Geison ({{langx, grc, γεῖσον – often interchangeable with somewhat broader term

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

) is an architectural term of relevance particularly to ancient Greek and Roman buildings, as well as archaeological publications of the same. The geison is the part of the

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

that projects outward from the top of the frieze in the

Doric order The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of t ...

and from the top of the frieze course (or sometimes architrave) of the Ionic and Corinthian orders; it forms the outer edge of the roof on the sides of a structure with a sloped roof. The upper edge of the exterior often had a drip edge formed as a hawksbeak molding to shed water; there were also typically elaborate moldings or other decorative elements, sometimes painted. Above the geison ran the

sima Sima or SIMA may refer to: People * Sima (Chinese surname) * Sima (Persian given name), a Persian feminine name in use in Iran and Turkey * Sima (Indian given name), an Indian feminine name used in South Asia * Sima (surname) * Sima (born 1 ...

. The underside of the geison may be referred to as a

soffit A soffit is an exterior architectural feature, generally the horizontal, aloft underside of the roof edge. Its archetypal form, sometimes incorporating or implying the projection of rafters or trusses over the exterior of supporting walls, is t ...

. The form of a geison (particularly the Hawksbeak molding of the outer edge) is often used as one element of the argument for the chronology of its building.

Horizontal geison

The horizontal ''geison'' runs around the full perimeter of a

Greek temple Greek temples (, semantically distinct from Latin , " temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, since the sacrifices and ritu ...

, projecting from the top of the entablature to protect it from the elements and as a decorative feature.It may be compared to the eaves of modern structures. Horizontal ''geisa'' may be found in other ancient structures that are built according to one of the architectural orders. The horizontal

(with its antefixes and water-spouts) ran above the horizontal geison along the sides of a building, acting as a rain gutter and final decoration.

Doric order

In the Doric order, the sloped underside of the horizontal ''geison'' is decorated with a series of protruding, rectangular mutules aligned with the

triglyph Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are ...

s and

metope A metope (; ) is a rectangular architectural element of the Doric order, filling the space between triglyphs in a frieze , a decorative band above an architrave. In earlier wooden buildings the spaces between triglyphs were first open, and ...

s of the Doric frieze below. Each mutule typically had three rows of six '' guttae'' (decorative conical projections) protruding from its underside. The gaps between the mutules are termed ''viae'' (roads). The effect of this decoration was to thematically link the entire Doric entablature (architrave, frieze, and ''geisa'') with a repeating pattern of vertically and horizontally aligned architectural elements. Use of the hawksbill molding at the top of the projecting segment is common, as is the undercutting of the lower edge to aid in dispersing rainwater. In order to separate the ''geison'' from the frieze visually, there is typically a bed molding aligned with the face of the triglyphs.

Ionic and Corinthian orders

Horizontal ''geisa'' of these orders relied on moldings rather than the mutules of the Doric order for their decoration.

Raking geison

A raking ''geison'' ran along the top edge of a pediment, on a temple or other structure such as the ''

aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...

'' of a ''scaenae frons'' (theater stage building). This element was typically less decorative than the horizontal ''geison'', and often of a differing profile from the horizontal ''geison'' of the same structure. The difference is particularly marked in the Doric order, where the raking ''geison'' lacks the distinctive mutules. The raking sima ran over the raking ''geison'' as a decorative finish and, essentially, a rain gutter.

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