Peristyle

Reconstruction of a Roman peristyle surrounding a courtyard in Pompeii, Italy

In ancient Greek[1] and Roman architecture,[2] a peristyle (/ˈpɛrɪˌstaɪl/; Ancient Greek: περίστυλον, romanized: perístulon)[3][4] is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. Tetrastoön (τετράστῳον/τετράστοον, tetrástōion/tetrástoon, 'four arcades')[5] is a rarely used archaic term for this feature.[6] The peristyle in a Greek temple is a peristasis (περίστασις, perístasis).[7] In the Christian ecclesiastical architecture that developed from the Roman basilica, a courtyard peristyle and its garden came to be known as a cloister.

  1. ^ J. A. Dickmann. "The peristyle and the transformation of domestic space in Hellenistic Pompeii", Journal of Roman Archeology 1997.
  2. ^ A. Frazer, "Modes of European Courtyard Design before the Medieval Cloister" Gesta, 1973; K. E. Meyer, "Axial peristyle houses in the western empire", Journal of Roman Archaeology, 1999; S. Hales, The Roman House and Social Identity 2003.
  3. ^ Harper, Douglas. "peristyle". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  4. ^ περίστυλον. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
  5. ^ τετράστοον in Liddell and Scott.
  6. ^ "Tetrastoön" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 671.
  7. ^ περίστασις in Liddell and Scott.