What is a capital in Greek architecture?

What is a capital in Greek architecture?

Capital, in architecture, crowning member of a column, pier, anta, pilaster, or other columnar form, providing a structural support for the horizontal member (entablature) or arch above. In the Classical styles, the capital is the architectural member that most readily distinguishes the order.

What is the capital on a Greek temple?

The Doric order is characterized by a plain, unadorned column capital and a column that rests directly on the stylobate of the temple without a base. The Doric entablature includes a frieze composed of trigylphs—vertical plaques with three divisions—and metopes—square spaces for either painted or sculpted decoration.

What architectural element of a Greek temple has a capital?

Each column has a capital of two parts, the upper, on which rests the lintels, being square and called the abacus. The part of the capital that rises from the column itself is called the echinus.

What are Greek capitals?

Athens
Greece/Capitals

Are there capital letters in Greek?

The Greek alphabet is the ancestor of the Latin and Cyrillic scripts. Like Latin and Cyrillic, Greek originally had only a single form of each letter; it developed the letter case distinction between uppercase and lowercase in parallel with Latin during the modern era.

What is a Cella in Greek architecture?

Cella, Greek Naos, in Classical architecture, the body of a temple (as distinct from the portico) in which the image of the deity is housed. In early Greek and Roman architecture it was a simple room, usually rectangular, with the entrance at one end and with the side walls often being extended to form a porch.

What are the three styles of Greek architecture?

At the start of what is now known as the Classical period of architecture, ancient Greek architecture developed into three distinct orders: the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders.

What is the most famous Greek architecture?

The rectangular temple is the most common and best-known form of Greek public architecture. This rectilinear structure borrows from the Late Helladic, Mycenaean Megaron , which contained a central throne room, vestibule, and porch.

What are some facts about Greek architecture?

The Ancient Greeks had a unique style of architecture that is still copied today in government buildings and major monuments throughout the world. Greek architecture is known for tall columns, intricate detail, symmetry, harmony, and balance. The Greeks built all sorts of buildings.

What are some examples of Greek architecture?

Some of the most amazing examples of Ancient Greek architecture and sculptures were built primarily for religious purposes, to represent deities or to serve as temples. Examples of such include the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Erechtheum, Apollo Didyma, and the Temple of Athena Nike.

What is the most famous Greek building?

The Parthenon is the most famous building in Athens and all of Greece. It stands majestically at the top of the Acropolis and is considered the epitome of Doric architecture, the simplest of Greek architectural styles.