Temple Definition by Joshua J. Mark published on 02 September 2009 Temple of Poseidon, Sounion, Greece Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) A temple (from the Latin 'templum') is a structure usually built for the purpose of, and always dedicated to, religious or spiritual activities including prayer, meditation, sacrifice and worship. The templum was a sacred precinct defined by a priest (or augur) as the dwelling place of a god or gods and the structure built there was created to honor the Deus Loci (spirit) of a certain place. Early temples were constructed on sites which the people felt had a numinous quality to them which indicated the presence of a god, gods, or spirits. Some the earliest examples of these outdoor temples still extant are in Orkney, Scotland at sites such as the Ness of Brodgar. Throughout the United Kingdom, the stone circles and structures from the Neolitic Period are all known to have once been used for religious ceremonies whether on a large scale, such as at Brodgar or more modest sites like the one at Clava Cairns. The Mayan temples are also thought to have begun as modest outdoor sites before the rise of the great pyramid temples such as El Castillo at Chichen-Itza. The word 'temple' dates to around the 6th century BCE in reference to Roman places of worship. Gobekli Tepe Temple The oldest known temple is that at Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey which is 11,500 years old and is decorated with reliefs and pictograms of various plants and animals thought to represent the gods of that place. The temple is an extraordinary building of the Neolithic era with T-shaped pillars and engravings which have yet to be completely understood. The design of the temple, however, with a large room toward the front (possibly for public functions) is recognized in later temples from other cultures. The Gobekli Tepe Temple's stone carvings of plants and animals suggest an animistic focus of the belief structure of those who built the site. Animism is the early religious belief that everything on earth, whether animate or inanimate, possessed a soul or intelligence which needed to be recognized and respected. This belief was shared by the Native Americans of North America, the Maya, in the Chinese belief system of Taoism and the Japanese religion of Shintoism among others. The Egyptians, to name another example, held that all of life was sacred. Temple of Hatshepsut, Aerial View N/A (CC BY) Temples in Ancient Egypt In the religious customs of ancient Egypt the temple was considered 'the horizon' of a divine being, the point at which the god came into existence at creation, and thus every sacred site had a link to the very distant past and honored the specific god whose temple it was. The temple also was a mirror of the universe and a representation of the ben-ben, the sacred mound which rose out of chaos by the will of Amon at the beginning of time. As in ancient Mesopotamia, the temple in Egypt was considered the literal home of the god to whom it was dedicated. Hathor's temple at Dendera, then, was considered her actual house and the priests and priestesses of Hathor cared for the goddess as they would a living person of flesh and blood. Every Egyptian temple followed the same basic design (thought to have been decreed by the gods themselves) of a forecourt and reception area for public gatherings with colonnades and inclines rising higher and higher to smaller and even smaller rooms until one reached the room of the Holy of Holies where the god was thought to reside when visiting earth. Only the high priest of the god of the temple could enter the Holy of Holies and commune with the deity there. Mesopotamian Temples Ancient Mesopotamian temples fulfilled many roles. Not only were they the house of the local deity or the patron god of the city, they were also the administrative centers of the first cities in Sumer. The city of Eridu was considered the first city in the world by the Sumerians, created by the gods after their victory of order over the forces of chaos. The origin of the decrees of civilization (the sacred meh) were thought to come from the temple there where the god of wisdom, Enki, lived. The goddess Inanna stole the meh from Enki after a drunken party and brought them to Uruk, considered by scholars the first city in the world and once one of the largest and most prosperous. The story of Inanna bringing the meh from Eridu to Uruk is thought to symbolize the transference of power from the one city to the other and, specifically, from one temple, one sacred spot, to another. Uruk was initially ruled by a priest-king, and it is believed that many early Mesopotamian cities followed the same model, where the temple was the seat of both religious and secular authority. Even after the rise of secular kings, however, the temple was the central structure of every city throughout Mesopotamia serving as a seat of kingship, of administration, and organizing the distribution of food among the people. The Temple in Judaism In Judaism, the original ancient Hebrew language refers not to a 'temple' but to a "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall". Each of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem were called Beit Hamikdash, which translates literally as "the Holy House" and, in this, the Hebrews either copied or independently arrived at the same conception of a temple that the ancient Egyptians had: that the temple was the house of the god. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the site where the First Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple were built. and at the center of the temple was the Holy of Holies, where, as in Egypt, only the high priest could enter. The Greek word synagogue came to describe Jewish places of worship during the Babylonian Captivity and meant 'to gather together'. The original Hebrew words Bet Knesset ("House of Meeting") and synagogue designate Jewish temples today. Temple of Hera, Selinus Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) Ancient Greek Temples Most Greek religious buildings in the modern day are referred to as "temples," but the Greek pagans (known only as 'pagans' after the rise of Christianity) would have called a holy place a temenos, or sacred precinct. The sacredness of the place had entirely to do with the spirit of the god who resided there, not with whatever building was later constructed on the spot, as in the case of the Temple of Demeter at Eleusis, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus or the famous Parthenon of Athens which housed the statue of Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin, patron goddess of the city). The building which housed the statue, then, was sacred owing to the original presence there of, or some great deed done by, the god of that place. The Temple of Aphaia, on the island of Aegina, is only one example of the temple as home of the deity of the place. The goddess Aphaia was thought to live in the temple to personally care for the people of the island. Temples in China & India In China, early temples honored Xi'an (heaven) which represented both creation and divine order. Xi'an was the equivalent of the concept of an all-powerful deity but also heaven and the glorious home of the ancestors. Not every temple in China honored a deity, however. The Confucian Temple in the city of Qufu honors the philosopher Confucius. Built in his hometown in 478 BCE, the temple is thought to channel peace and tranquility but makes no claim to house a deity. This is also true of Shinto temples in Japan which are always constructed in accordance with the spirits of the area and their wishes but not dedicated to, nor home of, any one particular god. The Shinto temples and shrines share a common feature with those in India where the altars are usually adorned with pictures or statues of the god or gods honored there. The significant difference is that Shinto temples honor the spirits of the place while Hindu temples revere gods, though the gods worshipped and honored are in some way associated with the area of the temple. The interior of temples throughout India, with few exceptions, follows the basic form and structure of the temple at Gobekli Tepe which, as noted earlier, has served as the underlying paradigm for temples around the world no matter what form their facade takes. The Pantheon, Rome B. Fletcher (Public Domain) Roman Temples In ancient Rome the rituals that located and sited the temple were performed by a high priest, an augur, who, through the observation of the flight of birds or other natural phenomena, understood the loci of the god. Roman temples usually faced east or toward the rising sun, though a notable exception is the great Pantheon which faces north (only preserved after the rise of Christianity because it was made into a church instead of being destroyed and built over, which was the fate of most 'pagan' temples). In ancient Rome, only the deities of the Roman pantheon had a templum; any building honoring a foreign deity was called a fanum. Visitors to Rome were welcome to worship at the fanum of their native gods but were required to worship the gods of Rome in the temples. After the rise of Christianity the word 'temple', with its pagan connotations, was rejected by most Christian congregations in favor of designations such as 'church' or 'cathedral', though the word is still used by the Eastern Orthodox Church to refer to their places of worship. Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. Timeline c. 12000 BCE Construction of Gobekli Tepe Temple, oldest temple in the world. c. 4500 BCE The Sumerians built their first temple. c. 3500 BCE Ness of Brodgar in use as religious site in Orkney, Scotland. 950 BCE Solomon builds the first Temple of Jerusalem. c. 800 BCE The site of Delphi first acquires a religious significance. c. 700 BCE The temple of Apollo is built on the island of Delos. c. 700 BCE Sanctuary of Poseidon built at Isthmia. c. 650 BCE The first temple in honour of Apollo is built at Delphi. 650 BCE - 600 BCE Heraion, temple dedicated to Hera built at Olympia. 570 BCE - 530 BCE The Doric Temple of Hera is built at Metapontum, Magna Graecia. c. 550 BCE The temple of Apollo is constructed at Corinth. c. 550 BCE The Temple of Hera I is built at Paestum. c. 510 BCE The Etruscan Portonaccio Temple is constructed at Veii. c. 510 BCE The Temple of Athena is built at Paestum. c. 510 BCE The temple of Hercules is built at Agrigento. c. 510 BCE The second temple to Apollo is constructed at Delphi, replacing the first temple destroyed by fire. 484 BCE The first temple of the Dioscuri (Castor & Pollux) is dedicated in Rome's Forum Romanum by Aulus Postumius following his victory over the Latins at the Battle of Lake Regillus. c. 480 BCE The huge temple of Zeus is built at Agrigento. 478 BCE Temple of Confucius built at Qufu, China. c. 460 BCE The temple of Hera II is built at Paestum. c. 460 BCE - 457 BCE Temple of Zeus is built at Olympia with a statue of Apollo dominating the west pediment and containing the cult statue of Zeus by Phidias. 450 BCE - 430 BCE The Temple of Concordia is built at Agrigento. 449 BCE The Hephaisteion, temple to Athena & Hephaistos, built in Athens. 447 BCE - 432 BCE The construction of the Parthenon in Athens by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates under the direction of Phidias. c. 444 BCE - 440 BCE Temple of Poseidon at Sounion re-built. c. 430 BCE The cult statue of Zeus by Phidias is dedicated in the Temple of Zeus, Olympia. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. c. 425 BCE - c. 420 BCE The Temple dedicated to Athena Nike is constructed on the acropolis of Athens. 421 BCE - 406 BCE The Erechtheion of Athens acropolis is constructed with six Caryatids in the south porch. c. 420 BCE - c. 400 BCE The Temple of Apollo is built at Bassae. c. 417 BCE The Doric temple of Segesta is built. c. 380 BCE - c. 375 BCE Temple to Asclepius constructed at Epidaurus. 342 BCE Fire destroys the 6th century BCE temple to Athena at Lindos, Rhodes and is replaced by a new one. c. 330 BCE Temple of Zeus built at Nemea. c. 330 BCE The third temple to Apollo is constructed at Delphi, replacing the earlier temple damaged by earthquake. c. 320 BCE Temple dedicated to Aphrodite constructed at Epidaurus. c. 301 BCE - c. 320 BCE Doric temple to Athena and fortifications of Lysimachus built at Troy. 225 BCE - 150 BCE The Temple of Hercules is built at Ostia. c. 1 CE - c. 100 CE Construction of the temple of Jupiter Baal by the Romans at Baalbek. c. 14 CE The Temple of Rome and Augustus is built at Ostia. 650 CE - 1025 CE The Buddhist temple at Borobudur, Java is built during the rule of the Sailendra Dynasty. c. 1010 CE - c. 1025 CE The Brihadishvara Temple is built at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. c. 1025 CE - 1000 CE The Kandariya Mahadeo temple, dedicated to Shiva, is built at Khajuraho. 1122 CE Construction begins of the Hindu temple at Angkor Wat. Bibliography Bunson, M. Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Gramercy, 1999. Durant, W. Our Oriental Heritage. Simon & Schuster, 1954. Durant, W. The Life of Greece. Simon & Schuster, 1954. Edwardes, M. Indian Temples and Palaces. Littlehampton Book Services Ltd, 1969. Hamilton, E. The Greek Way. W. W. Norton & Company, 1993. Kramer, S. N. The Sumerians. University of Chicago Press, 1971. Leick, G. Mesopotamia: The Rise of Cities. Penguin Books, 2003. Leick, G. The A to Z of Mesopotamia. Scarecrow Press, 2010. Nardo, D. Exploring Cultural History - Living in Ancient Egypt. Thomson, 2008. Nardo, D. Living in Ancient Rome. Chelsea House Publications, 2008. Wolkstein, D. and Kramer, S.N. Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Harper Perennial, 1983. About the Author Joshua J. Mark A freelance writer and former part-time Professor of Philosophy at Marist College, New York, Joshua J. Mark has lived in Greece and Germany and traveled through Egypt. He has taught history, writing, literature, and philosophy at the college level. Recommended Books Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns... Written by Grandin PhD, Temple, published by Riverhead Books (2022) $28.00 The Temple Mountain Cafe Written by Miller, Chinle, published by Yellow Cat Publishing (2021) $16.99 Temples By Design Journal Written by Palen, Jennifer & Hamlett, Regina & Willsea, Elizabeth, published by Independently published (2022) $10.00 I'm Still Not Done: It’s Time to Talk About Ageism in the Workplace Written by Rocks, Patti Temple, published by Lioncrest Publishing (2022) $16.99 The Power of Mother Written by Temples, Nancy & Temples, Samantha, published by Nancy Temples (2011) $12.00   Cite This Work APA Style Mark, J. J. (2009, September 02). Temple. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/ Chicago Style Mark, Joshua J.. "Temple." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified September 02, 2009. https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/. MLA Style Mark, Joshua J.. "Temple." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 02 Sep 2009. Web. 29 Sep 2022.