Arch History Vocab- First Half

Abacus

The square top of a Doric capital; in other orders, the uppermost part of the capital supporting the architrave.

Acroterion / Acroterium

An upright ornament, floral or figured, placed at the corners and apex of a pediment.

Adyton

A back chamber in the temple, located behind and accessible from the cella.

Amphiprostyle

A temple with a prostyle portico of columns at both the front and rear, but none along the sides.

Antefix

A decorated upright tile placed on the overhanging edge of a tiled roof.

Anuli

Small rings (necking rings) around the neck of a Doric capital, also called annulets.

Architrave

The lowest horizontal course of the entablature, resting directly on the capitals.

Areostylos

A temple with very wide intercolumniations, equal to four column diameters.

Bolster

In an Ionic capital, is the cylindrical or slightly concave element connecting the two volutes, visible on the sides of the capital.

Caryatid

A sculpted female figure used as a supporting element in place of a column.

Channel

In an Ionic capital, is the concave element connecting the volutes, visible on the front face of the capital.

Cornice

The upper projecting course of the entablature, designed to throw rainwater off the building.

Crepidoma / Krepis

The stepped platform of a temple, consisting of the stylobate and its substructure.

Dentils

Rectangular blocks forming a decorative band beneath the cornice in Ionic and Corinthian architecture.

Diastylos

A temple with intercolumniations equal to three column diameters

Dipteral

A temple surrounded by a double row of columns.

Echinus

The convex or cushion-shaped molding forming the main part of a Doric capital below the abacus.

Egg-and-Dart Motif

A decorative molding of alternating oval (egg-shaped) and pointed (dart-shaped) elements.

Eustylos

A temple with intercolumniations equal to 2¼ column diameters, considered the ideal spacing by Vitruvius.

Fillet

A narrow flat band separating or bounding moldings or flutes.

Frieze

The horizontal band of the entablature between the architrave and the cornice, often decorated.

Genus

A category or type; in architecture, refers to a class or family of design forms.

Gutta

Small conical projections under the mutules and regulae in the Doric order

Hypaethral

Describing a building partly open to the sky, such as a temple without a roof over the cella.

Hypothrachelion

The part of a column right below the necking, often with annulets in the Doric order

In Antis

Describes columns placed between projecting antae at the end of a temple cella.

Intercolumniation

The spacing between adjacent columns.

Leaf-and-Dart Motif

A decorative motif of alternating leaf and dart patterns.

Monopteros

A circular temple consisting of a single ring of columns without a cella.

Mutulus

A rectangular block under the Doric cornice bearing rows of guttae.

Naiskos

A small shrine with the form of a miniature temple

Naos / Cella

The principal inner chamber of a temple containing the cult statue.

Opisthodomos

A rear porch at the back of a temple, often used for storage of offerings

Pediment

The triangular gable formed by the sloping roof above the entablature, framed by horizontal and raking cornices, and often filled with sculptural decoration.

Peripteral

A temple surrounded by a single row of columns

Peripteral Sine Postico

A temple peripteral on the front and sides but not at the rear.

Peristyle

A colonnade surrounding a courtyard, garden, or building.

Picnostylos

A temple with closely spaced columns, the intercolumniation being one and a half column diameters.

Podium

A raised platform or base supporting a structure

Pronaos

The front porch or vestibule leading into the cella of a temple.

Prostyle

Describes a plan in which columns are placed in front of the projecting antae at the end of the cella.

Pseudo-Dipteral

A temple with a single peristyle spaced to give the impression of a double one.

Pseudo-Peripteral

A temple with engaged columns attached to the outer walls instead of a free peristyle

Pteron

Literally meaning ‘wing’, it designates the space between peristyle columns and the cella wall.

Regula

A small projecting band below the taenia in the Doric order, usually bearing six guttae.

Sistylos

A temple with intercolumniations equal to two column diameters.

Stylobate

The uppermost step of the crepidoma, forming the platform on which the columns stand.

Taenia

A narrow, horizontal molding across the top of the architrave in the Doric order.

Tholos

A circular temple, typically including a cella surrounded by columns.

Trachelion

The neck of a column, between the shaft and the capital.

Treasury

A small temple-like building used to store votive offerings

Volute

A spiral scroll, characteristic of Ionic capitals.