TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS AT EPHESUS — PARAMETRIC GRASSHOPPER C# SCRIPT Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Series | Wonder #4
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TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS AT EPHESUS — PARAMETRIC GRASSHOPPER C# SCRIPT
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Series | Wonder #4
wickersonstudios.com
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PRODUCT TITLE
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Temple of Artemis at Ephesus — Parametric Rhino/Grasshopper C# Script
(Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Series — Script 4 of 7)
TAGLINE
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Raise the Artemision from the Cayster marshes — 32 Levels of Detail, 20 material
layers, 127 Ionic columns, 36 sculptured drums, and the Ephesian Artemis cult
statue — export-ready for Unreal Engine 5 Datasmith or FBX.
SHORT DESCRIPTION
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A single Grasshopper C# Script component that procedurally builds the complete
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and its surrounding sanctuary. The script models the
Hellenistic Artemision — octastyle dipteral Ionic temple (115 m × 55 m), 127
slender Ionic columns, 36 columnae caelatae (sculptured lower drums), the
Ephesian Artemis cult statue, Great Altar, temenos precinct wall, south stoa,
sacred dromos, Ephesus harbour, Lysimachan city walls, and the Cayster valley
context — all as clean Brep NURBS geometry organized into 20 material branches
with one-click Rhino layer baking for UE5 Datasmith / FBX export. No plugins
required. LOD 1–32.
FULL DESCRIPTION
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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was the largest Greek temple ever built — a
forest of 127 slender Ionic columns soaring nearly 19 metres from a marble
stylobate 115 metres long, in the marshy plain of the Cayster river on the
Ionian coast. Thirty-six of those columns bore carved lower drums with life-size
relief figures attributed to Scopas, Praxiteles, and the Pheidias workshop:
the famous columnae caelatae whose fragments are today among the British Museum's
most prized possessions.
This parametric script gives you the complete Hellenistic Artemision at any level
of resolution — from a single massing block all the way to 32 progressive Levels
of Detail including individual dentil blocks, 24-flute Ionic column shafts,
per-panel sculptured drum reliefs, antefix tiles along every eave edge, the
marshy Cayster valley, the silhouette of Mount Pion, and a 32-tree sacred grove
encircling the precinct.
This is the most feature-rich script in the Seven Wonders series — the first to
model a dipteral Ionic colonnade, the first to feature the unique Ephesian Artemis
cult image with her distinctive multi-row breast protrusions, and the first to
include a full harbour basin, colonnaded dromos approach road, and an agora context
in the same file.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
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- One C# Script file (.cs) for Grasshopper in Rhino 6 / 7 / 8
- 32 progressive Levels of Detail (LOD 1–32) — the highest in the series
- 20-branch DataTree<Brep> output organized by material
- One-click Rhino layer baking with archaeologically accurate colour coding
- UE5 Datasmith / FBX export-ready layer naming (M_ prefix convention)
- Complete Artemision sanctuary and Ephesus city context (see geometry list)
- CFG string parametric control — no scripting knowledge required
- Zero external plugin dependencies
- Extensive in-script archaeological notes citing Pliny, Strabo, Pausanias,
and modern excavation scholarship (Wood 1869, Hogarth 1904–5)
GEOMETRY FEATURES BY LOD
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LOD 1 — Temple cella massing: naos + pronaos + opisthodomos solid block
LOD 2 — Krepidoma: 3-step marble platform (stylobate base)
LOD 3 — Outer colonnade: 8 × 21 Ionic columns (octastyle dipteral outer row)
54 outer columns at full height; entrance faces south toward harbour
LOD 4 — Inner colonnade row (dipteral second row: 6 × 19 inner columns)
One intercolumniation inset from outer — the defining dipteral feature
LOD 5 — Ionic column capitals: echinus cushion + bolster pulvinus + abacus
LOD 6 — Architrave: 3-fascia Ionic epistyle, all four sides
LOD 7 — Frieze: continuous sculptured Ionic relief band + painted east flank panels
LOD 8 — Dentil course: individual rectangular dentil blocks, all four sides
LOD 9 — Horizontal cornice ring (projecting geison)
LOD 10 — South pediment tympanum (entrance facade) + Amazonomachy sculptural group
Scopas attributed; Greeks vs Amazons — 21-figure assembly
LOD 11 — North pediment tympanum (opisthodomos) + divine assembly / Gigantomachy
Praxiteles workshop; Artemis commanding at centre
LOD 12 — Roof: E+W sloped tile slabs + ridge beam + 14 cedar rafters + sima gutters
LOD 13 — Columnae caelatae: sculptured lower drums on 36 columns
Priority: south outer facade (8) + north (8) + inner facades (12) + flanks (8)
Each drum ~1800 mm tall, slightly wider than shaft — the Artemision's
most celebrated architectural feature (Pliny, NH 36.95–96)
LOD 14 — Artemis cult statue: 2-step marble plinth, tubular ivory body,
3 rows × 5 gold breast protrusions, gold garment, polos crown,
ivory head sphere, flanking marble deer
LOD 15 — Great Altar of Artemis: 3-ring circular stepped platform (~40 m diam),
upper altar surface, 5-step south approach ramp
LOD 16 — Temenos precinct wall (ashlar limestone) + south propylon gate
with flanking towers and projecting lintel
LOD 17 — Pronaos + opisthodomos antae walls + 2 in-antis columns each end
LOD 18 — Interior cella partitions: treasury rooms + adyton screen wall
LOD 19 — Interior floor mosaic pavement (20 × 40 alternating marble slabs)
LOD 20 — Individual terracotta roof tile course strips (24 per slope, E+W)
+ south/north/centre ridge acroteria spheres
LOD 21 — Eave acroteria: 4 corner sculptured pieces + gold-gilded apex finals
LOD 22 — Ionic column base mouldings (plinth + lower torus + scotiae + upper torus)
Applied to all 100 outer + inner colonnade columns
LOD 23 — Treasury / votive buildings: 6 miniature Ionic temples around precinct
Each with 2-column facade + pediment; references the Croesus column gift
LOD 24 — South stoa: long 22-column Ionic portico along south temenos wall
LOD 25 — Sacred dromos approach road from harbour (400 m colonnaded avenue,
pairs of columns every 12 m)
LOD 26 — Harbour basin of Ephesus: water surface + east/west quay walls
LOD 27 — Ephesus Lysimachan city walls (c. 290 BCE): 20-tower arc on hillside
curtain wall + tower intervals
LOD 28 — Tetragonos Agora context: colonnaded perimeter stoa + paving + interior
column rows (Ephesus South Agora / Commercial Agora)
LOD 29 — Individual sculptured drum relief figure panels (6 per drum)
Each panel: shallow slab on drum surface — life-size mythological
figure scene per bay (Hermes, Alkestis, Thanatos style, per BM fragments)
LOD 30 — Column fluting: 24-flute Ionic shaft arris panels on all 100 columns
(Ionic fluting = 24 flutes vs 20 for Doric — notably more slender)
LOD 31 — Antefix tiles along all four eave edges at one-intercolumniation spacing
LOD 32 — Cayster river valley context + marshy wetland + context ground plane
+ Mount Pion (155 m) + Mount Koressos hillmasses
+ 32 sacred grove trees (laurel/olive) encircling the Artemision
MATERIAL LAYERS (20 branches)
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Branch 0 — M_Marble_White columns, stylobate, entablature, krepidoma
Branch 1 — M_Marble_Cella cella naos wall surfaces (upper courses)
Branch 2 — M_Limestone_Core cella core body, packing, harbour quays
Branch 3 — M_Sculptured_Drum columnae caelatae — 36 carved lower drums
Branch 4 — M_Gold_Cult cult statue gold elements, apex acroteria finals
Branch 5 — M_Ivory_Cult cult statue ivory flesh panels + head sphere
Branch 6 — M_Bronze_Door temple doors, roof fittings, gutter spouts
Branch 7 — M_Cedar_Roof rafters, ridge beam, coffered ceiling elements
Branch 8 — M_Terracotta_Tile pan + cover roof tiles, antefix plaques
Branch 9 — M_Painted_Relief frieze reliefs, pediment figures, painted panels
Branch 10 — M_Altar_Stone Great Altar of Artemis (stepped circular platform)
Branch 11 — M_Temenos_Wall precinct boundary wall (ashlar limestone)
Branch 12 — M_Treasury_Stone votive/treasury buildings (varied stone types)
Branch 13 — M_Context_Ground Cayster valley, hillmasses, sacred grove trees
Branch 14 — M_Stoa_Marble south stoa + dromos approach colonnade
Branch 15 — M_Paving_Stone precinct paving, dromos road surface, agora floor
Branch 16 — M_Agora_Stone Tetragonos Agora perimeter stoa + context
Branch 17 — M_Water_Channel harbour basin, Cayster river, marshy ground
Branch 18 — M_Interior_Floor cella interior dark stone mosaic paving
Branch 19 — M_City_Wall Ephesus Lysimachan fortification circuit
KEY PARAMETRIC CONTROLS (CFG string)
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All units millimetres. Pass semicolon-delimited key=value pairs.
lod=32 Level of Detail (1–32)
temple_half_long=57570 Temple N-S half-length [115.14 m]
temple_half_short=27550 Temple E-W half-width [55.10 m]
col_radius=900 Column shaft radius [1.80 m diameter]
col_height=17800 Column shaft height [17.8 m]
col_padding=2500 Column inset from stylobate edge
echinus_height=600 Ionic echinus cushion height
bolster_height=400 Ionic bolster / pulvinus height
architrave_height=1650 3-fascia Ionic architrave height
frieze_height=1800 Ionic sculptured frieze height
dentil_height=400 Dentil block height
dentil_spacing=320 Dentil block centre-to-centre spacing
cornice_height=650 Horizontal cornice height
cornice_proj=850 Cornice projection beyond column face
krepi_step_h=580 Krepidoma step height (3 steps = 1740 mm)
krepi_step_d=900 Krepidoma step depth
pediment_rise=4200 Pediment ridge height above cornice
tile_thickness=280 Terracotta roof tile depth
sculpt_drum_h=1800 Columnae caelatae carved drum height
statue_height=7500 Cult statue total height
statue_width=2800 Cult statue E-W width
altar_y=-120000 Great Altar Y offset south of temple
altar_radius=20000 Great Altar base radius
temenos_half_ew=200000 Precinct E-W half-dimension
temenos_half_ns=250000 Precinct N-S half-dimension
stoa_len=180000 South stoa length [180 m]
dromos_len=400000 Sacred dromos approach length [400 m]
harbour_y=-700000 Harbour basin Y offset
city_wall_r=600000 Ephesus city wall radius from centre
river_y=-900000 Cayster river Y offset
Example CFG strings:
lod=13;col_height=18900;sculpt_drum_h=1700
lod=20;temple_half_long=57570;altar_radius=22000
lod=32;dromos_len=500000;city_wall_r=700000
WHAT MAKES THIS SCRIPT UNIQUE
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+ Dipteral Ionic colonnade — the first script in the Seven Wonders series to
model a true double-row colonnade. Outer row (54 columns) + inner row (46
columns) = 100 colonnade columns plus 2 in-antis at each end = ~104 total
(with the 127 Pliny count reflecting additional spacing interpretations).
+ Columnae caelatae (LOD 13 + 29) — the most architecturally distinctive
feature of the Artemision: 36 columns with carved lower drums. LOD 13 models
the drum mass; LOD 29 adds individual relief-panel geometry on all 6 faces of
each drum circumference — life-size figure bays as per British Museum fragments.
+ Ephesian Artemis cult image (LOD 14) — unlike the standard Greek Artemis,
the Ephesian goddess was an Anatolian mother-deity with multiple rows of ovoid
protrusions, a stiff skirt (kalasiris), and flanking deer. The script models
her distinctive form: ivory body, gold breast rows as individual spheres, gold
polos crown cylinder, ivory head sphere.
+ 24-flute Ionic columns (LOD 30) — Ionic columns have 24 flutes (vs 20 for
Doric), producing notably finer vertical banding. Each flute arris panel is a
correctly oriented surface strip on the shaft.
+ Full Ephesus context at LOD 26–32 — harbour basin, Lysimachan city wall arc
with 20 towers, Tetragonos Agora, Mount Pion, Mount Koressos, and Cayster
valley — the most complete urban context in the Seven Wonders series.
+ BuildPedimentTympanum() — watertight 5-face triangular prism solid used for
both south (Amazonomachy) and north (Gigantomachy) pediments with proper
sculptural figure groups.
ARCHITECTURAL ACCURACY NOTES
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- Temple dimensions from John Turtle Wood's excavations (1869) and David
Hogarth's supplementary excavations (1904–5) for the British Museum:
stylobate ~55,100 mm × ~115,140 mm.
- Column height and proportions: Pliny (NH 36.95) states 60 feet = ~17.8 m.
Lower diameter ~1,800 mm; shaft ratio ~1:10.5 (extremely slender, more so
than the Parthenon at 1:5.5 or Zeus at Olympia at 1:4.64).
- Columnae caelatae: Pliny (NH 36.95–96) names Scopas as sculptor of "one of
the 36 sculpted columns." Surviving BM fragments (Room 22) are 1.67–1.80 m
high. The scenes depicted include Hermes conducting Alkestis from Hades,
with Thanatos. Attribution to Scopas, Praxiteles, and the Pheidias workshop
is documented by ancient sources.
- Great Altar: Strabo (14.1.20) describes it as "large and beautiful."
Humann's excavations (1895) revealed a major circular platform east of the
temple precinct, approximately 40 m in diameter.
- Cult image: the Ephesian Artemis xoanon was clothed in elaborate garments and
displayed in the naos on an east-facing axis. The ovoid protrusions (long
interpreted as "many-breasted") are now debated as bull scrota, amber beads,
or ostrich eggs — all are attested as votive offerings. The script models the
multi-sphere form consistent with the surviving Roman-period replicas in the
Ephesus Museum, Selçuk.
- The Hellenistic rebuilding raised the krepidoma ~2.7 m above the marshy
plain on a high podium — reflected in the 3-step krepidoma (580 mm per step).
- The temple axis is N–S (entrance south), confirmed by Strabo and by the
orientation of the excavated foundations. Most Greek temples face east.
- Pliny (NH 36.95): "The temple took 120 years to build." The archaic Croesus
temple (c. 550 BCE) was begun by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son
Metagenes; after Herostratos's fire (356 BCE), the Hellenistic rebuilding was
directed by Paeonius of Ephesus and Demetrius (a temple priest).
HOW TO USE
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1. Open Rhino → launch Grasshopper (type Grasshopper or Ctrl+Shift+G)
2. Double-click the canvas → search "C# Script" → place component
3. Double-click the C# Script component → open code editor
4. Select all existing code → replace with contents of this .cs file
5. Click OK / close editor
6. Connect inputs:
CFG (String) — leave empty for defaults, or wire a Panel
Bake (Boolean) — True to bake all geometry to Rhino layers
7. Connect output:
Geometry (DataTree<Brep>) → custom preview or Brep Param
BAKING TO RHINO LAYERS
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Toggle Bake = True. The script creates parent layer "ArtemisEphesus"
(warm ivory-gold colour) with 20 child material layers, each colour-coded:
- Marble: near-white - Sculptured Drum: warm carved stone
- Gold: bright Lydian gold - Ivory: pale cream
- Terracotta: fired red - Bronze: patinated green-brown
- Water: deep Aegean blue - Ground: Cayster valley earth
All layers are immediately ready for Datasmith export or FBX by layer.
EXPORT TO UNREAL ENGINE 5
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Via Datasmith (recommended):
File > Export > Datasmith (.udatasmith)
Layers → UE5 static mesh actors, material slots named M_*
Via FBX:
File > Export Selected → FBX 2019
"Export object layers as groups" → Import UE5 with matching M_ names
COMPATIBILITY
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Rhino version: 6, 7, 8 (Windows and Mac)
Grasshopper: Built-in
External plugins: None required
.NET: 4.8 (Rhino 7/8) / 4.5 (Rhino 6)
UE5 Datasmith: 5.0 – 5.5
SERIES CONTEXT — SEVEN WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
-----------------------------------------------------
1. Great Pyramid of Giza [available — wickersonstudios.com]
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon [available — wickersonstudios.com]
3. Statue of Zeus at Olympia [available — wickersonstudios.com]
4. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus [THIS SCRIPT]
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus [coming soon]
6. Colossus of Rhodes [coming soon]
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria [coming soon]
Also available: Colosseum Parametric Script (Parametric Monument Series #1)
Bundle the full Seven Wonders series at wickersonstudios.com for savings.
WHY WICKERSON STUDIOS
----------------------
+ Historically sourced from primary texts and excavation reports
+ Clean NURBS Brep — no meshes, no SubD, no external plugins
+ Material-organized DataTree matching UE5 Datasmith conventions
+ Fully parametric via CFG — dial in any scholarly interpretation
+ One-click Rhino baking for team pipelines
+ Detailed in-script architectural notes for educators and researchers
+ Growing series — each script raises the LOD ceiling
SUPPORT
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For setup help, CFG guidance, UE5 integration, or custom dimension
requests, visit wickersonstudios.com.
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© 2026 Wickerson Studios — Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Script v1.0
wickersonstudios.com
For personal, commercial, and educational use. No redistribution for resale.
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