CHAPTER XV¶
On the Zophorus (Frieze) Above the Epistyle.
Directly upon the top taenia (\(h\)) of the epistyle rests the zophorus (zophoro, marked \(V\) in Plate 0215), which our modern craftsmen call the frieze (fregio).
Proportion of the Frieze (Zophoro) to the Epistyle (Vitruvius III.5.10)
When Left Plain Without Carved Ornament (*Schietto senza Ornamenti*): If the frieze is to be left smooth and uncarved, its height is made one-fourth less than the height of the epistyle below it (or in small plain mouldings, a quarter part).
When Carved with Relief Ornaments (*Con Adornamenti*, :math:`5 : 4` Ratio): If the frieze is to be carved with foliage, scrolling vines (*viticci*), animals, or figures (as the Greek name zophoros, “animal-bearing,” signifies, and as shown on Plate 0215 and Plate 0185 (Porta Speciosa)), it must be made one-fourth (:math:`frac{1}{4}`) taller than the epistyle (el quarto più largo del suo :term:`epistilio <epistilio>`)—that is, in the sesquiquarta ratio of 5 to 4:
\[\text{Height}_{\text{carved frieze}} = \frac{5}{4}\,\text{Height}_{\text{epistyle}}\]so that if the epistyle is 4 units high, the carved frieze \(V\) is 5 units high, allowing its carved ornaments to be seen clearly and gracefully both from afar and up close!