What are the three Classical orders of Greek architecture?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

All Classical Greek temples were composed of three vertical elements—the platform, the column, and the entablature—which constituted their elevation. The relationship of these three units was referred to as the elevation’s order. There are three orders: the Doric, the Ionic, and the Corinthian, each distinguished by its specific design. The Ionic order was more elongated than the Doric and was characterized by its spiral scrolled capital, called a volute. The Corinthian order was distinguished by its capital’s flowery burst of acanthus leaves. The columns of all three orders were fluted—that is, channeled—although the Ionic and Corinthian flutes were deeper and separated by flat surfaces called fillets. The Classical Greek orders became the basic design elements for architecture from ancient Greek times to the present day. A major source of their power was the sense of order, predictability, and proportion that they embodied. The upper elements of each order—the elements constituting the entablature—change as the column supporting them becomes narrower and taller. In the Doric order, the architrave (the bottom layer of the entablature), and the frieze (the flat band just above the architrave decorated with sculpture, painting, or moldings), are comparatively massive. The Doric is the heaviest of the columns. The Ionic is lighter and noticeably smaller. The Corinthian is smaller yet, seemingly supported by leaves.