Temples, also known as shrines, are considered as places which were intended for worship of a god or other religious personage, object or idea. In general, three types of temples are recognized by archaeologists. The first is completely man-made, like the Temple of Athena at the Parthenon, identified as a temple archaeologically by the lack of domestic artifacts and/or the presence of religious items. Churches of all kinds into this category, including the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and St. Peter's in Rome.
The second kind of temple is one that is completely natural that has religious significance to a culture--for example, the Devil's Tower is a shrine for many Native American tribes. These kinds of shrines are known to the culture, but may have no archaeological evidence apart from votive materials or gifts left by the practitioners.
The third kind of temple is one that combines a natural feature with man-made structures, such as the Temple of the Moon at Huayna Picchu, which was built into a cave, or Minoan peak sanctuaries.
An argument can be made for a fourth kind of shrine: an archaeological site, that is no longer used for its original (perhaps mundane) purpose, but is considered by a group of people of religious significance. Such sites as Chaco Canyon and Çatalhöyük would fit into this category.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com Guide to Archaeology Site Types and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Scarre, Chris. 1996. Religion. Pp. 590-593 in Brian Fagan (ed). 1996. The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
