A Greek temple is built of standard parts: a stepped platform, rows of columns, and above them the entablature (the horizontal beams) and a triangular pediment at each end. The way these parts are designed and proportioned is called an order. Greek architecture has three.
| Order | Capital | Base | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doric | Plain cushion and square slab | None (thick shaft, about 20 flutes) | Parthenon |
| Ionic | Scrolls (volutes) | Molded base | Erechtheion |
| Corinthian | Acanthus leaves | Molded base | Pantheon porch, Rome |
Key idea
Doric capitals are plain cushions and the columns have no base; Ionic capitals have scrolls; Corinthian capitals have acanthus leaves.
Why it works
The orders are more than decoration. Each has a set of proportions and parts that go together, like a family resemblance: Doric is heavy and plain, Ionic is lighter, and Corinthian is the most ornate. Romans and later Renaissance architects used them as a shared language, which is why you can still find all three on banks, courthouses and museums today.
Looking closely: The Erechtheion. Next to the Parthenon stands a smaller, irregular temple in the Ionic order, with slim columns and scroll capitals on its other porches. On the south porch, seen here, six draped maidens, the caryatids, take the place of columns and carry the roof on their heads. It is the Ionic style's lightness taken to its limit.
Worked example: Name the order
A column has no base, and its top is a plain round cushion under a flat square slab. Which order?
- Scrolls would mean Ionic; leaves would mean Corinthian.
- A plain cushion and no base: Doric.
Answer: Doric.
Common mistake
Mixing up Ionic and Corinthian. Both are slender with bases. Look only at the capital: scrolls are Ionic; leaves are Corinthian. A memory trick: Ionic has "eyes" (two scrolls); Corinthian is crowded with leaves.