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In ancient Greek and Roman architecture, a peribolos was a court enclosed by a wall, [1] especially one surrounding a sacred area such as a temple, shrine, or altar. This area, however, is not a necessary element to these structures since those built earlier only included markers (e.g. horoi or boundary stones) to indicate imaginary boundaries. [2] Excavations reveal that there are sanctuaries that included a peribolos later in its history, signifying a change in religious mentality. [2] During the Roman times, there were pereboloi used as meeting places to conduct business (e.g. shipping). [3]
Peribolos walls (which may also be referred to as temenos walls) were sometimes composed of stone posts and slabs supported by porous sills.
Famous examples included: