From a priceless remnant of Ancient Greece to a forgotten place of worship and a terrifying
deity, here are 8 most captivating temple treasures.
Number 8 Parthenon Construction for the Athenian Parthenon began
in 447 BC, almost a century before the reign of Alexander the Great.
Greek city states had formed an alliance, known as the Delian League, to stand against
the staggering military force of the Persian Empire.
During the first stages of the Persian invasion, the Spartan King Leonidas led a force of roughly
7,000 men and held a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae.
They were eventually overcome in what would be a historic last stand.
Around this time, in 480 BC, the Persians destroyed the city of Athens and a temple
known as the Pre-Parthenon.
The tables turned, about a year later, when the Greeks decisively repelled their invaders
during the Battle of Plataea.
The Parthenon was built, where the old temple stood, as a way of giving thanks to the gods
for the victory.
It was finished around 438 BC and dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare,
who was regarded by the people of Athens as their patron.
It’s the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, echoing a time when the
Athenian Empire was at its peak.
It’s regarded by many as an enduring symbol of democracy and Western civilization as well
as the epitome of Classical Greek art and architecture.
Number 7 Pantheon Not to be confused with the Greek Parthenon,
the Roman Pantheon is one of the best-preserved buildings of Ancient Rome.
Much of the former temple’s excellent preservation is attributed to the fact that it was continuously
used, throughout history.
It’s one of the world’s most remarkable architectural treasures and a structure that
connects modern, medieval and ancient times.
The most striking feature is its massive concrete dome, which weighs close to 5,000 tons.
Amazingly, despite its tremendous size, the Pantheon was built without the use of reinforced
concrete.
Its support is given by huge columns, the dome’s progressively thinner structure towards
the top and the walls, which are thicker than 20 feet.
The entrance and a central oculus, at the top of the dome, offer the structure’s only
forms of natural light.
Incredibly, the diameter of the interior circle and the height to the oculus are the same.
This means that the giant sphere, with a 142-foot diameter would fit perfectly inside.
In the early 7th century the Pantheon was converted to a Christian Church, thus ending
its dedication to the Roman gods.
It has been used in this capacity through the Renaissance period, when it was decorated
with beautiful artwork, up until present times.
Before we move on with our list, answer this question.
Who was the reigning emperor when the Pantheon was completed?
Was it a.
Augustus b.
Domitian c.
Trajan d.
Hadrian Let us know what you think in the comments
section below and stay tuned to find out the right answer.
Number 6 Temple inside Pyramid The devastating earthquake that struck central
Mexico, in the fall of 2017, unveiled a remarkable discovery inside the remains of the great
pyramid of Teopanzolco.
Because the tremors had rearranged the pyramid’s core structure, an ancient shrine was revealed.
It was buried 7 feet below one of the pyramid’s twin temples, dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc.
The new found structure was similar in architectural style to that of the existing temple but it
preceded it by several years.
This suggested that later populations had built over the older structures.
Like its successor, it too was most likely dedicated to the rain god, somewhere around
1150 to 1200 AD.
After the Aztecs conquered the region, they also took over construction of the pyramid
from the Tlahuica civilization.
Number 5 Ophel Treasure In 2013, at the foot of Jerusalem’s Temple
Mound, archaeologist Eliat Mazar discovered a large gold medallion and a collection of
gold coins dating back 1400 years.
This would place the cache during the Persian conquest of Jerusalem, in the 7th century
AD, when it was probably abandoned in a rush.
There are Jewish engravings on the medallion, depicting a Torah, a branched menorah and
an ancient musical horn called a shofar.
The Israeli Prime Minister called it a “magnificent discovery” attesting to ancient Jewish presence
in Jerusalem.
Number 4 Angkor Wat Cambodia’s Angkor Wat is, by far, the largest
religious monument in the world.
The temple complex covers a surface of roughly 400 acres and the building at its core is
regarded as the highest point of Khmer architecture.
One of the temple’s most striking features is the towers, rising from a five-point pattern
at its center.
These towers symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru, the dwelling place of the gods.
The temple’s walls feature bas-relief sculptures, depicting Hindu gods and life in ancient Khmer.
The entire complex is surrounded by an enormous moat and access to the site is provided by
a bridge that’s over 600 feet long.
The surrounding water is believed to be symbolic of the oceans at the end of the world.
Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century by Suryavarman II, a king of the Khmer Empire,
and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.
However, by the end of the century, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple.
Today it stands as one of the most important pilgrimage shrines in Southeast Asia.
Number 3 Gobekli Tepe Gobekli Tepe, in southeast Turkey, is believed
to represent the remains of a Pre-Pottery Neolithic temple.
It’s a mound dating back to the 10th - 8th millennium BC and features the world’s oldest
known megaliths.
Massive T-shaped stone pillars are found at the site, each standing about 20 feet tall
and weighing over 10 tons.
These pillars are fitted into sockets carved out of bedrock and placed in a circular position.
Many of the pillars are decorated with carved animal reliefs and abstract, enigmatic pictograms,
probably representative of deities.
The archaeological evidence suggests that the site was used, for many centuries, as
a place of worship and not a permanent settlement.
It may have functioned as a spiritual center since the very end of the Pleistocene era,
about 11,000 BC, up until its abandonment in the 8th millennium BC.
As one Stanford University researcher put it “Gobekli Tepe changes everything”.
That’s because it might stand as proof that hunter-gatherer societies were capable of
organizing themselves to build megalithic structures, re-shaping humanity’s previous
understanding of them.
The construction of Gobelki Tepe might have also contributed to the development of urban
civilization, since the builders required food and shelter as they worked.
In the words of one archaeologist “First came the temple, then came the city.”
So, who was the ruling emperor during the completion of the Pantheon?
If you chose d, Hadrian, then you’re right.
The original temple was, indeed, commissioned during the reign of Augustus, Rome’s first
emperor.
Then, the building was consumed by two fires, in 80 AD and 110, and subsequently rebuilt.
However, its final, domed form was completed by Emperor Hadrian, who worked with celebrated
architect, sculptor and engineer Apollodorus of Damascus.
Unfortunately, the emperor and Apollodorus eventually had a falling out that culminated
with the latter’s execution.
Number 2 Padmanabhaswamy Temple Treasure The treasure discovered in the vaults of India’s
Padmanabhaswamy Temple is unrivalled by any other in the recorded history of the world.
It was accumulated and stored at the temple, over several thousands of years, by the various
ruling Dynasties.
Some of the vaults hadn’t been opened in a long time, in keeping with tradition and
ownership by the royal family.
Then the order came from India’s Supreme Court, in June 2011.
Five of the temple’s vaults were opened.
The sixth, which is the largest, as well as two additional subterranean vaults that were
discovered since, have remained sealed.
Those that were opened revealed a truly unbelievable collection.
There were countless items made out of pure gold, including a sheaf weighing 1,100 pounds
and thousands of chains encrusted with jewels.
Among the items, there was also a 4-foot high, 3-foot wide solid pure-golden idol of Mahavishnu,
decorated with diamonds and other precious stones.
There was also a solid, pure-golden throne, studded with gemstones, which was meant for
an 18-foot idol.
Countless coins were found, from 200 BC, from the Roman Empire but also from the Napoleonic-era.
Amazingly, this is only a small part of the treasure.
While there’s still a mystery as to what lies behind the doors of the other vaults,
it’s quite possible for the entire treasure to be worth well over a trillion dollars,
especially when considering its antique and cultural value.
Number 1 Temple of the Flayed Lord In 2018, in Mexico’s Puebla state, archaeologists
discovered what’s believed to be the first known surviving temple dedicated to the Xipe
Totec, also referred to as the Flayed Lord.
Two massive skull-like stone carvings were found as well as a stone trunk, with an extra
hand dangling from one arm.
This was a clear indication that this was, indeed, Xipe Totec.
A god of renewal, rebirth and regeneration, the “Flayed Lord” wore the skins of sacrificed
men and the skin of their hands dangled from his wrists.
The archaeologists also discovered two altars, which would have been used for rituals connected
to the deity.
Sacrificial victims, either slaves or war prisoners, were killed and then skinned.
In honor the Xipe Totec, priests would wear their skins for several days.
They would eventually rot and fall off, thus symbolizing the cycle of renewal in nature.
Although the Xipe Totec’s origins are uncertain, he was known and worshipped throughout Mesoamerica
prior to the Spanish Conquest.
The temple was most likely built by the native Popoloca peoples, between 1000 and 1260 AD,
before the Aztecs invaded the region.
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