Temple

The temples of the ancient world were human attempts to make manifest the majesty of the gods. Early Greek temples were more humble than their later, more famous iterations; creations of mud, brick and marble, with wooden construction throughout. In the 6th century BC, stone architecture overtook the Greek world and gave rise to the now-legendary 'Ionic' temples, many of which survive to this day. The Temple of Isthmia is considered one of the first examples of this style. Dedicated to Poseidon, it contains the archetypical sturdy Ionic colonnades, columns and arched roof. Many temples also housed gigantic statues of their patron gods; the statue of Zeus at Olympia reportedly towered at an awe-inspiring 42 feet high, reminding all who saw it of their insignificance before the gods.