ople proud of their success and continuity. Egyptian architecture tended to be durable, usually "built of stone to last 'for eternity.'" The great stone temples, both funerary and cultic, almost always represented the eternal (continuity of life after death as well as the embodiment of the gods). The Mesopotamians, however, did not have access to sufficiently durable materials and were forced to build temples with mud-brick. Naturally, they did not hold up very long; temples were constantly being rebuilt or repaired. While much information on Mesopotamian culture is forever lost to us in the rubble of the remains, many ancient Egyptian structures are still standing strong. While these physicalities do not say very much about the cultures or religions of these two civilizations, it certainly is symbolic of the differences in environmental challenges they faced.
             When discussing temples, one of the first things one must consider is the purpose and role of temple itself. In other words, what did the temple mean to the worshipper and what was his
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