The most important remains from the Archaic period are the temples, the design of which changed radically after the prevalence of ashlar masonry. Their most characteristic element is the columns that were used either in front of the main building (prostyle), or around (peristyle). It is certain that many temples of the Geometric period, already had a wooden peristyle, but only in the Archaic temples did the use of the column have such an extent and importance, that it is considered till today an inseparable element of Greek architecture.

The design of earlier temples had over-emphasized the lengthwise axis, trying to impress the worshippers with their impressively long narrow interior space. The length and the width of some temples are calculated as multiples of different types of the Hellenic foot (Doric, Ionic, Samian). The length of many temples corresponds to a hundred feet, and are called hecatompeda. However, from the beginning of the 7th century B.C. the rectangular plan was adopted which had a more harmonious analogy of length to width. In the simpler form of the archaic temple the side walls advance a little further from the wall of the facade, thus creating an open but roofed area in front of the entrance. These sections of the side walls are called antae, and when columns are placed between them (usually 2), the type of the temple is called distyle in antis.
Later the number of columns at the facade was increased thus creating a colonnade, which was placed in front of the antae, whereas sometimes a similar colonnade was placed at the back of the temple. This is the prostyle and the amphiprostyle type of temple, respectively. When the whole building is surrounded by a colonnade, we call this type the peripteral temple. Sometimes, in particular, the colonnade is double and then the temple is called dipteral. When the double row of columns appear only its narrow sides, the temple belongs to the type called the pseudodipteral.

The initial uniform building was gradually divided into more parts: the pronaos, the naos or cella and the opisthodomos. In certain cases, between the cella and the opisthodomos there is one more area, the adytum. The roofed area between the peristyle and the walls of the temple is called pteroma. In earlier examples the temple was directly built on the earth. However, shortly afterwards they adopted the foundation of the temple with vertical slabs, called stereobate, and the levelling of the area with a horizontal layer of stones, the euthynteria. On the euthynteria the crepis was built, which was usually made up of three steps. On the upper level, which was called stylobate, the columns were based.