Roman Temples
Roman temples were built in many places. You could find them in the city, the countryside, and commercial centers. Roman temples were relatively simple buildings. They were typically upon platforms that raised them up and had a set of stairs that lead up to the entrance. Typical Roman temples had many columns, and had a porch like space at the from of the building. Many temples gave the illusion of being surrounded by columns but they were not. They had what was called engaged columns which are columns that were set into the walls of the temples. Early imperial temples were much more lavishly decadent than those that were built during the Roman Republic. An example of this can be seen above with the comparision of the Temple of Portunus and the Maison Carrée. It has been said that the Maison Carrée can be related to symbolize the Roman architecture as a whole. It is elegantly detailed in sculpture, proportionate, advanced, and yet also conservative at the same.