According to Vitruvius and Pausanias, its origin derives from the tree trunks used in primitive constructions of dwellings and religious buildings. In Egypt and Persia, they were commonly found in palaces and temples. In the Romanesque period, beyond structural necessity, they were employed for the pedagogical purpose of teaching the Holy Scriptures. During the Gothic era, they became stylized and clustered, eventually reaching a second peak during the Renaissance and Neoclassicism, evolving into a symbol of an almost nostalgic rationality. Ultimately, they were heavily and pedantly decorated during the Plateresque and Baroque periods, until all ornament was abandoned in favor of their structural and organizing capacity under the new order imposed by modernity through the free plan.
