How many flutes does each Doric column of the Parthenon have? Each has 20 flutes. These are the long, concave grooves cut vertically into a column shaft, producing the familiar rhythm of light, shadow, and sharp ridges.
The Parthenon follows the Doric order, the most solid-looking of the three major Greek architectural orders. Doric columns normally stand directly on the stylobate, or temple platform, without separate bases. Their fluting emphasizes the height of the shafts while also making the stonework appear more finely articulated.
The grooves are not the same as the columns themselves: a flute is a recessed channel, and the raised edge between two channels is called an arris. The number 20 is the standard figure for the Parthenon’s Doric columns and for many classical Doric examples, although other Doric buildings can use fewer. Another common mix-up is with Ionic columns, which have bases and characteristically different capitals; the Parthenon’s exterior colonnade is Doric, while its inner frieze incorporates Ionic influence.