Ancient Greek Architecture: 3 Types of Greek Columns
There are three types of Greek columns that correspond to the Classical Orders of Architecture. They’re called Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian respectively. And each type is still used in modern design.
If you take a closer look at your local civic buildings, churches, and museums, you’ll see that the ancient Greeks influenced the world with more than just their ideas. And that can be said for pretty much every civilization to come after them. The Romans, for example, were dazzled by ancient Greek architecture. They used Greek models as the blueprints for their own buildings, and went on to contribute two original types of columns to the Classical Orders of Architecture.
Today, designs inspired by ancient Greek architecture can be found all over the world — from the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, to the British Museum and even the New York Stock Exchange. And their most identifiable features, the three types of Greek columns, are a practical guide to better understanding it.
In this article, we’ll review what the three types of Greek columns are, their history, and how to distinguish one from the others.
Types of Greek Columns & their History
Three types of Greek columns from the Classical Order of Architecture
The Doric and Ionic types of Greek columns have their roots in the Archaic Period of ancient Greece — long before Socrates and Plato walked the earth. Corinthian columns came later. Their origins have been traced to the Late Classical Period.
In any case, all three were developed at the outset to be used for temple buildings. In effect, they’re a decorative approach to a prehistoric construction method called post-and-lintel systems.
These are defined by a system of vertical pieces (posts) that support horizontal pieces (lintels). Post-and-lintel systems are at least as old as the earliest Egyptian temples and Stonehenge — perhaps even older — and have been used in the east and west alike.
They’re distinct in ancient Greek architecture, however, because the simple posts became columns. Rather than taking a solely functional approach to these vertical support pieces, the Greeks made them intricate and beautiful. And, thus, the three types of Greek columns were conceived.
So, how are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns distinct from one another?
Doric Columns
Extant remains of the Doric columns at the Temple of Apollo in Corinth, via Archeological Museum of Ancient Corinth
Doric columns are the simplest of the three types of Greek columns in the Classical Orders of Architecture.
For reference, the remains of the Temple of Apollo at Corinth has a well-preserved row of Doric columns — ironically, not Corinthian. They trace their origins back to around 560 BC.
These Doric columns subscribed to an all-encompassing Doric Order, which governed other architectural elements as well, such as the pediment, the frieze, and the entablature of a temple. But in this article, we’ll simply focus on the Doric Order as it relates to columns, which are each composed of a capital, a fluting shaft, and a base.
Let’s start with the capital, the uppermost part of the column. The Doric capital is characterized by a simple flare attached to a slab. The slab is the piece that connects the column to the entablature.
Vitruvius, the famed Roman architect, relates Doric columns to the strength of the masculine form in de Architectura, Book IV, especially as they contrast with their more elegant successors.
Like with everything else, the ancient Greek architecture was motivated to attain precision, perfection, and aesthetic beauty.
The three types of Greek columns get more sophisticated with time. Doric is the simplest and Corinthian is beyond ornate.
