The Ionic order was developed shortly after the Doric order of architecture, around the mid-sixth century B.C.E. Structures built in the Ionic style originated in Ionia, a coastal region of central Anatolia modernly part of Turkey. The Ionic order was defined by many unique characteristics, including:
Volutes: Elaborate and distinct scroll-like swirls usually located at the base and height of columns
Capitals: Column toppers which often featured two swirling volutes
Fluted shafts with curved indentations
Shafts which widened at the top and bottom to provide structural support
Structural bases for columns to stand on
Stacked disks located at the base of many structures
Unique and specific entablatures, a horizontal section of the roof that rests on top of the column and consists of the architrave, the frieze, and the cornice