Ionic (Style)

Ionic (Style) / adjective :

First Page Mentioned (By Name) : ch. “The Underwater Citadel of Yonaguni” – pg. 120

One of the Greek Classic Orders of Architecture, Ionic is a step between Doric and Corinthian columns, in terms of design and fortitude. The capital portion of a column (or the top part, the cap) presents scroll shaped ornamentation. The shaft is usually fluted or grooved, but can be plain; the thickness is 1/3rd the height; and it rests upon a base of stacked disks. You can typically see egg and dart designs between the volutes (or spiral scroll shaped ornaments), and the columns can flare out at both the top and the bottom.

This design dates to Ionian cities of the 6th century B.C. Ionia region, which is near modern day Turkey. It was a design predominately employed by a group of people known as, you guessed it: Ionians. It then took around 150 years for the style to take a foothold in more mainland Grecian designs, such as in Propylaia, the Temple of Nike and the Erechtheum.

Related Entries: Corinthian (Style); Doric (Style)

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