	Ephesian
Known for	Destroying the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus—and, concomitantly, seeking fame at any cost

Herostratus (Ancient Greek: Ἡρόστρατος) was a 4th-century BC Greek, accused of seeking notoriety as an arsonist by destroying the second Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (on the outskirts of present-day Selçuk), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The act prompted his execution and the creation of a damnatio memoriae law forbidding anyone to mention his name, orally or in writing. The law was ultimately ineffective, as evidenced by surviving accounts of his crime. Thus, Herostratus has become an eponym for someone who commits a criminal act in order to become famous.