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.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 12000 BCEConstruction of Gobekli Tepe Temple, oldest temple in the world.
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c. 4500 BCEThe Sumerians built their first temple.
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c. 3500 BCENess of Brodgar in use as religious site in Orkney, Scotland.
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950 BCESolomon builds the first Temple of Jerusalem.
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c. 800 BCEThe site of Delphi first acquires a religious significance.
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c. 700 BCEThe temple of Apollo is built on the island of Delos.
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c. 700 BCESanctuary of Poseidon built at Isthmia.
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650 BCE - 600 BCEHeraion, temple dedicated to Hera built at Olympia.
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c. 650 BCEThe first temple in honour of Apollo is built at Delphi.
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570 BCE - 530 BCEThe Doric Temple of Hera is built at Metapontum, Magna Graecia.
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c. 550 BCEThe temple of Apollo is constructed at Corinth.
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c. 550 BCEThe Temple of Hera I is built at Paestum.
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c. 510 BCEThe Etruscan Portonaccio Temple is constructed at Veii.
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c. 510 BCEThe Temple of Athena is built at Paestum.
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c. 510 BCEThe temple of Hercules is built at Agrigento.
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c. 510 BCEThe second temple to Apollo is constructed at Delphi, replacing the first temple destroyed by fire.
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484 BCEThe 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.
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c. 480 BCEThe huge temple of Zeus is built at Agrigento.
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478 BCETemple of Confucius built at Qufu, China.
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c. 460 BCE - 457 BCETemple of Zeus is built at Olympia with a statue of Apollo dominating the west pediment and containing the cult statue of Zeus by Phidias.
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c. 460 BCEThe temple of Hera II is built at Paestum.
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450 BCE - 430 BCEThe Temple of Concordia is built at Agrigento.
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449 BCEThe Hephaisteion, temple to Athena & Hephaistos, built in Athens.
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447 BCE - 432 BCEThe construction of the Parthenon in Athens by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates under the direction of Phidias.
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c. 444 BCE - 440 BCETemple of Poseidon at Sounion re-built.
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c. 430 BCEThe 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.
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c. 425 BCE - c. 420 BCEThe Temple dedicated to Athena Nike is constructed on the acropolis of Athens.
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421 BCE - 406 BCEThe Erechtheion of Athens acropolis is constructed with six Caryatids in the south porch.
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c. 420 BCE - c. 400 BCEThe Temple of Apollo is built at Bassae.
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c. 417 BCEThe Doric temple of Segesta is built.
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c. 380 BCE - c. 375 BCETemple to Asclepius constructed at Epidaurus.
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342 BCEFire destroys the 6th century BCE temple to Athena at Lindos, Rhodes and is replaced by a new one.
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c. 330 BCETemple of Zeus built at Nemea.
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c. 330 BCEThe third temple to Apollo is constructed at Delphi, replacing the earlier temple damaged by earthquake.
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c. 320 BCETemple dedicated to Aphrodite constructed at Epidaurus.
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c. 301 BCE - c. 320 BCEDoric temple to Athena and fortifications of Lysimachus built at Troy.
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225 BCE - 150 BCEThe Temple of Hercules is built at Ostia.
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c. 1 CE - c. 100 CEConstruction of the temple of Jupiter Baal by the Romans at Baalbek.
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c. 14 CEThe Temple of Rome and Augustus is built at Ostia.
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650 CE - 1025 CEThe Buddhist temple at Borobudur, Java is built during the rule of the Sailendra Dynasty.
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c. 1010 CE - c. 1025 CEThe Brihadishvara Temple is built at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
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c. 1025 CE - 1000 CEThe Kandariya Mahadeo temple, dedicated to Shiva, is built at Khajuraho.
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1122 CEConstruction begins of the Hindu temple at Angkor Wat.
