Doric Measure and Architectural Design 2: A Modular Reading of the Classical Temple

The design of ancient Greek Doric temples is an evergreen topic for architectural history, art history and archaeology, because of the fundamental importance of these building for both ancient Greek culture and classical architecture. To date analysis of these monuments has tended to focus on single buildings, yet comparison is vital for detecting patterns of practice. To date comparative studies have been few, and have been too broad and thinly spread. This study brings exacting comparative methods to bear on the analysis of a group of temples. This shows that they were designed according to a combination of proportional and modular principles, with the key module being the triglyph width. Such a method is not only simple and practical, it aligns well with the evidence of ancient texts, thus superseding previous interpretations. The metrological aspects of this work, and the emphasis on a foot of 327 mm long, has found recent confirmation (AJA Spring 2006) in the first Greek wooden measuring rule ever found.