This lavishly illustrated volume presents a comprehensive architectural study of 87 individual temples and sanctuaries built in the Roman East between the end of the 1st century BCE and the end of the 3rd century CE, within a broad region encompassing the modern states of Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Religious architecture gave faithful expression to the complexity of the Roman East and to its multiplicity of traditions pertaining to ethnic and religious aspects as well as to the powerful influence of Imperial Rome. The source of this power lay in the uniformity of the architectural language, the inventory of forms, the choice of styles and the spatial layout of the buildings. Thus, while temples have an eclectic character, there is an underlying unity of form comprising the podium, the stairway between the terminating walls (antae) and the columns along the entrance front - in other words, the axiality, frontality and symmetry of the temple as viewed from outside.

The temples and sanctuaries studied in this volume demonstrate individual nuances of plan, spatial design, location in the sanctuary and interrelations with the immediate vicinity but can be divided into two main categories: Vitruvian temples (derived from Hellenistic-Roman architecture) and Non-Vitruvian temples (those with plans and spatial designs that cannot be analysed according to architectural criteria such as those defined by Vitruvius). The individual descriptions presented focus solely upon the analysis of the external and internal space of the temples of all types and do not involve any cultural or ethnic discussion.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• FM
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• PART I
  • Chapter 1: Temples in the Roman East: Typological Analysis
    • Vitruvian Temples
    • Non-Vitruvian Temples
    • Nabataean Temples
  • Chapter 2: Sanctuaries in the Roman East: Typological Analysis
    • Urban Sanctuaries
    • Extra-urban Sanctuaries
• PART II
  • Corpus of Temples and Sanctuaries
    • Kal’at Kalôtá: Two Temples (1, 2)
    • Burdj Bakira (Bourdj Baqirah): Temple of Zeus (3)
    • Srîr: Temple of Zeus (4)
    • Ma’aishurin (Ma’ashurin): Temple (5)
    • Isriyeh (Esriye): Temple (6)
    • Hössn-Soleiman (Baitokaike or Baetocaece): two Sanctuaries with three Temples (7, 8, 9)
    • Palmyra: The Sanctuary and Temple of Allat (10)
    • Palmyra: The Sanctuary and Temple of Nebu (Nabū) (11)
    • Palmyra: The Sanctuary and Temple of Baal Shamin (12)
    • Palmyra: Sanctuary and Temple of Bel (13)
    • Hössn Sfiri (Sfiré), (Hosn es-Sefiri, Hosn Sfiré): Sanctuary with three Temples (14, 15, 16)
    • Bziza (Beziza): Temple (17)
    • Kal’at Fakra (Qal’at Fakra): Sanctuary with two Temples (18, 19)
    • Heliopolis (Baalbek): Sanctuary and Temple of Jupiter Heliopolitanus (20)
    • Heliopolis (Baalbek): Temple of Bacchus (21)
    • Heliopolis (Baalbek): Temple of Venus (22)
    • Niha and Hössn (Hosn) Niha: Two Sanctuaries, each incorporating two Temples (23, 24, 25, 26)
    • Qasr Nimrud (Nimroud): Temple (27)
    • Dmer (Dmeir, Doumeir): Temple for Imperial Cult (28)
    • Damascus: Sanctuary of Jupiter Damascenus (29)
    • Ain Hersha (Ain Hircha, Ain Horché): Sanctuary and Temple (30)
    • Mismiyeh (Masmiye, Musmieh): Sanctuary and Temple (31)
    • Sahr: Sanctuary with a Temple and a Theatre (32)
    • Is Sanamen (Sanamein): Sanctuary and Temple of Tyche (33)
    • Kedesh (Cadasa, Tell Qedesh): Sanctuary and Temple (34)
    • Sur: Sanctuary and Temple (35)
    • Il-Haiyat (Heiyat): The Kalybe Temple (36)
    • Umm Iz-Zetun: The Kalybe Temple (37)
    • Shakka (Shaqqa): The Kalybe Temple (38)
    • Brekeh (Boureike): Temple (39)
    • Philippopolis (Shehba, Shuhba, Shahba): The Hexastyle Temple (40)
    • Philippopolis (Shehba, Shuhba, Shahba): Temple for the Imperial Cult (41)
    • Der Smedj (Deir es-Smeid): Sanctuary without a Temple (42)
    • Slem (Sleim, Selaima, Selaema): Temple (43)
    • Kanawat (Kanata, Kanatha, Qanawat): Temple of Zeus (44)
    • Kanawat (Kanata, Kanatha, Qanawat): Temple of Rabbos (Helios), Peripteral Temple (45)
    • Kanawat (Kanata, Kanatha, Qanawat): Temple C (the Seraya Temple) (46)
    • Atil: Two temples (47, 48)
    • Sî (Seeia, Seia): Sanctuary with three Temples (49, 50, 51)
    • Musheneff: Sanctuary and Temple (52)
    • Suweida (Suweda, Souweida, Suwaīda): The Peripteral Temple (53)
    • Maiyamas (Miyamas): Two Temples (54, 55)
    • Hebran: Sanctuary and Temple (56)
    • Bosra (Bostra): Temple for the Imperial Cult (57)
    • Beth Shean (Scythopolis): Temple on the Tel (58)
    • Beth Shean (Scythopolis): The Central Temple (59)
    • Il-Umta’iyeh: Temple (60)
    • Umm El-Jimal (Umm Idj-Djimal, Oumm el-Djimal): Temple (61)
    • Gerasa (Jerash), Birketein: Sanctuary incorporating a theatre and a pool (62)
    • Gerasa (Jerash): Sanctuary and Temple of Artemis (63)
    • Gerasa (Jerash): The Cathedral Sanctuary (64)
    • Gerasa (Jerash): Sanctuary and Temple C (65)
    • Gerasa (Jerash): Sanctuary and Temple of Zeus (66)
    • Samaria (Sebaste): Sanctuary and Temple of Augustus (67)
    • Samaria (Sebaste): Sanctuary and Temple of Kore (68)
    • Mount Gerizim (er-Ras): Sanctuary and Temple of Zeus (69)
    • Philadelphia (Amman): Sanctuary and Temple of Hercules (70)
    • Philadelphia (Amman): The “Nymphaeum” (71)
    • Jerusalem: Temple Mount Sanctuary (72)
    • Dibon (Dhiban): Nabataean Sanctuary and Temple (73)
    • Qasr Raba (Qasr Rabbah, Qasr er-Rabbah): Nabataean Temple (74)
    • Rabba (er-Rabbah): Temple (75)
    • Qasrawet: Two Nabataean Temples (76, 77)
    • Dhat-Ras: Temple (78)
    • Mahaiy (Mhayy): Nabataean Temple (79)
    • Khirbet et-Tannur: Nabataean Sanctuary (80)
    • Khirbet edh-Dharih (Dherih): Nabataean Sanctuary and Temple (81)
    • Tawaneh (Thuwaneh, Thoana): Nabatean Temple (82)
    • Petra: Temple of the Winged Lion (83)
    • Petra: Qasr el-Bint (Qasr Firaun): Nabataean Sanctuary and Temple (84)
    • Petra: Southern Sanctuary and Temple (The Great Temple Sanctuary) (85)
    • Petra: The Small Temple (The Hexastyle-Prostyle Temple) (86)
    • Er-Ram (Iram): Nabataean Temple (87)
• PART III
  • Selected Terms in Architecture
  • Notes
  • Bibliography