A triangular decorative element forming the gable of a building in classical architecture, typically found above a portico and supported by columns. It often contains sculptural decoration in its central field called the tympanum.
From Latin 'pes, pedis' meaning 'foot' combined with a suffix suggesting 'ornament,' literally meaning 'foot ornament.' The term originally referred to the base or foundation ornament but shifted to describe the triangular crowning element, possibly through confusion with 'pyramid.'
The sculptures in Greek temple pediments tell epic stories frozen in marble - the Parthenon's east pediment shows Athena's birth bursting fully-armed from Zeus's head! These triangular spaces challenged artists to fit dynamic mythological scenes into awkward geometric constraints, creating some of antiquity's most ingenious compositions.
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