Amphiprostyle

Northeast view of the Temple of Athena Nike, an amphiprostyle temple.
Plan of the temple at Jebel Khalid

In classical architecture, amphiprostyle (from the Greek ἀμφί (amphi), on both sides, and πρόστυλος (prostylos), a portico) denotes an ancient temple with a portico both at the front and the rear,[1] where the columns on the narrow sides are not between antae.[2] The number of columns rarely exceeded four in the front and four in the rear. The best-known example is the tetrastyle small Temple of Athena Nike at Athens. Other known examples are the Temple of Artemis Agrotera outside Athens,[3] and the hexastyle Temple of the Athenians at Delos.[4]

Amphiprostyle temples without columns on the sides may be termed "apteral" (from the Greek απτερος, "wingless": α-, "without" + πτερον, "wing"). The Athena Nike temple is one such example.[5]

  1. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Amphiprostyle". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 891.
  2. ^ White 1990, p. 50.
  3. ^ "Ναός Αργοτέρας Αρτέμιδος - Welcome". www.artemisagrotera.org.
  4. ^ "Delos, Athenian Temple of Apollo (Building)". www.perseus.tufts.edu.
  5. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Apteral". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 234.