Thenaiskos (pl.:naiskoi;Greek:ναΐσκος, diminutive of ναός, "temple") is a smalltemple inclassical order withcolumns or pillars andpediment.
Often applied as an artificial motif, it is common in ancient art. It is also found in the funeral architecture of the ancientAttic cemeteries as gravereliefs orshrines with statues, such as thestele of Aristonautes fromKerameikos inAthens[1] and in theblack-figure andred-figurepottery of ancient Greece at theLoutrophoros and theLekythos and the red-figure wares of Apulia inSouthern Italy.[2]
There also existnaiskos-typefigurines or other types of temples formed interracotta, examples of which abound at theLouvre Museum inParis. The form of thenaiskos suggests a religious context, relating especially to Greekfunerary culture. Some of the Hellenistic inscriptions found in theBay of Grama are placed inside anaiskos, and in this case the religious context is an invocation ofCastor and Pollux (Dioskouroi) for a safe passage across theAdriatic, rather than funerary.[3]
A similar style, called theaedicula, is observed inRoman art.
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