In the context of
classical Greek architecture, orthostates are squared stone blocks much greater in height than depth that are usually built into the lower portion of a wall. They are so called because they seem to "stand upright" rather than to lie on their sides. In other contexts the English term is usually
orthostat
This article describes several characteristic architectural elements typical of European megalithic (Stone Age) structures.
Forecourt
In archaeology, a forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb. Forecourts ...
. It is typical in Greek architecture for pairs of orthostates to form the thickness of a wall, one serving as the inner and the other serving as the outer face of the wall. Above a
course of orthostates, it is common to lay a course of stones spanning the width of the wall and joining its two faces (a binder course).
The term has been generalized for use in the description of the architecture of many cultures. In
Hittite and
Assyrian sculpture
Assyrian sculpture is the sculpture of the ancient Assyrian states, especially the Neo-Assyrian Empire of 911 to 612 BC, which was centered around the city of Assur in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) which at its height, ruled over all of Mesopotam ...
, orthostats are often intricately carved. The term may be used more generally of other upright-standing stones, including megalithic
menhirs
A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be found ...
.
See also
*
References
*Robertson, D. S. (1929) ''Handbook of Greek and Roman Architecture''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Architectural elements
Ancient Greek architecture
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