Classical orders is the five canonical systems of column-and-entablature design — doric, ionic, corinthian, tuscan, composite — inherited from greco-roman architecture.
The classical orders are the codified systems of column, capital, and entablature inherited from ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The three Greek orders — Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian — emerged between roughly the 7th and 4th centuries BCE. The Doric is the oldest and simplest: sturdy, fluted shafts without bases, plain cushion-like capitals. The Ionic introduced the volute (scroll-shaped capital), slimmer proportions, and a base. The Corinthian capital, decorated with stylised acanthus leaves, became the most ornate. The Romans added two further orders: the Tuscan (a simplified Doric) and the Composite (a fusion of Ionic and Corinthian). Vitruvius's 'De architectura' (1st century BCE) systematised the orders for the Roman world. Their codified revival in the Renaissance (Alberti, Serlio, Palladio, Vignola) established the orders as the universal grammar of Western monumental architecture for the next four centuries — visible on every major bank, capitol, museum, and law court built between 1500 and 1900.