Greek and Roman Architecture
Identify Greek column styles: Doric (plain and sturdy), Ionic (scroll-shaped capitals), and Corinthian (ornate leafy capitals), and Roman architectural innovations: the arch, the dome, and concrete, and spot their influence in modern public buildings such as courthouses, museums, government buildings, and monuments
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify the three Greek column orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian) from pictures
- Name Roman architectural innovations: the arch, the dome, and concrete
- Point out Greek or Roman architectural features in a modern public building
1 · Read
You've already seen the Parthenon and its rows of columns. Look around your own town and you might spot the same kind of columns on a courthouse, a museum, or a bank. Greek builders used three main column styles, and each one looks different at the top, in a part called the capital.
Doric columns are plain and sturdy, with a flat, undecorated top. Ionic columns have a top shaped like two rolled-up scrolls. Corinthian columns are the fanciest, with a top covered in carved leaves.
The Romans built on Greek ideas and made three building tricks famous. They used the arch to hold up weight over open spaces, the dome to cover huge round rooms, and a strong concrete that let them build bigger and faster. The Pantheon in Rome still has its concrete dome standing today.
Next time you pass a courthouse, museum, or government building, look at the columns and the roof. Plain columns are Doric, scrolled ones are Ionic, and leafy ones are Corinthian. A rounded roof or curved doorway often borrows the Roman arch or dome.
Doric is plain, Ionic has scrolls, Corinthian has leaves, and Rome made the arch, the dome, and concrete famous, so builders still copy them today.
More to read
Classical Greek culture
The ancient Greeks were amazing builders and artists. They created beautiful temples with columns in three styles, plain Doric, scroll topped Ionic, and leafy Corinthian. They made statues that looked so real people thought they might move. The Greeks also loved theater, philosophy, and sports. Their ideas did not stay in Greece. The Romans admired Greek buildings and copied their column styles, then made three building tricks famous: the arch, the dome, and concrete. Greek and Roman architecture spread across Europe and beyond, which is why so many government buildings, museums, and monuments today still wear those classic looks. When you see columns on a courthouse or a dome on a capitol, you are seeing ideas that started in ancient Greece and Rome.
2 · Watch
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