1.3 Religion and the City: Temples

Question 1

What was the main purpose of temples in Greek and Roman cities?

Answer 1

To house the god’s statue and offerings, not for congregation

Question 2

Where were Greek temples typically built?

Answer 2

High ground, like the Acropolis

Question 3

What is the Greek term for a temple?

Answer 3

Naos

Question 4

What surrounded a Greek temple and provided a walkway?

Answer 4

Peristyle (columns around the building)

Question 5

What was the inner chamber of a Greek temple called, where the god’s statue was kept?

Answer 5

Cella

Question 6

What triangular feature sat above the columns on a Greek temple’s front and back?

Answer 6

Pediment

Question 7

What decorative band ran above the columns in a Greek temple?

Answer 7

Frieze

Question 8

What famous Greek temple is a prescribed source for this unit?

Answer 8

Parthenon

Question 9

Where is the Parthenon located?

Answer 9

Acropolis in Athens

Question 10

Who was the Parthenon dedicated to?

Answer 10

Athena Parthenos (Virgin Athena)

Question 11

What material was the Parthenon primarily made of?

Answer 11

Pentelic marble

Question 12

What was stored in the smaller room behind the cella in the Parthenon?

Answer 12

City’s treasury

Question 13

How many columns surround the Parthenon in its peristyle?

Answer 13

46 (8 across, 17 along each side)

Question 14

What type of sculptures decorated the Parthenon’s pediments?

Answer 14

Scenes of Athena’s birth and contest with Poseidon

Question 15

What did the Parthenon’s frieze depict?

Answer 15

Panathenaic Procession

Question 16

Why did Greek temples face east?

Answer 16

To greet the rising sun, linked to divine presence

Question 17

What was the Roman term for a temple?

Answer 17

Templum

Question 18

Where were Roman temples often built in a city?

Answer 18

Forum or high ground (e.g., Capitoline Hill)

Question 19

What feature distinguished Roman temples from Greek ones at the front?

Answer 19

Deep porch with steps leading up

Question 20

What was the Roman equivalent of the Greek cella?

Answer 20

Cella

Question 21

What famous Roman temple is a prescribed source for this unit?

Answer 21

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus

Question 22

Where was the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus located?

Answer 22

Capitoline Hill in Rome

Question 23

Who was the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus dedicated to?

Answer 23

Jupiter (with Juno and Minerva)

Question 24

What material covered the Temple of Jupiter’s roof?

Answer 24

Terracotta tiles

Question 25

What stood atop the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus?

Answer 25

Statue of Jupiter in a chariot

Question 26

How many columns were at the front of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus?

Answer 26

6

Question 27

What was stored in the Temple of Jupiter’s basement?

Answer 27

State treasury

Question 28

Why were Roman temples often raised on a podium?

Answer 28

To emphasize grandeur and authority

Question 29

What did Romans add to temple exteriors that Greeks rarely used?

Answer 29

Engaged columns (half-columns against walls)

Question 30

How did Greek temples reflect community pride?

Answer 30

Showed wealth and devotion through art and size

Question 31

Why were Roman temples tied to the state?

Answer 31

Linked to Rome’s power and divine favor (e.g., Jupiter as protector)

Question 32

What festival was associated with the Parthenon?

Answer 32

Panathenaea

Question 33

What event marked the dedication of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus?

Answer 33

Triumph ceremonies

Question 34

How did Greek and Roman temples differ in access?

Answer 34

Greek: open around, Roman: steps at front only

Question 35

Why were temples central to Greek and Roman religion?

Answer 35

Acted as homes for gods, sites for offerings