Temples and Sanctuaries in the Roman East: Religious Architecture in Syria, Iudaea/Palaestina and Provincia Arabia

Arthur Segal presents an architectural study of eighty-seven temples and sanctuaries in the Roman East, covering Syria, Iudaea/Palaestina and Provincia Arabia from the late first century BCE to the late third century CE. Plans, spatial organisation and architectural forms are analysed comparatively across a region of considerable cultural diversity.

Segal distinguishes Vitruvian and non-Vitruvian plans, with a separate examination of Nabataean temples. Podiums, stairways, columns and the orientation of entrances reveal recurring features beneath striking regional differences. The book also considers urban and extra-urban sanctuaries and provides a corpus of individual buildings; its focus remains the design and use of architectural space rather than an account of religious doctrine.