Doric is the oldest and simplest of the three classical Greek column orders, alongside the Ionic and Corinthian orders. The Doric column has a sober, powerful character, with a plain capital and no base. The order is named after the Doric people of ancient Greece and developed mainly during the Archaic and Classical periods (8th–5th century BC).
Features of the Doric order
The Doric column has a clear set of features:
- No base — the column stands directly on the stylobate (the platform of the temple)
- Flutes — 20 broad, shallow flutes meeting in sharp arrises, running the full height
- Entasis — a subtle swelling at the middle of the shaft
- Simple capital — made up of an echinus (rounded cushion) and an abacus (square slab)
- Entablature — consists of an architrave, a frieze (with alternating triglyphs and metopes) and a cornice
Proportions
In the classical Doric order, the column height is 4 to 7 times the column diameter. Early Doric columns are squat (×4); later examples are slimmer (×6 or ×7).
Examples
Classical examples of Doric buildings:
- Parthenon — Athens (5th century BC)
- Temple of Hephaestus — Athens
- Temple of Poseidon — Paestum (Italy)
- Temple of Aphaea — Aegina
Roman and later Doric
The Romans adapted the Doric order and often added a base. Later, in the Renaissance and Neoclassical periods, the order was reused on government buildings, banks and monuments as a symbol of sobriety and strength.
Related terms
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