The ancient Greeks invented three types of columns. 

The Doric style is the most plain.  
 

The Ionic design is famous for its scrolls. 

The Corinthian style is quite fancy. 

  

If you had lived in any ancient Greek city-state, even in Sparta, you would have seen these 3 designs all over town. Today, these column designs are used on buildings all over the world. 

The Doric column

Ionic Column - invented around 500 BCE

Corinthian Columns