A Pediment (ped-uh-muhnt) is termed as a “Wide, low-pitched gable surmounting the facade of a building in the Grecian style” or a “Triangular element, similar to or derivative of a Grecian pediment, used widely in architecture and decoration”. The term pediment is often used to reference small gables and triangular decorations over niches, doors and windows.

These Pediments are distinctive timeless elements that have shaped Classic Architectural Designs throughout the periods. Pediments can be found extensively in the Roman, Renaissance, Neo-Classical and Baroque periods in time. The Ancient Greek Temples such as The Parthenon in Athens, Greece, used a pediment as a structural and decorative element in their designs. Pediments were often supported by magnificent columns and Corinthian Capitals.

The space inside the pediment is known as the Tympanum. This area is usually filled with ornamentation or painted with decorative elements.

There are various styles of Pediments as time and tastes evolved. Pediments are typically triangular with a horizontal cornice that either surmounts a “colonnade”, a “long sequence of columns joined by an entablature (a “superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals”), an end wall or as a facade division. Classical pediments include the “Pointed”, “Unbroken” triangle, “Curved” , “Rounded”, “Domed”, “Segmental” or “Arch” pediment) in which the normal angular slopes of the cornice are replaced by a segment of a circle or “Depressed Arch” and the “broken” triangle. “Traditional” and “Segmental” pediments have “Broken”and “Open” forms that are not surround by a continues frame, but hold an opening at either the base or the apex of the triangle, or both the base and the apex.
Below see a couple versions of Pediment Styles:

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