Diana of Ephesus
Preserved but no longer current.
This statue, a cone sur- mounted by a bust covered with breasts, we are told, fell from heaven. If so, it was an aerolite; but Minucius (2nd cent. A.D.), who says he saw it, describes it as a wooden statue, and Pliny, a contemporary, tells us it was made of ebony. Probably the real "image" was a meteorite, and in the course of time a wooden one was substituted.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Diana of Ephesus” mean?
This statue, a cone sur- mounted by a bust covered with breasts, we are told, fell from heaven. If so, it was an aerolite; but Minucius (2nd cent. A.D.), who says he saw it, describes it as a wooden statue, and Pliny, a contemporary, tells us it was made of ebony. Probably the real "image" was a meteorite, and in the course of time a wooden one was substituted.
Is “Diana of Ephesus” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.