Midterm Key Terms - History of Architecture I

Key terms for the first half of the semester

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 the front and rear, but none along the sides

Antefix

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

Anuli (also called annulets)

Small rings (necking rings) around the neck of a Doric capital

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, the bolster 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, 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 and pointed elements

Eustylos

A temple with intercolumniations equal to 2 ¼ 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