The Origins of Greek Temples

The earliest known Doric temple is that of Apollo at Corinth, built by Periander around 600 BC. The style caught on in similar temples soon were constructed to Artemis at Sparta, Hera at both Argos and Olympia,. And Athena at Smyrna in Ionia. By the mid-7th century BC, Greek temples were being constructed with the Doric order of design. Some parallels to Egyptian architecture are present, but it's doubtful that the Doric design had Egyptian origins.