Greek Temples With Doric Columns

The oldest simplest and most massive of the three greek orders is the doric which was applied to temples beginning in the 7th century b c.

Greek temples with doric columns.

When the temple was surrounded by a row of columns it was called pavilion. Columns became narrower intercolumniations wider. The top step of a greek temple on which the columns rest. The doric temple style and the ionic temple style.

In the 4th century bce a few doric temples were erected with 6 15 or 6 14 columns probably referring to local archaic predecessors e g. This gave the columns a feeling of depth and balance. The temple of zeus in nemea and that of athena in tegea. Explore doric temples by examining their history design functionality and location.

Greek columns the greeks built most of their temples and government buildings in three types of styles doric ionic and corinthian. Ionic columns the ionic column is identified by the scroll at the top as seen on the columns of the the temple of athena nike in athens and other temples of the acropolis. The temple is aligned north south in contrast to the majority of greek temples which are aligned east west. As shown in figure 2 columns are placed close together and are often without bases.

This is generally an east to west axis. Ionic rest first on bases and then upon the stylobate axis an imaginary line on which the central diameter of a greek temple is aligned. According to what we said above the parthenon is an amphiprostylos temple. Doric columns form the peristyle while ionic columns support the porch and corinthian columns feature in the interior.

These styles also called orders were reflected in the type of columns they used. Generally doric temples followed a tendency to become lighter in their superstructures. Their shafts are sculpted with concave curves called flutes. In ancient greek architecture there were two main temple styles.

The temple is unusual in that it has examples of all three of the classical orders used in ancient greek architecture. The columns are tapered with 20 flutes and have a smooth top piece. Constructed between 447 bc and 438 bc the parthenon in greece has become an international symbol of greek civilization and an iconic example of the doric column style. Doric columns rest directly upon it.

Another landmark example of doric design with columns surrounding the entire building is the temple of hephaestus in athens. When surrounded by two rows of columns it was called dipteral. Most all of the columns had grooves down the sides called fluting.