THE THREE CLASSICAL ORDERS OF GREEK

DORIC ORDER:
A Doric column stands directly on a Crepis without a base, conventionally of three steps in buildings, though other structure had only one step. The earliest Doric columns were slender but the later ones became excessively thick.

The height of the column slowly increased upto seven times the diameter of the base during the Hellenistic period

The circular shaft is usually divided into twenty flutes or channels separated by sharp arrises. But sometimes there may be twelve, sixteen, eighteen or twenty four flutes.

The shaft has normally a slightly convex profile called Entasis to make sure the columns look bold and straight from far off. The necking or the Trachelion is present in between the shaft and the Capital.

Just above the necking is the Abacus of the Capital. The top most part of the Capital, Echinus is seen above the Abacus.

The Entablature has three main divisions: 1. Architrave 2. Frieze 3. Cornice Architrave- the lowest part of the Entablature is also known as the Principal Beam. It is made of two to three thick slabs.

The frieze, which is formed of Triglyphs and Metopes or squared spaces often ornamented with sculptures. The Triglyphs consist of two main glyphs or channels depressed inside. And it consists of two half channels projected outwards and one full channel in the between the two fromer channels.

These triglyphs are aligned over each column. It is a Doric rule that an entablature must begin and end with a triglyph. So due to this, the positions are adjusted accordingly. The columns are made closer at the corners, and wider at the centre.

The Cornice or Geison is the upper or the crowning part. They have flat blocks or Mutules.

Mutules occur above each triglyphs and is usually ornamented with eighteen guttae in three rows of six each.

IONIC ORDER

The total height of the column ranges between nine to ten times the base diameter which usually had 24 flutes. But in the examples of the earliest times, forty to forty four flutes were seen with sharp arris.

Different types of base emerged during the 5th century in Athens, which eventually prevailed over the Eastern form. There were two pairs of ionic volutes about two thirds the diameter in height. One pair in the front and the other o the backside joined at the sides by concave cushions, sometimes plain.

These volute scrolls were often ornamented with numerous flutes, fillets and beads. These volute scroll rests on the Echinus. And above the volute scroll was a shallow abacus.

The Ionic Entablature passed through various stages of development. As it evolved in the Eastern Greek area, it had only two main parts- Cornice and Architrave, and the latter frieze supported by large Dentils.

A high Entablature with frieze and dentils under the cornice was first used around 340 B.C but it didnt become general until 3rd century B.C. In the 5ht century, this was adopted by the Athenians the temples such as Erectheion, Temple of Athena Nik.

Later on the Dentils were omitted and the entablature were built without the Dentils here after. The frieze when present were often decorated with continuous ornamentation.

Carved lion heads were place at intervals to throw rainwater from the roof.

CORI

ORDER

Corinthian Order made its first appearance in the fifth century BC as a decorative variant of the Ionic. But the difference was seen entirely in the column capital.

This order was first used for internal Collonades (Bassae, Epidaurus, The Tholos at Delphi). It was even used for fanciful monuments (The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, Athens).

During the Hellenistic period, the Corinthian order were used for the external Collonades. The capital of this order is much more deeper than the Ionic Capital. The capital height settled at a proportion of about one and one-third diameters high.

It is considered to be the most ornamented Order of the three classical Greek orders. This order is characterized by a slender fluted column having an ornate capital decorated with two rows of acanthus leaves and four scrolls.

The column is commonly ten diameters high. Designed by Callimachus, a Greek sculptor of the 5th century BC. The oldest known building to be built according to the Corinthian order is the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens.

Chroragic Monument of Lysicrates was built in 335 to 334 BC.

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