As the product of an education that was relentlessly and resignedly classical, I cannot speak with authority on other ancient civilizations. But I can point out the factors that encouraged the Greeks to devote such substantial resources to public building, and suggest that at least some of these factors obtained elsewhere.

By later (i.e., Roman) standards, Classical Greek cities actually were not notable for their monuments. In most poleis, the only monumental structures were temples. Every other building in town, even public buildings and the houses of the wealthiest citizens, tended to be relatively simple and constructed of perishable materials. It was the Hellenistic habit of euergetism (elite benefaction) and the prosperity of the Roman peace that endowed most Greek cities with the monuments whose ruins we see today.

But how was it that Greek cities with small and poor populations managed to build even temples? The relatively small Temple of Asclepius at Epidauros (fourth century BCE) cost 24 talents (about 1,350 pounds of silver); the Parthenon probably cost about 400 talents. And why would they spend so much?

Without surpluses of resources and labor, monumental architecture is impossible. But you don't need huge surpluses - just enough to keep the project going year after year. Quite often, especially in the case of the largest Greek temples, building dragged on for centuries. The great Temple of Hera at Samos, for example, was begun around 530 BCE, and was still under construction when an earthquake destroyed it in 262 CE. Most temples were finished more promptly - the Parthenon, for example, only took about fifteen years - and in these cases, construction may have been a substantial drain on public (and private) finances. But it went ahead, for the same basic reasons that medieval European cities built cathedrals: temples were pleasing to the gods, and impressive symbols of civic strength and prosperity.

That last point brings us to the most basic fact of monumental building in the Greek world. With a few exceptions (notably, the great Panhellenic sanctuaries), the great temples of Classical Greece were constructed by cities. It was the polis, with its fierce independence and intense cultivation of citizen resources, that made temples both possible and necessary.

The basic preconditions of population and prosperity, in short, mattered, but they could be overcome - at least partly and temporarily - by the advantages of a cohesive political structure and strong communal incentive. In this respect, Greek temples can be compared with other imposing monuments created by small premodern populations - Stonehenge, say, or the Moai of Easter Island, or any of a hundred other examples ordered by kings, inspired by religious feelings, or emblematic of social cohesion. Such achievement may not have been common, but it was always possible.

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For a very readable introduction to Greek Temples, check out Tony Spawforth's The Complete Greek Temples. J. J. Coulton's Greek Architects at Work is excellent on the practicalities.