The Parthenon A Ionic temple
In the picture above we have two temple fronts: on the left the Athenian Parthenon and on the right the front of the Ionic temple of Artemis in Magnesia am Meander from the third century BC.
It is easy to see that the architectural intentions behind these two approaches are quite different, although both temples are octastyle, (eight columns in the front). Whereas in the Parthenon everything possible has been done to achieve the impression of a unity in plurality (double contraction of the corner intercolumniation, shorter metopes at the corner, and triglyphs situated in the corner in the usual Doric way), in the Ionic temple the intention is precisely the contrary. The middle intercolumniation has been widened to make access easier, the next two are of normal width, but the outermost has again been widened in strong contrast to the Doric approach.
Thus, we can conclude that contrary to the Doric temple the Ionic temple strives to achieve the impression of a multitude, a "forest of columns" even at the cost of unity. This difference of intentions has its base in the different value systems of the Ionian Greeks of the Middle-East and the Dorian city-states of the mainland Greece, and Athens as well, although, of course, ethnically Ionian. Of course, this intention is even more pronounced in the two gigantic Ionian temples, the temple of Hera on Samos and the Artemis temple of Ephesos, see the picture below.
It is easy to see that the architectural intentions behind these two approaches are quite different, although both temples are octastyle, (eight columns in the front). Whereas in the Parthenon everything possible has been done to achieve the impression of a unity in plurality (double contraction of the corner intercolumniation, shorter metopes at the corner, and triglyphs situated in the corner in the usual Doric way), in the Ionic temple the intention is precisely the contrary. The middle intercolumniation has been widened to make access easier, the next two are of normal width, but the outermost has again been widened in strong contrast to the Doric approach.
Thus, we can conclude that contrary to the Doric temple the Ionic temple strives to achieve the impression of a multitude, a "forest of columns" even at the cost of unity. This difference of intentions has its base in the different value systems of the Ionian Greeks of the Middle-East and the Dorian city-states of the mainland Greece, and Athens as well, although, of course, ethnically Ionian. Of course, this intention is even more pronounced in the two gigantic Ionian temples, the temple of Hera on Samos and the Artemis temple of Ephesos, see the picture below.