Initially, the worship of Zeus in Dodona took place out in the open. A plain temple was built in the early 4th century BCE. In 219 BCE the Aetolians, a pastoral tribe in the west of central Greece, invaded Epirus in a marauding expedition and sacked Dodona. They burned down most of the buildings and stole the votive gifts. Only the temple and the sacred oak survived. The following year the Epirotes and the Macedonians invaded the land of the Aetolians and destroyed Thermo, their national shrine. The booty in money and gold was considerable, allowing the Epirotes to rebuild Dodona. The new temple was larger, with a propylon with Ionian columns and a colonnade around the sacred oak.