The Ionic Column.

• The Ionic style of classical Greek column is just that: an architectural element, a column, a support structure and a decorative element. It consists of three parts: base, shaft and capital.
  
  

Origins

• The Ionic column was a newer style than the archaic Doric column. It was developed mainly in the south of the region, on the islands in the Aegean Sea.
  
  

Base

• Unlike the Doric column, which rises straight from a temple floor without a decorative base, the Ionic column begins with an elaborate multi-layered base.
  
  

Column, or Shaft

• The Ionic shaft, the straight column portion, is thinner and more delicate than the older doric column, has vertical grooves running top to bottom. It generally remains close to the same width from top to bottom.
  
  

Capital

• The capital is the top portion of the Ionic column, and it is the feature that is most distinctly recognizable on the column. It has a curling scroll design on either side of the top, technically known as a "volute." Finally, there is a thin cement piece finishing the top of the capital, called an abacus.
  
  

Examples

• One of the most typical examples of the Ionic column comes from the renowned Acropolis, in Athens. The Erectheum was constructed around 400 B.C. and served as a place of worship.