GREEK TEMPLE CONSTRUCTION

How ancient architects erected some of the world's most famous places of worship

- SCOTT DUTFIELD

Since the 8th century BCE, the ancient Greeks erected elaborate sanctuaries across Greece to worship the deities of Mount Olympus. As symbols of earthly homes for the gods, such as Zeus, Aphrodite and Poseidon, these sacred buildings were places for people to pay their respects and pray. Typically oblong-shaped, these temples were simple four-walled buildings with columns, and have become synonymous with ancient Greece.

To support the weight of the temple roof, these columns were predominantly made from marble, a hardy form of limestone that has metamorphosed under extreme heat and pressure deep underground. This resource, abundant in Greece, became commonplace as both a construction material and a medium for sculpture. However, quarrying and transporting the stone was expensive, labour-intensive and timely. In some cases, such as the construction of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, it took over a century to construct a temple made almost entirely from marble.