It represents a crucial turning point in Mediterranean architecture since it was at this moment that monumental construction made the transition from impermanent materials such as wood- to permanent ones, namely stone.
Doric columns were stouter and thicker, but also more simple and plain, in comparison with the Ionic and the Corinthian ones, with smoother and rounder capitals. They come without an individual base and they are placed directly on the stylobate.
Early examples of the order are considered the sanctuary of Hera at Argos, as well as the early Doric capitals that were a part of the Temple of Athena Pronaia at Delphi in central Greece.
The Ionian capital is characterized by two opposed volutes (also called ‘’scrolls’’) in its echinus, and by thin, fluted pillars with a large base.
The echinus is decorated with an egg-and-dart motif, while the Ionic shaft comes with four more flutes than the Doric one (24 in total). The base of the pillar has two curved moldings called tori, separated by a scotia.