When intended for containing statues, vases, or other works of sculpture, they should be contrived to exhibit them to the best advantage, and consequently the plainer the niche, the better will it answer the design, as every species of ornament, whether of mouldings or sculpture, has a tendency to confuse the outline.
I having described the several parts of which the buill ings of the Greeks and Romans were chiefly composed, we shall proceed to give some account of the principal edifices in which they were introduced, leaving the in vestigation of the other parts of practice, which relate more immediately to modern works, till we come to speak of the revival of Roman architecture in Europe. The edi fices now to be treated of are ancient temples and villas: Their places or public exercises and amusements are referred to other articles in this work.
Of Greek TenzAles.
The Greek temples were all of an oblong form, with an entrance in the middle of one or both of the shortest sides. The roofs were generally continued (except in the hypxthral) in the direction of the long( st si Ics, ter minatint: at eable ends or pediments, raised in the shape of the roof upon the shortest sides or ends. One of the orders of architecture was usually employed upon a part or the whole of the edifice. They were distinguished into different sorts, either from some parts of the gene ral form, or the number or distribution of the columns, or the distance at which these were placed from each other.
1. When a pat t of the inside space next the walls was covered with a roof, and the middle left uncovered, the temple was named Hylliethral.
2. When there were columns only at the end where the entrance was, the temple was named Prostyle.
3. When there were columns at both ends, the temple was named Amphiprostyle.
4. When there were columns at both ends, and also along each side, the latter being placed at a distance from the outside of the walls equal to that between those at the ends, and the columns at each angle standing in a line with, and being common to each row in the adjoin ing sides, the temple was named Peripteral.
5. \Vhen along each side there were two rows of co lumns at a distance from each other, and the inner row from the walls equal to the distance between the columns at the ends, all the other circumstances remaining the same as in the preceding definition, the temple was named Dipteral.
6. When all the circumstances in the two immediate ly preceding definitions remain the same, only the inner row of columns on each side being removed, the temple is denominated Pseudodipteral.
7. When there arc columns at each end, and the sides have attached columns, projecting only half or a greater part of their diameter, the temple is named Pseudodipte ral.
8. When the side walls are continued, so as to be in a line with the column at one or both ends, so as to occupy the place of the angular columns, by supporting the en tablature, the end of each projecting wall being termi nated by vertical rectangular prisms, having mouldings in place of a capital at the top, the temple is said to be in 4ntis.
Temples also receive appellations from the number of columns placed at one or both ends, and in all those of Grecian origin, with the exception of that at Paestum, (which has nine) the number is always even. When there are 4, 6, 8, or 10, the temple is said to be Tetra style, Hexastyle, Octostyle, or Decastyle.
The temple in antis, had usually only two intermediate columns.
The prostyle temples were generally tetrastyle, or with four columns.
The hexastyle and octostyle were generally periptcral, though there is an exception in the octostyle temple of Bacchus at Tens, being pseudodiptcral.
The decastylc peripteral temples were generally by pxthral, but the Parthenon at Athens is octostyle by pxthral. This arises from its great breadth.
Temples had also names depending on the distance at which the columns were placed from each other. The interval is called intercolumniation, and is measured by the lower diameter of the shaft. When it is If diame ter, it is named Pycnostyle ; when 2, Systyle ; when 21, Eustyle ; when 3f, Diastyle ; and when 4, Areostyle. Of all these, the eustyle has been most generally prac tised both by the ancients and modems.