| Revision as of 00:22, 29 December 2009 editAnonMoos (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers71,907 editsm →References in literature and popular culture← Previous edit | Revision as of 16:06, 11 January 2010 edit undoCrossmr (talk | contribs)Pending changes reviewers18,925 edits the purpose of a see also is to give greater understanding to the subject. None of these relate to this particular fellowNext edit → | ||
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| * ] wrote a ] entitled "]" as part of his ] '']'' (The Wall). In the story, a man plans to commit a crime of random violence as a means of achieving fame. | * ] wrote a ] entitled "]" as part of his ] '']'' (The Wall). In the story, a man plans to commit a crime of random violence as a means of achieving fame. | ||
| * '']'' is a ] British film by ]n film-maker ]. | * '']'' is a ] British film by ]n film-maker ]. | ||
| ==See also== | |||
| *], someone who attains celebrity status for no particular identifiable reason. | |||
| * The ], whereby attempts to ban a ], literary work, ] or other material end up causing it to be even more heavily exposed. | |||
| *] | |||
| == Notes == | == Notes == | ||
Revision as of 16:06, 11 January 2010
Herostratus (Template:Lang-grc) was a young man who set fire to the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (in what is now western Turkey) in his quest for fame on about July 20, 356 BC. The temple was constructed of marble and considered the most beautiful of some thirty shrines built by the Greeks to honour their goddess of the hunt, the wild and childbirth. Four hundred and twenty-five feet long, and supported by columns sixty feet high, it was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Far from attempting to evade responsibility for his act of arson, Herostratus proudly claimed credit in an attempt to immortalise his name in history. In order to dissuade similar-minded fame-seekers, the Ephesean authorities not only executed him but also condemned him to a legacy of obscurity by forbidding mention of his name under the penalty of death. This did not stop Herostratus from achieving his goal, however, as the ancient historian Theopompus recorded the event and its perpetrator in his history.
References in literature and popular culture
Herostratus's name lived on in classical literature and has passed into modern languages.
- In German a Herostrat is a criminal out of thirst for glory.
- The English term Herostratic fame, likewise, relates to Herostratus, and means, roughly, "fame at any cost". Such men as Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon — "The result," said Chapman, "would be that I would be famous; the result would be that my life would change and I would receive a tremendous amount of attention." — may be considered modern examples of the Herostratically famous. (See Mark David Chapman#Motivation and mental health for further details.)
- Jean-Paul Sartre wrote a short story entitled "Erostratus" as part of his 1939 Le mur (The Wall). In the story, a man plans to commit a crime of random violence as a means of achieving fame.
- Herostratus is a 1967 British film by Australian film-maker Don Levy.
Notes
- The birth of Alexander the Great is claimed to have occurred on the same day, although ancient historians may have manipulated it to coincide with the temple's destruction and thereby bolster his claims to divinity.
References
- Borowitz, Albert. Terrorism for Self-glorification: The Herostratos Syndrome. Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2005.
- Smith, William, ed. (1870) Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, V. 2, p. 439. Scanned image, not text-searchable.