Greek Temples (
Ancient Greek: , "dwelling", semantically distinct from
Latin ("
temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in
ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them. Temples were frequently used to store
votive offerings. They are the most important and most widespread building type in
Greek architecture. In the
Hellenistic kingdoms of
Southwest Asia and of
North Africa, buildings erected to fulfill the functions of a temple often continued to follow the local traditions. Even where a Greek influence is visible, such structures are not normally considered as Greek temples. This applies, for example, to the
Graeco-Parthian and
Bactrian temples, or to the
Ptolemaic examples, which follow
Egyptian tradition. Most Greek temples were oriented astronomically.