It is clear that while paintings formed an important decorative element in temples, their composition differed only slightly from the general fashions of domestic wall decorations. The shrines were conceived of as the houses of the gods and consequently were adorned with decorations similar to those of the houses of the worshippers, both on inside and outside of the cult building. Such an observation justifies the conclusion that the cult statue and gifts must have drawn almost all the attention of the worshippers. It therefore appears that the rest of the decoration, even lavish reliefs or architectural ornaments, was subordinate to the image of the god. This is especially true for the grand classical temples of the Greek and Roman world and the sanctuaries in the periphery that followed or imitated the Greco-Roman way. During the Roman period, only cult buildings such as Mithraea built by groups of specific worshippers, display a richer and more meaningful iconographic repertoire.

WALL SYSTEMS

Whether we are in Gerasa in Jordan, Elst in the Netherlands or Pompeii in the old patria f the Romans, most temple decorations follow the dominant fashion of the time. The decorative systems do not differ from those adorning other buildings and are not specific to cult buildings. Many of the same decorative schemes are found in religious, public and private buildings. As a result, the famous four Pompeian Styles are prevalent in all cult buildings between 200 BC and AD 100, whereas before and after this period temples show the same decorative modes as all other categories of edifices.

As far as ancient written sources refer to decorative systems, they seem to stress the importance of decorations as a way of enriching the cult building. They do not mention specific trends and schemes known to people at the time. Sources mention both older and current trends and also note strange types of decoration.

The decorative schemes in naoi and cellae generally enhanced notions of value, for example by suggesting walls composed of large limestone or marble blocks (with or without stucco relief). Furthermore, these schemes followed contemporary trends, for example marble imitations and combinations of stucco and real marble on the interior and exterior of the temples where the floors also often displayed rich mosaics in opus tessellatum ropus sectile.