Architectural Advances

The discovery and improvement of new building materials allowed architects to develop new designs. The construction of the arch and vault opened up new architectural possibilities to compliment the columns that had dominated Hellenistic architecture. While Greek architects were slower to embrace new materials and techniques than their Roman counterparts, architecture advanced significantly between 350BC and 100BC. The three traditional columnar orders – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian - were all adapted to allow for the construction of a variety of new buildings. To a layman, the designs at the top of columns became increasingly 'fussy'.