Ancient Columns

University of Saskatchewan Museum of Antiquities

Columns are probably the most recognizable aspect of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
If you try to picture in your mind an image of an ancient city, you would probably see several
buildings with massive marble columns supporting their roofs. As it turns out, there is more to
the story than simple round pillars in front of temples. Although their primary function is as
structural support for buildings, the design of columns in ancient Greece and Rome changed
several times through antiquity. The designs changed so much that we can categorize them into
five distinct orders, each with its own defining characteristics.

Before we get into the details of each of the orders of ancient columns, let’s learn some
vocabulary that might help you later on:
- Order: An order is a style of classical architecture defined by
certain characteristics of decoration and ornamentation.
- Base: Nearly all columns stand on a round or square base, which
is also sometimes called a plinth. (8 on diagram to the right)
- Shaft: The “column” part of the column, the shaft is the main
vertical piece. It can be smooth, fluted, or have carvings going all
the way up. (7)
- Capital: The opposite of the base, the capital is the piece that
rests at the top of the column. Just like the shaft or the base, the
capital may be plain or carved with elaborate decorations (6)
- Entablature: Columns that are part of a building support the
entablature, or the upper portion of the building that rests on top
of the capital. Some columns, like the Column of Marcus Aurelius
in Rome, are freestanding and therefore do not support
entablature. (1)
The parts of a Column

Now that you know the main parts of a column, we can take a look at the different orders of
columns and see what makes each of them stand out from the rest. The first three orders,
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, are the three principal architectural orders of ancient architecture.
They were developed in ancient Greece but also used extensively in Rome. The final two,
Tuscan and Composite, were developed in ancient Rome. They have defining features and
characteristics, but were not recognized as being independent orders until the Italian
Renaissance, when there was a revival of classical architecture.
1. Doric: The earliest columns built in ancient Greece were
Doric columns. These can be distinguished by their
simple design: the shaft is fluted (has straight vertical
grooves going all the way up) and the capital has no
decoration. The shaft of a Doric column will be wider at
the base than it is at the top. They will sometimes not
have a base, so they will sit directly on the ground or
floor of a building.
Doric Columns

2. Ionic: Ionic columns are easily recognizable due to

the decorative scrolls on the capital, also known as
volutes. Apart from the volutes, Ionic columns have
little or no other decoration on the capital. The
shaft of an Ionic column is sometimes fluted,
sometimes smooth, and the shaft may be slightly
wider where it touches the base and capital than in
the middle. The column in the diagram above is
Ionic Capital
Ionic.

3. Corinthian: Corinthian columns are easy to

identify because the Corinthian order is the
most ornate and complex of the ancient
architectural orders. Corinthian columns will
quite often have fluted shafts, and beautiful
capitals decorated with carved acanthus
leaves, flowers, and little scrolls. Often the
decorations on the capital will flare outwards
at the top, and the capitals will be taller than
Ionic capitals, giving the illusion that Corinthian
columns are taller and more slender. Corinthian Capitals in Rome

4. Composite: Unlike the previous three orders of

columns, Composite columns were not built in
ancient Greece and are instead a Roman
invention. Composite columns share features of
both Corinthian and Ionic columns. The defining
characteristics of Corinthian and Ionic columns
are the acanthus leaves and volutes on the
capitals, respectively, and so Composite columns
have a square capital with Ionic volutes on each
corner resting among the Corinthian acanthus
leaves. The shafts of Composite columns are Composite Capital in Ostia Antica

often fluted.
 5. Tuscan: The Tuscan order, like the Composite order, was developed by the
Etruscans and Romans, but not the Greeks. Tuscan columns were
influenced by the Doric columns of Greece, but made even simpler. The
shafts are smooth with no decorations on the capital.

Columns in ancient Greece and Rome were nearly always Tuscan Column
made of marble that was imported from various places
around the Mediterranean Sea. White marble was
commonly used and was found in Greece, Turkey, and
Italy. Different colours of marble were sometimes used as
well. Coloured marble was imported from Turkey, various
Greek islands, the Greek mainland, and Tunisia in
northern Africa. Other types of stone that were used for
decorations included granite from Egypt and porphyry
from Egypt and Greece.

The five orders of Ancient Greek and Roman columns.

Doric Columns at Lindos, Rhodes Corinthian Column in the Composite Column
Pantheon, Rome

Bibliography

Barletta, Barbara A. The Origins of Greek Architectural Orders. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 2001.

Chitham, Robert. The Classical Orders of Architecture. Second Edition. Oxford: Architectural
Press, 2005.

Emerson, Mary. Greek Sanctuaries and Temple Architecture: an Introduction. London:

Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.

Jenkins, Ian. Greek Architecture and Its Sculpture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard
University Press, 2006.

Tzonis, Alexander. Classical Architecture: The Poetics of Order. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT
Press, 1986.

Image Sources

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ionic_order.svg F l a n k e r / Public domain

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schema_Saeulenordnungen_(cropped).jpg Unknown
author, scan by sidonius 16:34, 7 November 2006 (UTC) / Public domain

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capiteles_de_la_fachada_este_del_Erecte%C3%B3n,
_Atenas,_Grecia,_2019_06.jpg Benjamín Núñez González / CC BY-SA
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Hercules_(Rome)_(3492384864).jpg
gnuckx / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ostia_antica_89.JPG Camelia.boban / CC BY-SA

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Regola_delli_cinqve_ordini_d%27architettvra_(1563)
_(14778998914).jpg Internet Archive Book Images / No restrictions

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lindos095.JPG User:Piotrus / CC BY-SA

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fotothek_df_tg_0001041_Architektur_%5E_S%C3%A
4ule_%5E_komposite_Ordnung_%5E_Triumphbogen.jpg Deutsche Fotothek / Public domain

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fotothek_df_tg_0003893_Architektur_%5E_S%C3%A
4ule_%5E_Ordnung.jpg Deutsche Fotothek / Public domain