The Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed almost 2,000 years ago, but still remains a cultural memory, and a site that is still powerful and contested. The temple was built and rebuilt, and worshiped by many. The Temple of Jerusalem has become the world most's powerful symbol of the search for a lost ideal.
The First Temple:The first Temple was built in 10th century BC by King Solomon, actually purchased by King David. There are no physical remains of the first temple today, only descriptive, construction details were found in detail in 2 Chronicles 3. If built today the average cost would be $450 million dollars. This first temple was stripped of its wealth by later kings of Judah as they tried to buy off foreign enemies and it was finally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylonia, in the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, last king of Judah, 586 BC.
The Second Temple:
The Second Temple's construction was begun under the law of Cyrus, in 538 BC. The temple began to be known as the Temple of Zerubbabel. The Temple underwent the mayhem of the Maccabean wars. During the wars the temple was damaged by Antiochus Epiphanes. King Herod took great pleasure in rebuilding the temple with great magnificence. After 46 years of re-building the temple was still not finished when it was againdestroyed by the Romans during the Jewish War in 70 AD and completely dismantled. All that now remains is the Western Wall which is a retaining wall of the platform on which the temple was built.
Sources:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14499a.htm
The Temple of Jerusalem by Simon Goldhill
