Why would the early temple have been much like a house?
The early temples were much like houses because they were considered the residences of various gods. Just as ordinary houses were dwellings for people, temples served as the house of a god – such as the Moon God of Ur or Inanna, the Goddess of Love and War.
The earliest known temple was a small shrine made of unbaked bricks, similar in construction to ordinary houses. However, temples had one distinctive feature – their outer walls went in and out at regular intervals, which no ordinary building ever had.
Explanation
The textbook clearly states that early temples resembled houses because they were conceptualised as dwelling places for gods. The key reasoning is that if gods needed residences, their temples would naturally be designed like houses. The context mentions that the earliest temples were small shrines of unbaked bricks, similar to ordinary dwellings. The only architectural difference noted was the distinctive outer wall pattern of temples. This question tests the student's understanding of the religious and architectural concepts behind early temple construction in Mesopotamia.