in architecture, a round pillar made to support and adorn a building, and composed of a base, a shaft, and capital. See Architecture, no. 33.

Columns, denominated from their use.—Astronomical column is a kind of observatory, in form of a very high tower built hollow, and with a spiral ascent to an armillary sphere placed a-top for observing the motions of the heavenly bodies. Such is that of the Doric order erected at the Hotel de Soiffons at Paris by Catharine de Medicis for the observations of Orontius Fineus, a celebrated astronomer of that time.

Chronological Column, that which bears some historical inscription digested according to the order of time; as by lustrums, olympiads, fausti, epochas, annals, &c. At Athens, there were columns of this kind, wherein were inscribed the whole history of Greece digested into olympiads.

Funeral Column, that which bears an urn, wherein are supposed to be inclosed the ashes of some deceased hero; and whose shaft is sometimes overlaid with tears and flames, which are symbols of grief and of immortality.

Gnomonic Column, a cylinder whereinon the hour of the day is represented by the shadow of a style. See Dial.

Historical Column, is that whose shaft is adorned with a baso-relief, running in a spiral line its whole length, and containing the history of some great personage; such are the Trajan and Antonine columns at Rome.

Hollow Column, that which has a spiral stair-case withinside for the convenience of ascending to the top; as the Trajan column, the stair-case whereof consists of 185 steps, and is illuminated by 43 little windows, each of which is divided by tambours of white marble. The monument, or fire-column, at London, has also a stair-case; but it does not reach to the top. These kinds of columns are also called columnae coelidiae, or coeliadie.

Indicative Column, that which serves to show the tides, &c. along the sea-coasts. Of this kind there is one at Grand Cairo of marble, whereon the overflowing of the Nile are expressed; by this they form a judgment of the succeeding season; when the water, for instance, ascends to 23 feet, it is a sign of great fertility in Egypt. See Nilometer.

Instructive Column, that raised, according to Josephus, lib. i. cap. 3. by the sons of Adam, whereon were engraven the principles of arts and sciences. Column. Baudelot tells us, that the son of Pisistratus raised another of this kind, of stone, containing the rules and precepts of agriculture.

Itinerary Column, a column with several faces, placed in the crossways in large roads; serving to show the different routes by inscriptions thereon.

Ladary Column, at Rome, according to Festus, was a column erected in the herb-market, now the place Montanare, which had a cavity in its pedestal, wherein young children abandoned by their parents, out of poverty or inhumanity, were exposed, to be brought up at the public expense.

Legal Column. Among the Lacedemonians there were columns raised in public places, whereon were engraven the fundamental laws of the state.

Limitrophe or Boundary Column, that which shows the limits of a kingdom or country conquered. Such was that which Pliny says Alexander the Great erected at the extremity of the Indus.

Manubrial Column, from the Latin manubria, "spoils of the enemy;" a column adorned with trophies built in imitation of trees, whereon the spoils of enemies were anciently hung. See Trophy.

Memorial Column, that raised on occasion of any remarkable event; as the monument of London, built to perpetuate the memory of the burning of that city in 1666. It is of the Doric order, fluted, hollow, with a winding stair-case; and terminated a-top with waving flames. There is also another of the kind, in form of an obelisk, on the banks of the Rhine in the Palatinate, in memory of the famous passage of that river by the great Guttavus Adolphus and his army.

Menian Column, any column which supports a balcony or meniana. The origin of this kind of column, Suetonius and Alcianus refer to one Menias; who having sold his house to Cato and Flaccus, confuls, to be converted into a public edifice, referred to himself the right of raising a column without side, to bear a balcony, whence he might see the shows.

Millary Column, was a column of marble raised by order of Augustus in the middle of the Roman forum; from whence, as a centre, the distances of the several cities, &c. of the empire were reckoned, by other millary columns disposed at equal distances on all the grand roads. This column was of white marble, the same with that which is now seen on the balustrade of the perron of the capital at Rome. Its proportion is massive, being a short cylinder, the symbol of the globe of the earth. It was called millarium aureum, as having been gilt, at least the ball, by order of Augustus. It was restored by the emperors Vespasian and Adrian, as appears by the inscriptions.

Military Column, among the Romans, a column whereon was engraven a list of the forces in the Roman army, ranged by legions, in their proper order; with design to preserve the memory of the number of soldiers, and of the order preserved in any military expedition. They had another kind of military column, which they called columna bellica, standing before the temple of Janus; at the foot whereof the consul declared war, by throwing a javelin towards the enemies countries.

Sepulchral Column, anciently was a column erected on a tomb or sepulchre, with an inscription on its base. Those over the tombs of persons of distinction were very large; those for the common people small: these last are called flele and cippi.

Statuary Column, that which supports a statue. Such was that erected by Pope Paul V. on a pedestal before the church of St Maria at Rome; to support a statue of the Virgin, which is of gilt brass. This column was dug up in the temple of peace; its shaft is a single block of white marble 49 feet high, and five feet eight inches diameter, of the Corinthian order.

The term statuary column may likewise be applied to Caryatides, persians, termini, and other human figures, which do the office of columns; and which Vitruvius calls telomones and atlantes. See Architecture, n° 54.

Triumphal Column, a column erected among the ancients in honour of an hero; the joints of the stones, or courses whereof, were covered with as many crowns as he had made different military expeditions. Each crown had its particular name, as salarius, which was befit with spikes, in memory of having forced a palisade. Muralis, adorned with little turrets or battlements, for having mounted an assault. Navalis, of prows and beaks of vessels; for having overcome at sea. Obligidionalis, or graminales, of grass; for having raised a siege. Ovans, of myrtle; which expressed an ovation, or little triumph; and triumphalis, of laurel, for a grand triumph. See Crowns.