In ancient Greek and Roman architecture, a peristyle is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. Tetrastoön is a rarely used archaic term for this feature. The peristyle in a Greek temple is a peristasis (περίστασις). In the Christian ecclesiastical architecture that developed from the Roman basilica, a courtyard peristyle and its garden came to be known as a cloister.
Reconstruction of a Roman peristyle surrounding a courtyard in Pompeii, Italy
Split, Croatia's center at Peristyle in Diocletian's Palace
Ancient Greek architecture
Ancient Greek architecture came from the Greeks, or Hellenics, whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest remaining architectural works dating from around 600 BC.
Image: Parthenon (30276156187)
Image: Erechtheum Acropolis Athens
Image: Schema Saeulenordnungen
The rugged indented coastline at Rhamnous, Attica