Editing Classical order (section)

== Elements ==

Each style has distinctive [[capital (architecture)|capital]]s at the top of columns and horizontal [[entablature]]s which it supports, while the rest of the building does not in itself vary between the orders. The column shaft and base also varies with the order, and is sometimes articulated with vertical concave grooves known as [[Fluting (architecture)|fluting]]. The shaft is wider at the bottom than at the top, because its [[entasis]], beginning a third of the way up, imperceptibly makes the column slightly more slender at the top, although some Doric columns, especially early Greek ones, are visibly "flared", with straight profiles that narrow going up the shaft.

The capital rests on the shaft. It has a load-bearing function, which concentrates the weight of the entablature on the supportive column, but it primarily serves an aesthetic purpose. The necking is the continuation of the shaft, but is visually separated by one or many grooves. The [[Molding (decorative)|echinus]] lies atop the necking. It is a circular block that bulges outwards towards the top to support the [[Abacus (architecture)|abacus]], which is a square or shaped block that in turn supports the entablature. The entablature consists of three horizontal layers, all of which are visually separated from each other using moldings or bands. In Roman and post-Renaissance work, the entablature may be carried from column to column in the form of an [[arch]] that springs from the column that bears its weight, retaining its divisions and sculptural enrichment, if any. There are names for all the many parts of the orders.