Classical architecture refers to the style and design of buildings 44 B.C. to A.D. 476 — Roman.

The Romans borrowed

in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Classical architecture heavily from the earlier Greek and Hellenistic styles, but their
shaped our approach to building in Western colonies around buildings were more highly ornamented. They used Corinthian
the world. and composite style columns along with decorative brackets.
The invention of concrete allowed the Romans to build arches,
From the rise of ancient Greece until the fall of the Roman vaults, and domes. Famous examples of Roman architecture
empire, great buildings were constructed according to precise include the Roman Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome.
rules. The Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius, who lived during
first century B.C., believed that builders should use Much of this ancient architecture is in ruins or partially rebuilt.
mathematical principles when constructing temples. "For Virtual reality programs like Romereborn.org attempt to
without symmetry and proportion no temple can have a regular digitally recreate the environment of this important civilization.
plan," Vitruvius wrote in his famous treatise De Architectura,
or Ten Books on Architecture. Classical Greek architecture is highly formalized in structure
and decoration, and is best known for its temples, many of
In his writings, Vitruvius introduced the Classical orders, which are found throughout the region as substantially intact
which defined column stylesand entablature designs used in ruins. Each classical Greek temple appears to have been
Classical architecture. The earliest Classical orders conceived as a sculptural entity within the landscape, and is
were Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. usually raised on higher ground so that its proportions and the
effects of light on its surface can be viewed from multiple
Although we combine this architectural era and call it angles. Open-air theaters are also an important type of building
"Classical," historians have described these three Classical that survives throughout the Hellenic world, with the earliest
periods: dating from approximately 525-480 BCE.

700 to 323 B.C. — Greek. The Doric column was first Greek architectural style can be divided into three separate
developed in Greece and it was used for great temples, orders: the Doric Order, the Ionic Order, and the Corinthian
including the famous Parthenon in Athens. Simple Ionic Order. These styles have had a profound impact on Western
columns were used for smaller temples and building interiors. architecture of later periods. In particular, the architecture of
ancient Rome grew out of Greek architecture. Revivals of
323 to 146 B.C. — Hellenistic. When Greece was at the height Classicism have also brought about renewed interest in the
of its power in Europe and Asia, the empire built elaborate architectural styles of ancient Greece. While the three orders of
temples and secular buildings with Ionic and Corinthian Greek architecture are most easily recognizable by their
columns. The Hellenistic period ended with conquests by the capitals, the orders also governed the form, proportions, details,
Roman Empire. and relationships of the columns, entablature, pediment, and
stylobate. Orders were applied to the whole range of buildings Here's a brief overview of what the orders are and how they
and monuments. came to be written down.

_________________ The Greek Orders of Architecture

Five Classical orders, three Greek and two Roman, comprise When studying an era-by-era timeline of ancient Greece, the
the types of columns we use even in today's architecture. height of Greek civilization was known as Classical Greece,
from about 500 B.C. The inventive ancient Greeks developed
In Western-based architecture, anything called "classical" three architecture orders using three distinct column styles. The
means it's from the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. earliest known stone column is from the Doric order, named for
A Classical order of architecture is the approach to building architecture first seen in the Dorian area of western Greece.
design established in Greece and Rome during what we now Not to be outdone, the builders in the eastern Greece area of
call the Classical period of architecture, from roughly 500 B.C. Ionia developed their own column style, which is known as
to 500 A.D. Greece became a province of Rome in 146 B.C. the Ionic order. Classical orders are not unique to each area, but
which is why these two Western civilizations are grouped they were named for the part of Greece where they were first
together as Classical. observed. The most ornate Grecian order, the latest developed
and perhaps the most well-known by today's observer is
During this time period, temples and important public buildings the Corinthian order, first seen in the central area of Greece
were constructed according to five distinct orders, each using a called Corinth.
defined pedestal, type of column (base, shaft, and capital), and
a different style entablature above the column. The Classical The Roman Orders of Architecture
orders grew in popularity during the Renaissance era when
architects such as Giacomo barozzi of Vignola wrote about The Classical architecture of ancient Greece influenced the
them and used the design. building designs of the Roman Empire. The Greek orders of
architecture were continued in Italian architecture, and Roman
"In Architecture the word Order signifies a composition (in the architects also added their own variations by imitating two
same style) of a pedestal, a column, and an entablature, Greek column styles. The Tuscan order, first seen in the
together with their ornamentation. Order means a perfect and Tuscany area of Italy, is characterized by its grand simplicity
regular disposition of all the parts of a beautiful composition; — even more streamlined than the Grecian Doric. The capital
in a word, order is the opposite of confusion." — Giacomo da and shaft of the Composite order of Roman architecture can be
Vignola, 1563 easily confused with the Greek Corinthean column, but the top
entablature is much different.
__________________ Greek Doric columns share these features:

The Doric column is an architectural element from ancient  a shaft that is fluted or grooved
Greece and represents one of the five orders of classical  a shaft that is wider at the bottom than the top
architecture. Today this simple column can be found  no base or pedestal at the bottom, so it is placed directly
supporting many front porches across America. In public and on the floor or ground level
commercial architecture, notably the public architecture in  an echinus or a smooth, round capital-like flare at the
Washington, DC, the Doric column is a defining feature top of the shaft
of Neoclassical style buildings.  a square abacus on top of the round echinus, which
disperses and evens the load
A Doric column has a very plain, straightforward design, much  a lack of ornamentation or carvings of any kind,
more simple than the later Ionic and Corinthian column styles. although sometimes a stone ring called
A Doric column is also thicker and heavier than an Ionic or an astragal marks the transition of the shaft to the
Corinthian column. For this reason, the Doric column is echinus
sometimes associated with strength and masculinity. Believing
that Doric columns could bear the most weight, ancient Architecture Built With Doric Columns
builders often used them for the lowest level of multi-story
buildings, reserving the more slender Ionic and Corinthian Since the Doric column was invented in ancient Greece, it can
columns for the upper levels. be found in the ruins of what we call Classical architecture, the
buildings of early Greece and Rome. Many buildings in a
Ancient builders developed several Orders, or rules, for the Classical Greek city would have been constructed with Doric
design and proportion of buildings, including the columns. Symmetrical rows of columns were placed with
columns. Doric is one of the earliest and most simple of mathematical precision in iconic structures like the Parthenon
the Classical Orders set down in ancient Greece. An Order Temple at the Acropolis in Athens.
includes the vertical column and the horizontal entablature.
Constructed between 447 BC and 438 BC., the Parthenon in
Doric designs developed in the western Dorian region of Greece has become an international symbol of Greek
Greece in about the 6th century BC. They were used in Greece civilization and an iconic example of the Doric column style.
until about 100 BC. Romans adapted the Greek Doric column Another landmark example of Doric design, with columns
but also developed their own simple column, which they surrounding the entire building, is the Temple of Hephaestus in
called Tuscan. Athens. Likewise, the Temple of the Delians, a small, quiet
space overlooking a harbor, also reflects the Doric column
Characteristics of the Doric Column design. On a walking tour of Olympia, you'll find a solitary
Doric column at the Temple of Zeus still standing amid the These simple but grand column types are found throughout the
ruins of fallen columns. Column styles evolved over several world, wherever classic grandeur is required in local
centuries. The massive Colosseum in Rome has Doric columns architecture.
on the first level, Ionic columns on the second level, and
Corinthian columns on the third level. The Doric Order developed on mainland Greece and spread to
Italy. It is most easily recognized by its capital, which appears
When Classicism was "reborn" during the Renaissance, as a circular cushion placed on top of a column onto which a
architects such as Andrea Palladio gave the Basilica in Vicenza lintel rests. In early examples of the Doric Order, the cushion is
a 16th-century facelift by combining column types on different splayed and flat, but over time, it became more refined, deeper,
levels—Doric columns on the first level, Ionic columns above. and with a greater curve.

In the nineteenth and twentieth Doric columns almost always feature fluting down the length
centuries, Neoclassical buildings were inspired by the of the column, numbering up to 20 flutes. The flutes meet at
architecture of early Greece and Rome. Neoclassical columns sharp edges, called arrises. Doric columns typically have no
imitate the Classical styles at the 1842 Federal Hall Museum bases, with the exception of a few examples dating from the
and Memorial at 26 Wall Street in New York City. The 19th- Hellenistic period. Columns of an early Doric temple, such as
century architects used Doric columns to recreate the grandeur the Temple of Apollo at Syracuse, could have a column height
of the site where the first President of the United States was to an entablature ratio of 2:1, and a column height to a base
sworn in. Of less grandeur is the World War I Memorial shown diameter ratio of only 4:1. Later, a column height to a diameter
on this page. Built in 1931 in Washington, DC, it is a small, ratio of 6:1 became more usual, and there is a column height to
circular monument inspired by the architecture of the Doric an entablature ratio at the Parthenon oapproximately 3:1.
temple in ancient Greece. A more dominant example of Doric
column use in Washington, DC is the creation of architect Doric entablatures consist of three parts: the architrave, the
Henry Bacon, who gave the neoclassical Lincoln Memorial frieze, and the cornice. The architrave is composed of stone
imposing Doric columns, suggesting order and unity. The lintels that span the space between columns. On top of this
Lincoln Memorial was built between 1914 and 1922. rests the frieze, one of the major areas of sculptural decoration.
The frieze is divided into triglyps and metopes. The triglyphs
Finally, in the years leading up to America's Civil War, many have three vertical grooves, similar to columnar fluting, and
of the large, elegant antebellum plantations were built in the below them are guttae, small strips that appear to connect the
Neoclassical style with classically-inspired columns. triglyps to the architrave below. The triglyps are located above
the center of each capital and the center of each lintel.
Pediments in the Doric style were decorated with figures in Ionic Order columns are fluted with narrow, shallow flutes that
relief in early examples; however, by the time the sculptures on do not meet at a sharp edge, but have a flat band between them.
the Parthenon were created, many pediment decorations were The usual number of flutes is 24, but there can be as many as
freestanding. 44. The architrave is not always decorated, but more often it
rises in three outwardly-stepped bands. The frieze runs in a
continuous band and is separated from other members by rows
The Parthenon of small projecting blocks.
The Parthenon is considered the most important surviving The Ionic Order is lighter in appearance than the Doric Order,
building of classical Greece and the zenith of Doric Order with columns that have a 9:1 ratio, and the diameter and the
architecture. It is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis whole entablature appears much narrower and less heavy than
dedicated to the patron goddess of Athens, Athena. those of the Doric. Decorations were distributed with some
Construction began on the Parthenon in 447 BCE, when the variation, and Ionic entablatures often featured formalized
Athenian Empire was at its peak. Construction was completed bands of motifs. The external frieze often contained a
in 438 BCE, but decoration of the building continued until 432 continuous band of figurative sculpture of ornament, though
BCE. Although most architectural elements of the Parthenon this was not always the case. Caryatids—draped female figures
belong to the Doric Order, a continuous sculptured frieze in used as supporting members to the entablature—were also a
low relief that sits above the architrave belongs to the Ionic feature of the Ionic Order.
style.
_________________________
_________________________
The Corinthian Order grew directly from the Ionic in the mid-
The Ionic Order coexisted with the Doric Order and was 5th century BCE, and was initially of a very similar style and
favored by Greek cities in Ionia, Asia Minor, and the Aegean proportion, with the only distinguishing factor being its more
Islands. It did not evolve into a clearly defined style until the ornate capitals. The capitals of the Corinthian Order were much
mid-5th century BCE. Early Ionic temples in Asia Minor were deeper than those of the Doric and Ionic Orders. They were
particularly ambitious in scale. shaped like a bell-shaped mixing bowl and ornamented with a
double row of acanthus leaves above which rose splayed,
The Ionic Order is most easily identified by its voluted capital. voluted tendrils. The ratio of column height to diameter of the
The cushion placed on top of the column is similarly shaped to Corinthian Order is generally 10:1, with the capital taking up
that of the Doric Order, but is decorated with a stylized more than a tenth of the height. The ratio of capital height to
ornament and surmounted by a horizontal band that scrolls diameter is generally about 1:16:1.
under to either side.
Initially the Corinthian Order was used internally in such sites  Capital ornaments that flare outward like bells,
as the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae. By the late 300s, suggesting a sense of height
features of the Corinthian Order began to be used externally at  Proportion; Vitruvius tells us that "the height of their
sites such as the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates and the capitals gives them proportionately a taller and more
Temple of Zeus Olympia, both in Athens. During the slender effect" than Ionic columns
Hellenistic period, Corinthian columns were sometimes built
without fluting. The Corinthian Order became popular among
the Romans, who added a number of refinements and
decorative details. Why Are They Called Corinthian Columns?

The word "Corinthian" describes an ornate column style In the world's first architecture textbook, "De architectura" (30
developed in ancient Greece and classified as one of B.C.), Vitruvius tells the story of a young girl from the city-
the Classical Orders of Architecture. The Corinthian style is state of Corinth. "A free-born maiden of Corinth, just of
more complex and elaborate than the marriageable age, was attacked by an illness and passed away,"
earlier Doric and Ionic Orders. The capital or top part of writes Vitruvius. She was buried with a basket of her favorite
a Corinthian style column has lavish ornamentation carved to things atop her tomb, near the root of an acanthus tree. That
resemble leaves and flowers. Roman architect Vitruvius spring, leaves and stalks grew up through the basket, creating a
observed that the delicate Corinthian design "was produced out delicate explosion of natural beauty. The effect caught the eye
of the two other orders." He described the Corinthian column of a passing sculptor named Callimachus, who began to
as "an imitation of the slenderness of a maiden; for the outlines incorporate the intricate design onto column capitals. Because
and limbs of maidens, being more slender on account of their the sculptor found this design in Corinth, the columns that bear
tender years, admit of prettier effects in the way of adornment." it became known as Corinthian columns.

Because of their opulence, Corinthian columns are rarely used West of Corinth in Greece is the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at
as common porch columns for the ordinary home. The style is Bassae, thought to be the oldest surviving example of the
more suited for Greek Revival mansions and public Classical Corinthian column. This temple from about 425 B.C.
architecture such as government buildings, especially is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
courthouses. Characteristics of Corinthian columns include:
The Tholos (a round building) at Epidauros (c. 350 B.C.) is
 Fluted (grooved) shafts thought to be one of the first structures to use a colonnade of
 Capitals (the tops of each shaft) decorated Corinthian columns. Archaeologists have determined the tholos
with acanthus leaves and flowers and sometimes small to have 26 exterior Doric columns and 14 interior Corinthian
scrolls
columns. The Temple of Olympian Zeus (175 B.C.) in Athens Famous Buildings With Corinthian Columns
is said to have had more than 100 Corinthian columns.
In the United States, famous buildings with Corinthian
Architectural Styles That Use Corinthian Columns columns include the U.S. Supreme Court Building, the U.S.
Capitol, and the National Archives Building, all of which are in
The Corinthian column and the Corinthian Order were created Washington, D.C. In New York City, buildings with these
in ancient Greece. Ancient Greek and Roman architecture is columns include the New York Stock Exchange Building on
collectively known as "Classical," and so Corinthian columns Broad Street in Lower Manhattan and the James A. Farley
are found in Classical architecture. The Arch of Building, which is across the street from Penn Station and
Constantine (A.D. 315) in Rome and the Ancient Library of Madison Square Garden.
Celsus in Ephesus feature examples of Corinthian columns in
Classical architecture. In Rome, check out the Pantheon and the Colosseum, where
Doric columns are on the first level, Ionic columns on the
Classical architecture was "reborn" during the Renaissance in second, and Corinthian columns on the third. Great
the 15th and 16th centuries. Later derivatives of Classical Renaissance cathedrals throughout Europe are apt to show off
architecture include the Neoclassical, Greek Revival, and their Corinthian columns, including St. Paul's Cathedral and St
Neoclassical Revival architectures of the 19th century, and Martin-in-the-Fields in London.
the Beaux Arts architecture of the American Gilded
Age. Thomas Jefferson was influential in bringing the ____________________
Neoclassical style to America, as seen in the Rotunda at The
University of Virginiain Charlottesville. The Tuscan column — plain, without carvings and ornaments
— represents one of the five orders of classical architecture and
Corinthian-like designs can also be found in some Islamic is a defining detail of today's Neoclassical style building.
architecture. The distinctive capital of the Corinthian column Tuscan is one of the oldest and most simple architectural form
comes in many forms, but the acanthus leaf appears in most practiced in ancient Italy. In the United States, the column
designs. Professor Talbot Hamlin suggests that Islamic named after the Tuscany region of Italy is one of the most
architecture was influenced by the acanthus leaf design: popular column types to hold up American front porches.

"Many mosques, like those at Kairouan and Cordova, used From the bottom up, any column consists of a base, a shaft, and
actual ancient Corinthian capitals; and later Moslem capitals a capital. The Tuscan column has a very simple base upon
were often based on the Corinthian scheme in general pattern, which sets a very simple shaft. The shaft is usually plain and
although the tendency toward abstraction gradually removed all not fluted or grooved. The shaft is slender, with proportions
remaining signs of realism from the carving of the leaves." similar to a Greek Ionic column. At the top of the shaft is a
very simple, round capital. The Tuscan column has no carvings Considered strong and masculine, Tuscan columns originally
or other ornamentation. were often used for utilitarian and military buildings. In
his Treatise on Architecture, the Italian architect Sebastiano
Fast Facts: Tuscan Column Serlio (1475–1554) called the Tuscan order "suitable to
fortified places, such as city gates, fortresses, castles,
 Shaft is slender and smooth, without flutes or grooves treasuries, or where artillery and ammunition are kept, prisons,
 Base is simple seaports and other similar structures used in war."
 Capital is round with unornamented bands
 Also known as Tuscany column, Roman Doric, and In the United States, many antebellum plantation homes were
Carpenter Doric adorned with Tuscan columns, as the Greek Revival style
suited the authority demanded of the master's house. Tuscan
Tuscan and Doric Columns Compared columns projected a no-nonsense strength of the slave owner.
Examples include Boone Hall in South Carolina, the Rosalie
A Roman Tuscan column resembles a Doric column from Mansion in Natchez, Mississippi, Houmas House plantation
ancient Greece. Both column styles are simple, without near New Orleans, Louisiana, and the 1861 Gaineswood
carvings or ornaments. However, a Tuscan column is plantation house in Demopolis, Alabama. The Long Branch
traditionally more slender than a Doric column. A Doric Estate in Millwood, Virginia was built in the Federal style in
column is stocky and usually without a base. Also, the shaft of 1813, but when porticos and columns were added around 1845,
a Tuscan column is usually smooth, while a Doric column the house style became Classical (or Greek) Revival.
usually has flutes (grooves). Tuscan columns, also known as
Tuscany columns, are sometimes called Roman Doric, or ________________
Carpenter Doric because of the similarities.
In architecture, the Composite column is a Roman-designed
Origins of the Tuscan Order column style that combines characteristics of the ancient
Greek-era Ionic and the Corinthian columns. Composite
Historians debate when the Tuscan Order emerged. Some say columns have highly decorated capitals (tops). Typical of the
that Tuscan was a primitive style that came before the famous Corinthian capital, the floral ornamentation of the Composite
Greek Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. But other historians capital is styled after the acanthus leaf. The leaf decoration
say that the Classical Greek Orders came first, and that Italian elements of the Corinthian style combine with the scroll
builders adapted Greek ideas to develop a Roman Doric style designs (volute) that characterize the Ionic style. The
that evolved into the Tuscan Order. Composite is considered one of the five orders of classical
architecture.
Buildings With Tuscan Columns
Fast Facts: Composite Columns In American English, pronounce "composite" with the accent
on the second syllable — kum-POS-it. In British English, the
 A composite is by definition a combination of elements. first syllable is more often accented.
 Composite columns can describe column design or
materials. The Arch of Titus from the 1st century may be the first
 A Roman Composite column combines the designs of instance of the Roman composite column. Triumphal
the Greek Ionic and Corinthian columns. arches such as this one celebrated military victories and heroic
 The capital top of a Roman Composite column has conquerors — Titus and his Roman army returned to Rome
scrolls (volutes) and leaf decorations. after sacking Jerusalem and destroying the Second Temple in
 Since the Renaissance, Composite column designs have the year 70. World history is filled with military triumphs in
been used in decorative pilasters. one community that are sorrowful defeats in another — while
 Composite columns were originally made of stone, but the arch Titus marched beneath still stands in Rome, a more
today a composite can be a mixture of synthetic somber remembrance is observed in the Jewish religion on
materials. Tisha B'Av.

Classical architecture, including columns, refers to what The Roman-type of columns can be found in the architecture of
builders designed in ancient Greece and Roman. A column any of the regions influenced by the Roman Empire. Egyptian
consists of a base, a shaft, and a capital at the top of a shaft. In and Perian columns are often composites of Western and
ancient times, the capital and the entablature above it were Eastern traditions. Composite columns can be found
paired with distinctive characteristics that make up what throughout the Middle East, most notably in Petra in Jordan.
became known as the classical orders of architecture. Size and
proportion of each column type was standardized, although Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius died before he could
today, most people identify column types solely by their capital document the style of what is known as the Composite column
design. — perhaps he would have dismissed this Roman combo
column. The European architects of the Renaissance, however,
Documenting the types of ancient columns was advanced by noticed the beauty and practicality of this Roman design and
Renaissance-era architects like Palladio and Vignloa. In fact, incorporated it in many of their buildings during the 16th
the word "composite" meaning a combination or compound of century.
different elements was not generally used until the Renaissance
in the 15th century. The well-known architect Andrea Palladio used Composite
columns in many of his designs, including in the facade of the
island Church of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy.
The influential Italian Renaissance architect Giacomo da
The formalized system of columns supporting
Vignola incorporated Composite designs in the pilasters that
adorn his work, including the 16th century Palazzo dei Banchi an entablatureGlossary Term that was developed for these
in Bologna, Italy. Composite designs, being a later invention
within the Classical Orders, were often more decorative than temples proved extraordinarily adaptable. For centuries, it was
structural — pilasters and engaged columns (round columns regarded as the key to beauty in building, and the best guide to
protruding like a pilaster) provide the essence of Classical
design without being full columns. true proportion. Just as the Greeks and Romans were thought to
have reached perfection in sculpture and art, so did their
French Renaissance architect Pierre Lescot chose Composite
pilasters in his designs for the Louvre in Paris and the 1550 architecture haunt the imagination of the Western world. It was
Fontaine des Innocents. Lescot and sculptor Jean Goujon revived in the 16th and 17th centuries, and its use continued
brought Renaissance Classicism to France.
through the 19th century, alongside other revived styles such as

ClassicalGlossary Term architecture began with the ancient the GothicGlossary Term. Even in the 20th century, when

Greeks, and was developed and elaborated by the Romans. In Modernist architecture spread all over the world, the stream of

its purest and most familiar form, it is expressed by the temple, new classicalGlossary Term buildings never dried up entirely.

an oblong enclosure fronted or surrounded by columns.

Click to enlarge
The Parthenon

Britain has very little remaining from RomanGlossary

Term times that shows the classicalGlossary Termstyles in use,
so architects and builders had at first to learn about them from
Click to enlarge
Column abroad, either by travel and observation, or indirectly from
books and illustrations. The knowledge thus acquired changed
 slowly but constantly through the centuries, as each generation which use the classicalGlossary Termstyles in a great many
both learned more about the buildings of antiquity, and found different ways. The results can be very distant from the
new ways to use that knowledge to suit the needs and materials familiar classicalGlossary Term temple.
of its own time. Other classicalGlossary Term buildings, known as astylar
buildings, do without ordersGlossary Term altogether.

Others use what might be called mixed styles, in

which classicalGlossary Term motifs appear in decorative
Click to enlarge combinations alongside devices from older traditions. There
Greek Doric
are also non-European styles which use columns in their own
What makes a building classicalGlossary Term? It is hard to different ways.
give a single definition, but most will feature at least one of the
following:
Classical
i. The use of one or more of the classical orders, which A term used for the architecture of Ancient Greece and Rome,
follow recognized forms and proportions both for the revived at the Renaissance and subsequently imitated around
columns and for the entablatureGlossary Term, that is the the Western world. It uses a range of conventional forms, the
horizontal projections and mouldings above them. roots of which are the orders, or types of column each with its
ii. The presence of certain other conventional features, such as fixed proportions and ornaments
pediments and balustrades. (especially Doric, Ionic and Corinthian). Classical buildings
iii. A preference for symmetrical plans and façades over tend also to be symmetrical, both externally and on plan.
irregular ones. Not every classicalGlossary Term building Classical architecture in England began c. 1530 with applied
will fit these three rules, especially complex buildings,
ornamental motifs, followed within a few decades by fully- minor variations. Superimposed orders: orders on successive
fledged new buildings. levels, customarily in the upward sequence of Tuscan, Doric,
Entablature Ionic, Corinthian, Composite.
In classical architecture, collective name for the three Roman
horizontal members (architrave, frieze and cornice) carried The architecture of the Roman Empire, to which most of
by a wall. Britain belonged from 43 to c. 410 A.D. Our knowledge of
Gothic Romano-British architecture depends mostly on archaeological
The style of the Middle Ages from the later 12th century to the reconstructions from foundations and fragments, though some
Renaissance, with which it co-existed in certain forms into the notable fortifications and other military works survive above
17th century. Characterized in its full development by the ground level in recognizable form.
pointed arch, the rib-vaultand an often skeletal masonry
structure for churches, combined with large glazed windows.
The term was originally associated with the concept of the
barbarian Goths as assailants of classical civilization.
Orders
The differently formalized versions of the basic post-and-lintel
(column and entablature) system in classical architecture. The
main orders are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. They are Greek
in origin but occur in Roman versions. Tuscan is a simple
variant of Roman Doric. The Composite capital combines
Ionic volutes with Corinthian foliage. Though each order has
its own conventions of design and proportion, there are many