110 Chapter 5 ANCIENT GREECE
5-14Elevations of the Doric and Ionic orders.
The major differences between the Doric and Ionic orders are the form of the capitals and the treatment of the frieze. The Doric frieze
is divided into triglyphs and metopes.A
rchitectural historians describe the elevation (FIG. 5-14) of a
Greek temple in terms of the platform, the colonnade, and the
superstructure (entablature). In the Archaic period, two basic sys-
tems evolved for articulating the three units. These are the so-called
orders of Greek architecture. The orders are differentiated both in
the nature of the details and in the relative proportions of the parts.
The names of the orders derive from the Greek regions where they
were most commonly employed. The Doric, formulated on the
mainland, remained the preferred manner there and in the western
colonies of the Greeks. The Ionic was the order of choice in the
Aegean Islands and on the western coast of Asia Minor. The geo-
graphical distinctions are by no means absolute. The Ionic order, for
example, was often used in Athens (where, according to some, the
Athenians considered themselves Ionians who never migrated).
In both orders, the columns rest on the stylobate,the uppermost
course of the platform. Metal clamps held together the stone blocks in
each horizontal course, and metal dowels joined vertically the blocks
of different courses. The columns have two or three parts, depending
on the order: the shaft,which is marked with vertical channels (flutes);
the capital; and, in the Ionic order, the base.Greek column shafts, in
contrast to their Minoan and Mycenaean forebears, taper gradually
from bottom to top. They usually are composed of separate drumsjoined by metal dowels to prevent turning as well as shifting, although
instances ofmonolithic (single-piece) columns are known. The capital
has two elements. The lower part (the echinus) varies with the order.
In the Doric, it is convex and cushionlike, similar to the echinus of
Minoan (FIG. 4-6) and Mycenaean (FIG. 4-1) capitals. In the Ionic, it is
small and supports a bolster ending in scroll-like spirals (the volutes).
The upper element, present in both orders, is a flat, square block (the
abacus) that provides the immediate support for the entablature.
The entablature has three parts: the architrave,the main weight-
bearing and weight-distributing element; the frieze; and the cornice,
a molded horizontal projection that together with two sloping (rak-
ing) cornices forms a triangle that enframes the pediment.In the Ionic
order, the architrave is usually subdivided into three horizontal bands.
In the Doric order, the frieze is subdivided into triglyphs and metopes,
whereas in the Ionic the frieze is left open to provide a continuous
field for relief sculpture.
The Doric order is massive in appearance, its sturdy columns
firmly planted on the stylobate. Compared with the weighty and se-
vere Doric, the Ionic order seems light, airy, and much more decora-
tive. Its columns are more slender and rise from molded bases. The
most obvious differences between the two orders are, of course, in the
capitals—the Doric, severely plain, and the Ionic, highly ornamental.Doric and Ionic Orders
ARCHITECTURAL BASICS