 Following a Hellenistic trend, the Corinthian order and its variant the Composite order were most common in surviving Roman temples, but for small temples like that at Alcántara, a simple Tuscan order could be used.There was considerable local variation in style, as Roman architects often tried to incorporate elements the population expected in its sacred architecture.This was especially the case in Egypt and the Near East, where different traditions of large stone temples were already millennia old.