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
The lesson
You've already seen the Parthenon and its rows of columns. 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 added their own inventions. 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 gave the world the arch, the dome, and concrete that builders still copy today.
Watch it
Where it sits
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.