How the column capital developed in Greek orders

How the column capital developed in Greek orders
How the column capital developed in Greek orders

Video: How the column capital developed in Greek orders

Video: How the column capital developed in Greek orders
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Ancient Greece will always be of interest to humanity. Each archaeological find relating to those distant times immediately attracts everyone's attention. And this is not at all surprising, because thanks to this civilization we have so much unique knowledge in all spheres of life. Mathematics, physics, astronomy, architecture, literature, medicine and much more have received a powerful development in Greek society, which helped all of humanity in future eras.

column capital
column capital

The ancient Greeks always strived to achieve the ideal. Beauty and harmony were sung in their culture. The achievements of the Greeks in architecture are considered extremely important. Their desire to subordinate everything to the correct mathematical order is perfectly traced in the complete harmony of architecture. With the beginning of the use of stone as the main building material, new trends in architecture began to appear. The first stone temples inherited the traditions of the former wooden structures of a sacred nature. However, over time, there were more and more differences. This is how the Doric order was born. The column tapering to the top was installed directly on a stone platform (stylobate), it did not have a base, the capital of the column consisted ofround plate - echinus and square - abacus. Wide rectangular beams - architrave - were laid horizontally above it. In the Doric order, the capital of the column was not decorated with decorative trim. A wonderful example of this order is the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, located in the Athenian Acropolis. It was built according to all the canons of the Doric order. He still impresses with his perfectly calculated proportions and restrained proud beauty.

column head top plate
column head top plate

During the war between Athens and Sparta, the Ionic order was established in Greek architecture. It got its name due to the fact that it originated in Ionia. This order is distinguished by graceful light proportions and decorative design, it is characterized by decoration on the capitals of columns in the form of double spiral ornaments. The Temple of Nike Apteros and the Erechtheion were built in this style. They are also located in the Athenian Acropolis. Compared with the severity of the Doric architectural order, the Ionic strikes the eye with an almost feminine elegance. A remarkable example is the famous portico of the Caryatids in the Erechtheion. The use of statues of girls instead of columns enhances the impression of lightness and surprises with its magical beauty. Also an innovation was the decoration of the abacus (this is the upper plate of the capital of the column) with a beautiful variety of carvings.

decoration on the capitals of the columns
decoration on the capitals of the columns

In the era of Hellenism, the Corinthian order became popular, its characteristic feature was the magnificently decorated capital of the column. It was made in the form of a beautifully curled acanthus leaf. Use of Corinthianorders in the interiors of ancient Greek temples further increased the significance and sacred beauty of the places where the statues of the gods were installed. The surprisingly high capital of the column created the impression of loftiness and lightness of architectural proportions in the premises.

Later on, the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian architectural orders underwent changes in canonical proportions, acquiring greater or lesser simplicity and lightness, but at the same time they never lost the laws of symmetry that their creators admired, and now we do too.

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