Retrospective Columns - Ionic Capitals and Perceptions of the Past in Greek Architecture (Pre-order Autumn 2025)

An innovative study of how and why ancient Greek builders sometimes combined older and contemporary carving styles when making capitalsThe Ionic order of ancient Greek architecture gradually evolved over the course of the sixth century BCE. In Retrospective Columns, Samuel Holzman examines an overlooked group of nine Ionic monuments that are varied in design but have capitals that combine the pillowy, convex volutes of sixth-century Ionia on one side and the crisp concave volutes of more contemporary styles on the other. Such hybrid capitals had a surprising longevity and range, spanning Greece, Italy, and Turkey between 550 and 250 BCE.