Araeostyle (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: ''araeostylos,'' from grc, ἀραιόστυλος, from αραιος, "weak" or "widely spaced", and grc, στυλος, "column") is one of five categories of
intercolumniation (the spacing between the
columns
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression membe ...
of a
colonnade
In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...
) described by the Roman architect
Vitruvius
Vitruvius (; c. 80–70 BC – after c. 15 BC) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work entitled '' De architectura''. He originated the idea that all buildings should have three attribut ...
. Of all the ancient architectural categories, the araeostyle has the widest spacing of columns, with an intercolumniation equal to four column diameters. Because of the wide
span
Span may refer to:
Science, technology and engineering
* Span (unit), the width of a human hand
* Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports
* Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft
* Sorbitan ester ...
, timber rather than
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
architraves were used.
Vitruvius names three examples of araeostyle temples: the
Temple of Ceres
The Sanctuary of Ceres, Liber and Libera (Latin: ''Aedes Cereris, Liberi et Liberae'') was a temple to Ceres, Liber Pater and Libera (equivalent to Demeter, Dionysus and Kore or Ariadne) built on the Aventine Hill in Rome. It was dedicated in 49 ...
,
Pompey's Temple of Hercules, and
the Temple on the Capitoline Hill.
[Vitruvius, ''De architectura'', iii.3.6.]
References
Colonnades
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