Relief orthostat with spearmen

In the context of classical Greek architecture, orthostates are squared stone blocks much greater in height than depth that are usually built into the lower portion of a wall. They are so called because they seem to stand upright rather than to lie on their sides. In other contexts the English term is usually orthostat. It is typical in Greek architecture for pairs of orthostates to form the thickness of a wall, one serving as the inner and the other serving as the outer face of the wall. Above a course of orthostates, it is common to lay a course of stones spanning the width of the wall and joining its two faces (a binder course).在古典希腊建筑的语境中，竖砌石板（orthostates）是一类高度远大于厚度的方形石块，通常砌筑于墙体下部。该类石块因此得名，因其呈现直立排布状态而非平卧放置。在其他语境中，英文通常使用其单数形式orthostat。在希腊建筑中，通常以成对的竖砌石板构成墙体厚度，一块作为墙体内侧，另一块作为外侧饰面。在一层竖砌石板之上，通常会铺设一层贯通墙体宽度、连接内外两侧墙面的石块，即拉结层（binder course）。