850 BCE to CE 476 — Classical

The Pantheon, A.D. 126, Rome, Italy. Werner Forman Archive/Heritage

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Classical architecture refers to the style and design of buildings in ancient Greece
and ancient Rome. Classical architecture shaped our approach to building in
Western colonies around the world.
From the rise of ancient Greece until the fall of the Roman empire, great
buildings were constructed according to precise rules. The Roman architect
Marcus Vitruvius, who lived during first century BCE, believed that builders
should use mathematical principles when constructing temples. "For without
symmetry and proportion no temple can have a regular plan," Vitruvius wrote in
his famous treatise De Architectura, or Ten Books on Architecture.
In his writings, Vitruvius introduced the Classical orders, which defined column
styles and entablature designs used in Classical architecture. The earliest
Classical orders were Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
Although we combine this architectural era and call it "Classical," historians have
described these three Classical periods: