Architrave

The architrave (Italian architrave, from Greek ἀρχι - hierarchical " main" and Latin trabs " bar" ) is a resting on a row of supports horizontal beam, usually the main beam supporting the superstructure. In ancient times, the architrave was also called epistyle because he usually rested on columns (Greek epi - styl means " on columns ").

The architrave distributes the load of the top architectural structures, in particular, belonging to the roof rafters on piers or columns, but can also occur on the upper wall edge.

We distinguish between monolithic and ciliated pseudostratified architrave, in which several blocks come to lie one behind the other. When dimensioning the architrave you went to the limits of what is technically realizable. So weighed about the middle Architravblock at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus 24 tons and had to be lifted by pulleys to over 20 meters in height.

Architectural styles

The architrave appears already in the Egyptian, Near Eastern and pre-Greek architecture as well as supporting or as a decorative element in all standing in the footsteps of ancient architectural styles.

Depending on the style came out different shapes of the architrave used. Various forms have been developed especially for the Doric and the Ionic order in Greek architecture, which were later used for the Corinthian order. The Roman architecture modified, however, the Greek Architravformen only slightly.

The Doric architrave is usually smooth and is crowned at its upper end by a Taenia mentioned, projecting end strip. At the bottom of this supernatant Taenia turn are small strips, Regulae, attached to which conical drops guttae depend. The number of these guttae is set in a classic way to six, but just come in the early days of the Doric stone architecture also training with four guttae ago. The Regulae are distributed so that each corresponds to one of the Doric triglyphs regulators a Triglyphenfrieses. Although the outside of the architrave should usually be designed with a smooth, there are exceptions, where the architrave is the recipient of figurative reliefs, such as the Temple of Athena in Assos.

The originally very powerful and high architrave of the Doric architecture flat during the course of development and achieve in the classical period only about two-thirds of the lower column diameter to height. In Roman architecture can be even reduced to a flat plate of the Doric architrave.

The architrave of the Ionic and the Corinthian order can also be worked smooth, but usually has two or - classic - three horizontal stripes, called fascia, to. Depending on one speaks of a two-or three - fascia architrave, and doors or windows that are coated with fascia, you therefore also called architraviert. The upper fascia of the architrave collar each with slightly before the lower ones. The top section is a wave profile that is usually decorated with a string of pearls. Also in the Ionian architecture, there are exceptions to the rule, not to decorate the Architravfläche with reliefs. So the Architravecken were decorated with Gorgons about the archaic Temple of Apollo, Didyma, which joined lions on the sides. However, the early Ionic temples no independent Fries knew as a member, of such relief could have taken.

From Hellenism was the bottom of Ionic architrave, be especially decorated buildings at the Corinthian order, which were filled with simple rods or floral ornaments ( festoon ). Also take the decoration will of the architects and builders from the late Republic and the Principate of the fascia possession whose transitions are now covered with wave profiles, such as the lesbian kymation, and whole profile sequences.