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While nobody knows what they were called by the people who created them, materials found inside the buildings make clear to archaeologists that the structures were meant to be spiritual centers and serve a ritual function. The figurines and decorated pottery are too grand for every day use, and the division of space is formal. The size is imposing, yet the rooms are impractical for use as a palace or a lodging. Sacrificial altars and animal bones hidden in the niches reinforce the belief that they had a religious purpose. The monumental effort of building such structures shows a powerful dedication -- just like the building and decorating of churches, mosques, temples and shrines today. Although the temples were built to last forever, dwellings of the Temple Period seem to have been much less important. The use of mud brick when there was so much stone available is a curious choice, hinting at a long-standing building tradition that was brought with the settlers from another part of the world. The people engineered vapor barriers and clever ways of dealing with rainfall splashing off the surrounding stone. Little evidence of prehistoric housing can be found today.
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