Temples were frequently used to store votive offerings . They are the most important and most widespread building type in Greek architecture. In the Hellenistic kingdoms of Southwest Asia and of North Africa, buildings erected to fulfil the functions of a temple often continued to follow the local traditions.
What was the purpose of temples in ancient Greece?
Ancient Greek temples were not built as a place of worship like the sanctuaries and altars were (although some temples resided inside sanctuaries). Instead, it was considered as the home of the deity it was dedicated to, who helped to protect and sustain the communities .
What were the temples used for?
Temples. Egyptian temples were used for official, formal worship of the gods by the state , and to commemorate pharaohs. The temple was the house dedicated to a particular god, and Egyptians would perform rituals there, give offerings, re-enact myths and keep order in the universe (ma’at).
What are the two main functions of a Greek temple?
What was the function of a Greek temple? The temple was dedicated to a god and used to house the cult statue of that god . It was a house for that god to stay in when they left Olympus. Only priests were allowed inside the temple building.
What did Greek temples symbolize?
Today many religious buildings are places where people gather on regular basis to praise their God and to receive spiritual tranquillity. These ancient Greek sanctuaries were meant to serve as homes for the individual god or goddess who protected the region. ...
Why do Greek temples face east?
For cultic reasons, but also to use the light of the rising sun, virtually all Greek temples were oriented with the main door to the east . Some exceptions existed, e.g. the west-facing temples of Artemis at Ephesos and at Magnesia on the Maeander, or the north–south oriented temples of Arcadia.
What were the Greek temples like?
Greek temples were grand buildings with a fairly simple design . The outside was surrounded by a row of columns. Above the columns was a decorative panel of sculpture called the frieze. ... The most famous temple of Ancient Greece is the Parthenon located on the Acropolis in the city of Athens.
Why are temples so important?
The primary purpose of the temple is to provide the ordinances necessary for our exaltation in the celestial kingdom . Temple blessings are as essential for each of us as was our baptism. Temple ordinances guide us to our Savior and give us the blessings that come to us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Who destroyed Egyptian temples?
And then there’s Tutankhamun’s father, Akhenaten , who ruled from 1353–1336 BC and destroyed monuments to the god Amun in his effort to remake Egyptian religion to revolve around one god, Aten, a solar deity. But when Akhenaten died, the Egyptian people resumed traditional worship.
What were early religious temples called?
The Romans usually referred to a holy place of a pagan religion as fanum ; in some cases this referred to a sacred grove, in others to a temple. Medieval Latin writers also sometimes used the word templum, previously reserved for temples of the ancient Roman religion.
Is there a temple for Poseidon?
The Ancient Greeks knew how to choose a site for a temple. At Cape Sounion, 70km south of Athens , the Temple of Poseidon stands on a craggy spur that plunges 65m to the sea. Built in 444 BC – same year as the Parthenon – of marble from nearby Agrilesa, it is a vision of gleaming white columns.
Who built the Greek temples?
Construction began in the 6th century BC during the rule of the Athenian tyrants , who envisaged building the greatest temple in the ancient world, but it was not completed until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD some 638 years after the project had begun.
What are the main structural components of Greek temples?
The Greek temple may be divided vertically into three parts: floor, columns, and entablature . Each of these parts may be divided into three again.
What are Greek temples called?
The Greeks referred to temples with the term ὁ ναός (ho naós) meaning “dwelling ;” temple derives from the Latin term, templum. The earliest shrines were built to honor divinities and were made from materials such as a wood and mud brick—materials that typically don’t survive very long.
What was inside ancient Greek temples?
The interior of the Greek temple characteristically consisted of a cella , the inner shrine in which stood the cult statue, and sometimes one or two antechambers, in which were stored the treasury with votive offerings.
Who could enter Greek temples?
For example, the picture to the right is probably a small scale copy of the 26 foot high statue of Athena that the Greek sculptor Pheidias placed in the Parthenon. In other words, the Greek temple was, literally, the house of the god. Ordinarily only priests could enter this inner sanctum.
