Temples. Although the primary Egyptian architectural form was the temple, no two Egyptian temples are exactly alike. The long history of building temples in Egypt stretches from the earliest days of Dynasty 0 (circa 3100-3000 B.C.E.) until Roman rule in Egypt nearly four thousand years later. Yet, most temples had common elements.

Function of Temples. Temples were important in the social, economic, and political structure of ancient Egypt. Yet, the primary religious purpose of temples was to delineate a sacred space where humans could contact the powers of the "other" world. These powers included the gods and humans who had become gods by dying and moving to the unseen world. Humans could most easily access these divine powers through statues. The main purpose of the temple, then, was to provide a home for a statue of the god, a deceased king...