Walls in classical architecture?

[1%homeless]

This might be a naive question, but are the structures usually hollow with no walls? I'm talking about the temples and the like with pillars just propping them up. I remember seeing a reconstruction with walls and columns together, and that makes more sense. I'm thinking that most buildings were not hollow. If so, it's hard for me to understand why walls were not an integral part of the structure. I suppose they had enough structural integrity with the columns...

[swiftnicholas]

I'm not an archeologist, but I think most temples had walls. See this plan of the Parthenon, for example, where dark black lines indicate walls, with entrances on the eastern and western sides. I'm not sure how integral the walls were for structural support, but temples (in the classical Greek world, anyway) were, practically speaking, repositories for dedicated items. Worship was not generally practiced inside the temples, but outside in the open air, at altars.

[Lucus Eques]

Right, the walls were for enclosure more than support, as with the Parthenon. Roman designs used load-bearing walls beneath vaults: thicker walls, and smaller windows, but much more open space.