Ionic order : eye-AH-nik

Architectural style presumably developed in Ionia and on some of the Greek islands by the 6th century BC. More ornamental and graceful than Doric. Considered by ancient Greeks to be feminine as opposed to the more masculine Doric style. The Ionic column rests on an elaborate curving base; column shaft more slender than Doric style (height to base ratio of early Ionic columns: 8 to 1, Doric ratio: 4 to 1 and 6 to 1); fluting on shaft is more prominent than on Doric column; significant detail is found in the capital: two spiral volutes (design element resembling partially unrolled scrolls; Ionic capital is directional, (front and back are different than the sides). The typical Ionic entablature features an architrave with three parallel.