The
Greeks had three "orders" (or styles) of columns:
The Doric which was the first, then the Ionic, and last the Corinthian.
Each order had a specific set of proportions the builders had to follow.
Later in history, architects and builders took more liberties with these"
orders" and developed a form of "free classical" -styled
architecture that we see in many of our Victorian and modern-styled
buildings.
Pediments and tympanums also have been handed down through the years as places to put special kinds of ornamentation such as scalloped shingles, sawn scroll-work and bas-relief.