What does amphiprostylar mean?
Amphiprostylar is a specialized adjective of classical architecture used to describe a temple or similar building that carries columns at both its front and rear porticoes while lacking any colonnade along its sides. The term derives from Greek roots — amphi-, meaning 'on both sides,' and stylos, meaning 'pillar' — and belongs to the vocabulary Vitruvius and later architectural historians employed to classify temple plans. An amphiprostylar building stands between the simpler prostyle type, which has a columned porch only at the front, and the grander peripteral type, which is ringed by columns on all sides. Because it names such a precise structural arrangement, the word appears almost exclusively in scholarly texts, encyclopedias, and courses on ancient architecture rather than in general conversation. Its close relative, the noun amphiprostyle, refers to the building type itself, making the pair useful for anyone reading seriously about Greek temple design.
adjectiveDescribing a classical building, especially a Greek temple, that has columns at both the front and the rear portico but none along its sides.
- Of a classical temple or building: having a colonnade at both the front and rear porticoes, with no side colonnades.
"The small temple at Rhamnus is often cited as an amphiprostylar structure, with columned porches at each end and plain walls along the flanks."
"Vitruvius classified the amphiprostylar temple among the simpler arrangements, distinguished by its paired porticoes."
"Students of classical architecture learn to identify an amphiprostylar plan by counting columns at the ends rather than along the sides."
In ancient Greece, some temples wore their columns like bookends — just at the front and back, leaving the sides as blank walls.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of amphiprostylar
The word combines the Greek prefix amphi- ('on both sides' or 'around'), also seen in amphitheater and amphora, with stylos ('pillar'), the same root that gives us prostyle, stylobate, and ultimately 'style' in its architectural sense. It entered English through Latin-influenced architectural scholarship, alongside the noun amphiprostyle, which denotes the corresponding temple type. Both terms reflect the classification system for temples set out by the Roman architect Vitruvius and elaborated by later European writers on architecture.
Related word forms
How amphiprostylar is actually used
A technical term of classical architecture, used almost exclusively in scholarly writing, architectural history, and dictionaries; it rarely appears in everyday speech. It functions attributively, describing buildings or plans rather than standing alone.
Easily confused with amphiprostylar
A prostyle building has columns only at the front portico, whereas an amphiprostylar building has them at both front and rear.
A peripteral temple is surrounded by columns on all sides, while an amphiprostylar one has columns only at the two ends.