The word temple usually it means the edifice consacrated to the cult of the divinity, conceived as permanent or temporary home of the same divinity.

The sacred edifice is not a phenomenon existing in all religions, it appears only in determined types of civilization. The term temple, derived from a root which means the act of cutting, that is to delimit the place to consacrate to a cult. Templum was also the space that the augur, from time to time, circumscribed in the sky to observe the presages.
In the historical roman period, with the name templum, were designated the "inaugural" edifices, while those not constitued by augural act were called : "aedes sacrae", i.e. sacred temple.

At Rome, in the 2nd century, under the hellenistic influence, temples in stone were constructed. At about the end of the 1st century a.c. the use of marble was introduced and then in the 1st century d.c. bricks also, this allowed the creation of new plans and grand dimensions.