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The most important remains from the Archaic period are the temples, the design of which changed radically after the prevalence of ashlar masonry. Their most characteristic element is the columns that were used either in front of the main building (prostyle), or around (peristyle). It is certain that many temples of the Geometric period, already had a wooden peristyle, but only in the Archaic temples did the use of the column have such an extent and importance, that it is considered till today an inseparable element of Greek architecture.
The design of earlier temples had over-emphasized the lengthwise axis, trying to impress the worshippers with their impressively long narrow interior space. The length and the width of some temples are calculated as multiples of different types of the Hellenic foot (Doric, Ionic, Samian). The length of many temples corresponds to a hundred feet, and are called hecatompeda. However, from the beginning of the
Later the number of columns at the facade was increased thus creating a colonnade, which was placed in front of the antae, whereas sometimes a similar colonnade was placed at the back of the temple. This is the prostyle and the amphiprostyle type of temple, respectively. When the whole building is surrounded by a colonnade, we call this type the peripteral temple. Sometimes, in particular, the colonnade is double and then the temple is called dipteral. When the double row of columns appear only its narrow sides, the temple belongs to the type called the pseudodipteral.
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