Thought to have been built by a Elymian-Sicilian architect who was influenced by Greek colleagues, this Doric temple at Segesta was constructed between 430 and 420 BC. Scholars believe that it never had a roof put on its 36 limestone columns–perhaps the reason why it is so well-preserved. Very little is understood about for what the structure was used. Some scholars speculate it was built to impress a visiting representative from the Greek metropolis, and once he left, the project was abandoned. No traces of a deity have been found at the site, which had been occupied solely by the ancient, native Elymian people before the Greeks peacefully colonized the area.
