THE MARBLE COLUMNS THROUGH THE HISTORY
From the Iron Age all the great Mediterranean and oriental cultures have used marble columns as a base and decorative point of their constructions. One of the first samples is found in Egypt, more than 4,500 years ago. Its aspects to emphasize were a cylindrical shaft and capitals adorned with floral motifs, lotuses, palms or papyri.
The Persians built some of the most elaborate columns of the ancient era, highlighting those of Persepolis, which were made with capitals decorated with heads of bulls.
The Greco-Roman civilization used them assiduously both in interior and exterior constructions, especially in the porticos, where over time the classical architectural orders were developed: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
These elements lost something of importance throughout the Middle Ages, where the classical orders were abandoned in favor of more ductile designs, with capitals that incorporated floral or figurative decoration corresponding to Gothic and Romanesque. In spite of everything, the marble columns returned with force with the era of the Renaissance and they were conserved during centuries accommodating themselves to the styles of the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassicism.
Finally, the Industrial Revolution and its innovative construction materials such as steel and reinforced concrete relieved the columns by beams, and the natural stone columns eventually passed away from forming part of the foundation framework of buildings to move to a aspect only of decoration.
The Persians built some of the most elaborate columns of the ancient era, highlighting those of Persepolis, which were made with capitals decorated with heads of bulls.
The Greco-Roman civilization used them assiduously both in interior and exterior constructions, especially in the porticos, where over time the classical architectural orders were developed: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
These elements lost something of importance throughout the Middle Ages, where the classical orders were abandoned in favor of more ductile designs, with capitals that incorporated floral or figurative decoration corresponding to Gothic and Romanesque. In spite of everything, the marble columns returned with force with the era of the Renaissance and they were conserved during centuries accommodating themselves to the styles of the Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassicism.
Finally, the Industrial Revolution and its innovative construction materials such as steel and reinforced concrete relieved the columns by beams, and the natural stone columns eventually passed away from forming part of the foundation framework of buildings to move to a aspect only of decoration.
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