Something essential to know about Greek columns

We’ve all seen columns – there are a lot of neoclassical-style buildings in America. I guess at one point in America’s history people thought that the classical style was the ultimate expression of power or authority, even though I tend to find it gross. I don’t really like neoclassical architecture. I think all those old government buildings should be razed and modern, ecologocally-efficient, and more interesting ones should be built. If you go to Germany you will see a lot of amazing, modern architecture that to me is moving forward, not backwards, which is the direction we should be wanting to move.

That said, there is something worth knowing about columns. If you ever look up at one near the top (the “capital”) you will see a familiar pattern that kind of looks like leaves. While that form may be alien to people in the United States, in ancient Greece it may have been much more familiar because it is based on a plant called Acanthus.

In reading recently I came across this article on Wikipedia about Acanthus as an architectural ornament.

Another term worth knowing related to foilage-based architectural ornamentation is palmette, a design based on – you guessed it – palm leaves.