Bees were one of the emblems of Ephesos, a Greek city on the west coast of modern Turkey. This city was an important center of worship for the Greek goddess Artemis, and the images on Ephesian coins typically promote this association. The design on this gold ring closely copies these coins and it may have been a sort of souvenir from the sanctuary of Artemis at Ephesos. The bee was originally the symbol of an early Anatolian goddess whom the Greeks later identified with the goddess Artemis; so close was the connection that her priestesses were called melissai or "honey bees". The insects appear on many surviving reproductions of the cult statue of Artemis of Ephesos and other representations of bees have been found in the sanctuary.
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