Top 5: Temples of Ancient Greece

Beginning around 750 BC, Greece began experiencing a dramatic increase in population, growing from 800,000 to more than 10 million in 400 years and beginning an era of Greek expansion and the spreading of Greek religion. Here are five of our favorite temples from that time, in Greece and beyond.

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Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Bassae, Greece

An offbeat favorite, the Temple of Apollo Epicurius is unusual compared to most other temples, aligning north-south and utilizing all three orders of ancient Greek architecture — Doric and Ionic columns on the outside and Corinthian columns supporting the interior.

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Paestum, Italy

Paestum was a major city of Ancient Greece, originally founded as Poseidonia before the Lucanians and then the Romans conquered it. The archeological site contains three well-preserved temples — two dedicated to Hera, the goddess of fertility and one dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom.

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Temple of Zeus, Cyrene, Libya

In 630 BC, a group of settlers from the Greek island of Thera (now known as Santorini) landed in ancient Libya, led by Battus I, the founder of Cyrenaica and the first Greek king in Africa, thereby creating the 200-year Battiad dynasty. The capital city of Cyrene is home to the Temple of Zeus, built sometime in the 5^th century BC.

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Valley of the Temples, Agrigento, Sicily

Located on a ridge in Sicily, the Valle dei Templi contains seven Greek temples in the Doric style. The best preserved is the Temple of Concordia, while the oldest and least preserved is the Temple of Heracles, dating to the 6^th century BC.

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The Erechtheum, Athens, Greece

This Ionic temple is situated on the north side of the Acropolis, built between 421 and 407 BC, possibly dedicated to Erichthonius, the legendary hero of Ancient Greece. The temple is most known for its Caryatids, the six female figures supporting the right-side porch.