An architectural order was widely used in antiquity. In fact, it is a beam-and-beam construction supplemented by certain expressive elements. An architectural order, general information about which was set forth in the treatise of Vitruvius back in the 1st century BC, was used in ancient Greece in the construction of temples and formed the currently recognizable look of the buildings of this country.
Main elements
Vitruvius in his work outlined the principles of the construction of orders. To calculate the design parameters, the module was taken as the basis, which was the lower diameter of the column. He was a measure of the size of all the details.
Architectural orders of Ancient Greece had a set of standard elements, differed in the ratio of their values and artistic design. They consisted of a column (column), entablature (entablature) and a pedestal. The first, in turn, included three elements:
Fust (shaft - trunk);
capital (capital);
base (baza)
The core of the column is its largest part, its thickness decreases with height, but unevenly. The capital forms the upper part; a direct load of all overlying building elements is on it. The function of the base is clear from its name: it represents the basis of the fast.
The entablature, the upper part of the structure, also has a triple structure. It is composed of architrave (architrave), frieze (frieze) and cornice (cornice). The architrave forms the overlap between the columns; it is the main supporting part of the entablature. The frieze is the middle element. Architectural orders of Antiquity are characterized by different versions of this detail: it could be smooth or with an image. The cornice crowns the column, often it was decorated with dentils, or, as they are also called, order crackers - a series of rectangular ledges.
Pedestal - the lower part of the column, its base, most often had a stepped structure. The column "grew" from the stylobate - the upper stage.
Architectural Orders of Ancient Greece
There are five orders in total that are considered classic. Three of them formed on Greek territory. This is a Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian architectural order. In Ancient Rome, two more appeared: Tuscan and composite. Each of them has its own distinctive features in the structure and decorative elements.
The names of Greek architectural orders give an idea of in which area of the ancient state they arose. Having appeared each in his locality, in the VI century BC Ionic and Doric types of columns quickly spread throughout Greece. The Corinthian warrant was not very popular. He became more in demand already in ancient Rome.
Greatness and simplicity
The Doric architectural order was distinguished by a minimized number of decorative details. The column had no base, because it relied directly on the stylobate. The trunk narrowed unevenly, somewhere at one third of the height there was a slight thickening. The surface of the column was covered with grooves - flutes. As a rule, there were only 20. Flutes gave a certain decorative effect to the monumental design: they created a play of light and shadow, visually increasing the height of the column. There were options for columns with smooth trunks.
The capital had a rounded base on which a square lay. A smooth architrave rested on her. The frieze contained triglyphs - straight stripes with triangular notches between themselves, grouped in three. Between the triglyphs were gaps (methods) either smooth or filled with ornaments. A number of order crackers were often located under the cornice.
World famous
The Doric order is familiar to most from such masterpieces of ancient architecture as the Parthenon and the temple of Hephaestus. Strict courageous columns also adorned the buildings dedicated to Poseidon at Cape Sounion, as well as Athea on the island of Aegina.
Doric is the simplest architectural order in terms of decor. The views that appeared in Ionia, and then in Corinth, are distinguished by a large number of decorations and artistic details.
Femininity embodied in stone
Dorian rigor was contrasted with softness and even some tenderness of the ionic order. Columns of this type rise above a rounded base, in appearance resembling several rings stacked on top of each other. The column is longer than in the Dorian version. From this column seems more slender. The flutes are deeper (there are 24 in all), and the capital is decorated with currencies (curls).
The Ionian entablature is rather narrow and includes three horizontal parts: a smooth architrave, a frieze that does not have triglyphs, and a slightly protruding cornice with a number of denticles. The middle part of the entablature was often decorated with reliefs.
Creating such a column, ancient architects likened it to a woman with a slender camp, curly hair-currencies and flowing folds of clothing - flutes.
Origin
Vitruvius in his treatise wrote that the Ionic architectural order arose during the construction of the Ephesus church. The need for a new form arose because of the desire to find a style that embodies the spirit of the Greek tribes inhabiting the area, and contrast it with the Dorian. The embodiment of the plan brought desired results: the ionic order is known no less than its strict counterpart, and also belongs to the classics.
Scientists believe that the formation of a new type of columns took place gradually, and the Temple of Ephesus became only the quintessence of all previous stages. One way or another, an ionic order really embodies sophistication and elegance. No wonder it was used in the construction of the churches of Nika Apteros and Artemis of Ephesus, the latter in the end was awarded the title of one of the seven wonders of the world.
Younger brother
The Corinthian order, as already noted, was especially widespread in ancient Rome. In Greece, it was considered an offshoot of the Ionic. Indeed, these orders have many similar elements. A high rod with 24 flutes stands on a rounded base. The main difference is the capital, consisting of sixteen currencies, accompanied by acanthus leaves, arranged in two rows.
The entablature is similar to the corresponding element in the structure of the ionic order: it includes a divided architrave, a frieze complemented by a relief, and a cornice with teeth. The difference between buildings using such columns is that they did not support a gable roof, but a flat one.
If we continue the metaphor of masculinity and femininity, then the third Greek warrant more likely possesses the traits characteristic of a young girl: some coquetry and love for exquisite jewelry. The earliest of the found samples of the Corinthian order are the columns of the temple of Apollo in Bass.
Receivers
Greek architectural orders continued to exist in ancient Rome. They were used by craftsmen who created the appearance of the cities of the empire. In parallel, new forms appeared here: Tuscan and composite architectural orders. Both the name of the parts and the general logic of the construction are preserved.
A composite order is a “descendant” of the Ionic and Corinthian. Tuscan features are characteristic that make obvious his kinship with Dorian: strict columns without capitals, smooth architrave and frieze, rounded without decorations capitals.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, interest in such architectural forms gradually subsided and again revived only in the 15th century, when the treatise of Vetruvius was discovered. Buildings in the style of classicism, which took shape a little later, also necessarily contained columns or similar elements. It should be noted that today architectural orders that have come down to us through the thickness of centuries are quite often used in the creation and decoration of new masterpieces.