When we think of ancient Greece and Rome, the images that flash into our minds often involve monolithic buildings like the Parthenon and the Coliseum and, especially, the columns which supported them. These columns continue to influence architectural design to this day.

Whether Greek or Roman, columns usually consist of three fundamental parts: the base, which can be round or square; the shaft, which usually is fluted (grooved), or smooth; and the capital, which can be quite ornate.

Five types of columns have become common; however, designers have demonstrated some ingenuity in varying decorative touches.

Greek Doric columns are most common. The Parthenon in Athens provides a fine example of these. Greek Doric columns are plain, even to the capital. Unique among the five types, Greek Doric columns have no base.

Greek Ionic columns are characterized by a circular base and a shallow capital decorated with curled designs known as volutes.

Greek Corinthian columns have elaborate capitals, surpassed in detail only by the Roman Composite, which combined details of both the Corinthian and the Ionic. Corinthian columns feature rows of carved leaves, often extending partly down the shaft, making them particularly eye-catching if ceilings are high enough to support a decorated entablature or faux entablature, the horizontal section.

The Romans recognized a good thing when they saw it. No surprise, then, that early in their history they too incorporated columns into their architecture.

Roman Doric columns were similar to those of the Greeks, with the exception that the Romans provided a base.

Roman Tuscan columns were refined Doric, but even plainer. The shafts had no fluting, the capitals no decorative carving. These clean lines make them a contemporary favorite in house design.

Other subtle differences distinguish types of columns. For example, the width and depth of flutings of Greek and Roman Doric columns tend to have fewer, shallower flutings than others.

There are three basic column styles for single-family homes, derived from ancient Greek architecture.

Corinthian columns are the latest of the three Greek styles and show the influence of Egyptian columns in their capitals, which are shaped like inverted bells. Capitals are also decorated with olive, laurel, or acanthus leaves. Corinthian columns rest on a base similar to that of the Ionic style.

In modern times, features of the three styles were mixed. Greek-influenced columns are frequently found in Greek Revival, Neoclassic, and Southern Colonial homes. Later Neoclassic versions (beginning in late 1800s and early 1900s) of these columns were often thinner and didn't have fluting.

Although Greek-influenced columns are by the far the most widely used in modern architecture, other column styles also occur.

Egyptian columns are thought to be modeled after the shape of the lotus flower indigenous to the Nile. These columns taper out at the top and are often ornamented with palm-like leaves near the capital. Other features include horizontal rings about one-quarter and three-quarters of the way up the shaft. Variations on these columns appeared in Egyptian Revival homes built during the mid-1800s.

Romanesque columns were used by American architect Henry Hobson Richardson in the mid-1800s to support the massive Roman arches in his Romanesque Revival homes. These squat, square columns often rest on massive, trapezoid-shaped bases, or piers, and often have floral or other decorations on their capitals. Simpler pier columns, often with wider bottoms than tops, are also common in Mission and Craftsman homes.