Discover the Acropolis of Athens

The Doric order is the style most used across the Acropolis's monuments, including the Parthenon itself -- the oldest and plainest of the classical Greek orders, with thick, unadorned columns (a base-diameter-to-height ratio of roughly 1:6) and sharply cut fluting, no separate column base, and a severe, martial character suited to the Acropolis's largest buildings.

The Ionic order also appears throughout the site, more slender (a ratio closer to 1:9) and more ornate, with distinctive scroll-like volutes at the top of each column. It's used in smaller buildings like the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion, and even appears inside the otherwise Doric Parthenon -- a deliberate mixing of styles that was itself a real architectural innovation for its time.