Ante-fixae or Antefixes (from Latin antefigere, to fasten before) are the vertical blocks which terminate the covering tiles of the roof of a Roman, Etruscan, or Greek temple, or other building; as spaced they take the place of the cymatium and form a cresting along the sides of the temple. In grand buildings the face of the stone ante-fixae was richly carved, often with the anthemion ornament. In less grand buildings moulded ceramic antefixes, usually terracotta, might be decorated with figures or other ornament, especially in the Roman period. By this time they were found on many large buildings, including private houses.
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References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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