the question of 'why not Doric' struck me too, but i put it down to fashion, that the period we're dicussing is long after the popularity of Doric architecture, regardless of the Spartan origins of Taras. the Ionic column was common throughout the rest of Achean influenced southern Italy, that that influence eventually reached Taras.
or not. i think i will be taking my copy of Vetruvius to work with me tonight.
My friend, I think ionic capitals like those seen in Taras (
architecture and coinage from IV-III c) were not so trendy in south
Italy, in fact there are not other samples in the near areas, and no samples from any Achaean polis.
All the surviving temples I visited during my travels in
Magna Graecia have doric capitals. Of course I have seen the
rare samples of ionic capitals from achaean poleis stored in museums, they are from Sybaris, Poseidonia,
Metapontion, and even in doric
Lokris, but they are quite different in
style from the Tarentine samples, they are dated 500-450 BC, directly influenced in
style from
Asia Minor, not
Attica (for example, the specimens at
Lokris are directly influenced from Samos in
style, earlier than the Eretteus in
Athens; also try to
google "capitello ionico Metaponto", you will see how much different
style is, so oriental).
The ionic capitals from IV cent. Tarentum are different, unique samples for all the near areas and the whole coast of the Gulf of Tarentum, no samples from
Apulia,
Calabria or
Lucania, no samples from any achaean poleis, we only know a sample from Rhegion.
Outside of south
Italy the Tarentine IV century ionic-italic samples do match a sample found in
Sicily, another one in
Campania, and other samples in
Etruria and
Epirus, (all areas with remarkable Attic influences), and
north Africa. The
style of the IV century ionic-italic capitals evolved and did spread much in
Sicily and
Etruria where we find many later samples (again we do not find any samples in achaean poleis), and
still later became popular in
Republican Rome.
So the ionic capitals from achaean poleis you mentioned were made in years when the doric
architecture was
still very popular in
Magna Graecia (where the concept of fashion, i.e. ionic capitals replacing older doric capitals is not so clear as in mainland
Greece... think of Poseidonia, the temple of
Hera, with doric columns, was built half century later after the temple of
Athena, with ionic columns), and we do not find those
types of eastern
style ionic capitals in Taras. At the other hand the later tarentine ionic capital
types are not found in any achaean poleis, and in
style they are not influenced by the older eastern-inspired achaean samples, but they do match samples found in
Epirus.
I wish I
had more time to post images and draw
maps to make more clear what I'm stating, but the
man-faced bull is calling me now, sorry.
Bye
Peter, and thanks to you so much for giving me your imputs to talk about the
history and art of the lands I love.
Regards
Nico