The Temple wall is built at a distance of half a mile around the Temple, a location on the Island that is approximately a day and a half's walk from the Barracks. The exterior of the Wall is adorned with hieroglyphs similar to those that appear on the column in the frozen wheel, and other locations throughout the island. Ben indicates that the wall is intended to keep outsiders from seeing the Temple, and later hints that not all of the Others are aware of its existence.
The exterior and underground complex[]
Carrying young injured Ben, Richard Alpert enters the Temple wall. ("Whatever Happened, Happened")
In 1977, Sawyer and Kate brought a young Ben Linus to Richard Alpert and the Others. After taking Ben from them, Richard entered the Temple's wall through a stone door. ("Whatever Happened, Happened")
When Jin time-travelled to 1988, he met Danielle Rousseau and her science expedition team. Jin agreed to take the group to the radio tower on the Island, but the group's journey was interrupted when the Monster attacked them. One of the team members, Montand, was pulled by the Monster into a declivity, or hole in the ground, near a stone wall. The other members of the team, minus Danielle, went into the declivity after Montand. Jin moved through time once more, finding the area to be deserted but otherwise unchanged. Back at the beach, he saw Danielle confronting Robert after she had killed Brennan and Lacombe. She accused him and the others of being "changed" by the Monster. Robert told her it was not a monster, but a security system guarding the Temple. ("This Place Is Death")
Ben and The Man in Black enter the wall's underground complex. ("Dead Is Dead")
In 2007, Ben, "Locke", and Sun came to the Temple wall so that Ben could be "judged" by the Monster. Ben told them that the wall was originally built to hide the Temple from outsiders and that it was located half a mile away on the other side of the wall. Locke told Ben they were not going to enter through the door but were instead going under it through the same hole the French science expedition entered. The declivity in The Temple Wall leads into The Tunnels.[1]
Structural details[]
Jin discovers the wall around the Temple. ("This Place Is Death")
The wall encountered by the science expedition comprised two stone wall sections meeting at a corner under which the Monster dragged Montand. Each of these sections held a false gateway crowned by a multi-story finial. Stylistically it could be associated with the architecture of the Dravidian period, which took place in south India (600-1565 A.D.). The hieroglyphs carved over the wall appear to be rudely carved on the otherwise delicate and intricate decoration.
In the Official Podcast for "This Place Is Death", the producers confirmed that the walls seen in the episode were merely an outer perimeter and that one would need to hike past the walls to reach the actual Temple itself. They also referred to the area where the monster dragged Robert as 'the declivity of the Temple wall'. The declivity of the Temple wall leads to a portion of The Tunnels. [1]
The Temple wall's hieroglyphs.
Robert described the Monster to Danielle as a guardian of the Temple. ("This Place Is Death")
Other details of the construction and function of the wall and the temple it protect remain unknown, but as Rousseau had stated that Montand lost his arm in the Dark Territory, it can be assumed that the outer wall is within this region, where the Monster is known to be highly active.
Trivia[]
- The Truce stipulated that it would be violated if the DHARMA Initiative entered or violated any ruins on the island.
Notable visitors[]
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| Picture | Name | First visit | Last visit | Reason for visit | ||||||
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Montand | "This Place Is Death" | "This Place Is Death" | Dragged there by the Monster, which ripped off his arm and pulled him down into a declivity below the Temple wall. | ||||||
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Jin | "This Place Is Death" | "LA X, Part 2" | While time-travelling, Jin met the science team. When they were travelling through the jungle, the monster attacked them, dragging Montand to the Temple wall. Jin and the other members of the team attempted to rescue Montand, but the monster succeeded in dragging him into a hole in the ground. Jin came later back with Jack, Hurley and Kate to heal Sayid who had been shot. | ||||||
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Danielle | "This Place Is Death" | "This Place Is Death" | Followed the rest of her team to the Temple wall in an attempt to save Montand, but unlike the rest of the team, did not actually enter it. | ||||||
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Brennan | "This Place Is Death" | "This Place Is Death" | Followed the rest of the team to the Temple wall in an attempt to save Montand. | ||||||
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Lacombe | "This Place Is Death" | "This Place Is Death" | Followed the rest of the team to the Temple wall in an attempt to save Montand. | ||||||
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Robert | "This Place Is Death" | "This Place Is Death" | Followed the rest of the team to the Temple wall in an attempt to save Montand. | ||||||
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Richard | "Whatever Happened, Happened" | "Whatever Happened, Happened" | Entered while carrying Ben after agreeing to save him. Later ordered by Ben to lead the Others there. | ||||||
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Ben | "Whatever Happened, Happened" | "Dead Is Dead" | Carried inside by Richard after being given to the Hostiles as a boy. Returned with "John Locke" for judgment. | ||||||
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Sun | "Dead Is Dead" | "Dead Is Dead" | Went with Ben and "John Locke" for Ben's judgment with the Smoke monster. | ||||||
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The Man in Black | "This Place Is Death" | "Dead Is Dead" | In the form of the Monster, attacked and dragged Montand into the tunnels below the wall. Later returned in the form of John Locke to judge Ben.
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Sayid | "LA X, Part 2" | "LA X, Part 2" | Brought to the Temple after being shot by Roger Linus.
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Jack | "LA X, Part 2" | "LA X, Part 2" | Brought Sayid to the Temple along with Hurley, Kate and Jin to heal him.
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Hurley | "LA X, Part 2" | "LA X, Part 2" | Brought Sayid to the Temple along with Jack, Kate and Jin to heal him.
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Kate | "LA X, Part 2" | "LA X, Part 2" | Brought Sayid to the Temple along with Jack, Hurley and Jin to heal him. | ||||||
Unanswered questions[]
| Unanswered questions |
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- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Temple wall/Theories
- Who built the Temple wall, and when?
- Why does it appear to be Cambodian in design and yet have Egyptian hieroglyphics?
- Why do the Others feel it is important to keep outsiders from seeing the Temple?
See also[]