Capitals occupy which part of columns

One of these, of which almost no trace remains today, stood south of the Parthenon between the Parthenon and the Erechtheum. The other, which was still being built at the time of the Persian sack in , was on the same spot as the Parthenon. We know the names of the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates and also of the sculptor Pheidias who made the massive chryselephantine cult statue of the goddess. The three main types of columns used in Greek temples and other public buildings are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

The truest and most basic difference among the orders has to do with proportions Doric columns, for example, being thicker and shorter, Ionic columns taller and slimmer.

As a shortcut, the orders may be distinguished most easily by their capitals the tops of the columns. As you can see from the following examples, the Doric capital has the simplest design; the Ionic has the curlicues called volutes, and the Corinthian has the acanthus leaves:.

Doric is not only a type of column, but an "order"; this means that temples of the Doric order not only have this type of column, but also have a certain structure at the upper levels. The different types of orders column plus entablature are illustrated by these diagrams, from Perseus: Doric order , and Ionic order. The Doric order is characterized by the series of triglyphs and metopes on the entablature.

Each metope was occupied by a panel of relief sculpture. The Parthenon combines elements of the Doric and Ionic orders. Basically a Doric peripteral temple, it features a continuous sculpted frieze borrowed from the Ionic order, as well as four Ionic columns supporting the roof of the opisthodomos. The metopes of the Parthenon all represented various instances of the struggle between the forces of order and justice, on the one hand, and criminal chaos on the other.

On the west side, the mythical battle against the Amazons Amazonomachy ; on the south, the battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs Centauromachy ; on the east, the battle between the gods and the giants Gigantomachy ; on the north, the Greeks versus the Trojans. Of the panels the best preserved are those showing the Centauromachy. For a complete catalogue, with images and descriptions of all the Parthenon metopes, see Perseus' Parthenon Metope Page photos will be available only if you are on a Reed computer or a computer on another campus which has enhanced access to the Perseus photos by license agreement , and theAustralian National University collection photos, but no text.

These relief sculptures, larger than those of the metopes, occupied the triangular space above the triglyphs and metopes. Those at the west end of the temple depicted the contest between Poseidon and Athena for the right to be the patron deity of Athens Athena's gift of the olive tree was preferred over Poseidon's spring. The eastern pedimental group showed the birth of Athena from Zeus' head. The pedimental sculpture suffered badly when the Parthenon was hit by a Venetian shell in and the powder magazine inside exploded.

This reclining god probably Dionysus from the east pediment gives some sense of the quality of the sculpture:. For a complete catalogue, with images and descriptions of all the Parthenon pedimental sculpture, see Perseus' Parthenon East Pediment Page and West Pediment Page photos will be available only if you are on a Reed computer or a computer on another campus which has enhanced access to the Perseus photos by license agreement.

The Parthenon frieze runs around the upper edge of the temple wall. The tomb is located in Mycenae and the capitals dates back to BCE. Classical capitals come in different classical orders. These include Doric capital, Ionic capital, Corinthian capital, and Anta capital. Of all the classical capital orders, Doric capital is the simplest. Under this design, spiral volutes lie between the ovolo and the abacus. Ionic capital was also used much later in the temple of Athena Polias in the 19 th century.

The Corinthian capital resembles leaves carved in two bands. It resembles a leafy cup inserted into another. Anta capital, unlike other capitals, is not set on top of a column.

Instead, it lies on top of the anta. Anta refers to a structural post joined to the frontal end of a wall. Usually, the upper edge of an anta has intense decorations. The sides of an anta capital can broaden upward giving it the shape of a couch. For this reason, anta capitals also go by the sofa capitals.

These are capitals with a strong Persian and Greek influence. They are among the most beautiful Corinthian capitals and date back to the third and fourth centuries BC. The capitals provide an evidence of the early relations between India and the West.

Other significant capital designs include post-classical European capitals and the more recent Renaissance and post-renaissance capitals. With the continuous creativity and innovation in the architectural field, capital designs could only get better. Ionic capitals at the Temple of Athena Polias. Samuel Kinuthia June 14 in Society. All About the "Stan" Countries.

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