Ionic Columns
The Ionic Order
The Temple Of Athena Nike
The Greek Ionic was a more decorative column invented by the Greeks of the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor. The Ionic column is more slender than the Doric and is about 9-10 times the height of the diameter of the bottom of the shaft. About 24 flutes divided by fillets, or flat surfaces, run along the column vertically. The capital has volutes, or scrolls, that separate the echinus from the abacus. This column has a special quality called "entasis" which is a bulge in the column that helps it appear straight from long distances. The cornice is generally triangular, and the frienze is plain.
