History
The Temple was the earthly home or point of communication with a particular god or goddess. Priests or priestesses on duty in the temple acted as the servants of the resident god or goddess and managed contact to and from the people, plus instruction, rituals, petitions, and answers to questions. The most common form of petition was the prayer. Others included the provision of gifts that supported the Temple and its servants and the sacrifice of animals or humans. The general belief of the time was that the more elaborate a Temple, the taller it was, and the more grand, the more disposed the god or goddess would be to provide good weather, rainfall, and crop yields, while keeping away pests, disease, and human invaders. |