Antefix

DEFINITION

An upright ornament along the edges or eaves of a tiled roof designed to conceal the joints between the rows of tiles, protecting exposed wooden parts of the architecture from the elements. In ancient times, antefixes were often placed on the roofs of Greek and Etruscan buildings. They were often decorated, and were typically made of terra cotta.Examples: Greece, Antefix decorated with a painted palmette, from the Archaic temple at Aigira, 500 BCE, terra cotta, Archaeological Museum of Aigion, Greece. See palmette.