er, was often abused, and it became necessary in Greece
and Rome to restrain it.[1988]

+1086+. As a factor in the development of art the temple has been
important. It has called forth the best architectural skill of man, and
the statues that often adorned sacred buildings have stimulated
sculpture. It does not appear that symbolism entered into the idea of
ancient temples.[1989] The Babylonian and Assyrian zikkurat (or
ziggurat) was a staged structure (resembling in this regard the Egyptian
pyramid), supposed by many scholars to be an imitation of the mountains
whence the predecessors of the Semites in Babylonia came, and on which
they worshiped;[1990] if this be so, there is no attempt at pointing
upward to the abode of the gods. Nor is there any trace elsewhere in the
ancient world of a symbolic significance attached to temples beyond the
distinction of place, referred to above, between the sacred and the
profane and between different degrees of sacredness. The form of temples
appears to have been determined by imitation of early nonreligious usage
or by considerations of convenience;[1991] the ziggurat may have been
suggested by a high place, the adytum by a cave, but most temples were
probably copies of ordinary human dwellings or civic buildings (as in
late Latin, basilica is used in the sense of 'cathedral').

As abodes of priests temples were the centers of all priestly activities
in the development of ritual and literature. Being strong and well
guarded they were often used by kings as treasure-houses; but they were
stripped of their wealth by native kings in times of need, and were
freely plundered by conquerors.

+1087+. _Forms of worship._ The ancient forms of divine worship, as is
remarked above,[1992] follow in a general way the modes of approaching
human potentates. Ceremonies of worship reached a high degree of
elaboration in the great religions, Egyptian, Babylonian-Assyrian,
Hebrew, Hindu, Greek, Roman.[1993] The central fact was the presentation
of the offering, and with this came to be connected prayers and hymns,
ceremonies of purification, vows, imprecations, exorcisms, oracles; the
festivals also were religious functions. Prayer is spoken of
below.[1994] Hymns sometimes consisted of or contained petitions, more
generally were laudations of the power and benefactions of a deity. For
poetical charm the first place is to be assigned to the Egyptian,
Hebrew, and Hindu hymns. The religious ideas expr