Eternal Forms: Greek Architecture Then and Now
A
woman's body is more slender and elegant than a man's. And the temples to
Greek goddesses should be more slender and elegant than the temples to male
gods. The Greeks noticed that a woman's proportions are expressed in the
ratio 8:1. That meant that a woman's height was eight times the length of her
foot. Note: this does not mean that a woman is bigger than a man; it
means that it takes 8 of her feet to equal her height. This means she is smaller
and more slender.
Here is a column built on the ratio of a woman (its
height is 8 times the length of its base.) Notice that it is much more slender
than the Doric column. Notice also that it is more decorative and
beautiful. The capital has a rolling pattern and is fancier than the plain
Doric order. The Greeks called this type of architecture the Ionic Order
because of the area of Greece where it originated.
Below is the entire Ionic Order.