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Acroterion

 
(′ak·rə′tir·ē′än)

(architecture) Also known as acroterium. A pedestal on a pediment to support an ornamental, such as a statue. An ornamental placed on such a pedestal.


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Archaeology Dictionary: acroterion
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[Co]

The sculptured figure, tripod, disc or urn, of bronze, marble, or terracotta, placed on the apex of the pediment of a Greek temple or other substantial building; sometimes also above the outer angles of the pediment triangle.

Wikipedia: Acroterion
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Examples of acroteria.
A modern acroterion, in the Art Deco style. Approximately 2m tall, removed.

An acroterion or acroterium is an architectural ornament placed on a flat base called the acroter or plinth, and mounted at the apex of the pediment of a building in the Classical style. It may also be placed at the outer angles of the pediment; such acroteria are referred to as acroteria angularia. The acroterion may take a wide variety of forms, such as a statue, tripod, disc, urn, palmette or some other sculpted feature. Acroteria are also found in gothic architecture.[citation needed]

The word comes from the Greek ἀκρωτήριον 'summit'; it was Latinized by the Romans as acroterium.

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acroterion, acroter, acroterium
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Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Acroterion" Read more