ARTEMISIA, daughter of Lygdamis, succeeded her husband in the kingdom of Halicarnassus, which was a dependency of the Persian empire. She took part in person in the expedition of Xerxes against the Greeks, and fitted out five ships, with which she distinguished herself in the sea-fight near Salamis, 480 b.c. When closely pursued by the Athenians she escaped by the stratagem of attacking one of the Persian vessels, whereupon the Athenians concluded that she was an ally, and gave up the pursuit. By her advice Xerxes did not attempt another battle, but at once retired from Greece. A story of her, in all probability entirely without foundation, is preserved by Photius. She is said to have loved a young man named Dardanus, of Abydos, and, enraged at his neglect of her, to have put out his eyes while he was asleep. The gods, as a punishment for this, ordered her, by an oracle, to take the famous but rather mythical lover's leap from the Leucadian promontory.

ARTEMISIA, the sister and wife of Mausolus, king of Caria, immortalised herself by the honours which she paid to the memory of her husband. She built for him, in Halicarnassus, a very magnificent tomb, called the Mausoleum, which was one of the seven wonders of the world, and from which the name of Mausoleum was afterwards given to all tombs remarkable for their grandeur; but she died of regret and sorrow before it was finished. She appointed panegyrics to be made in honour of him, and proposed prizes of great value for the best oratorical and tragic compositions. She also erected a monument, or trophy, in Rhodes to commemorate her conquest of that island. When the Rhodians regained their freedom they built round this trophy so as to render it inaccessible, whence it was known as the aβaτov. She died about 350 B.c.