segment of a circle, the broken pediment where the cornice has a gap at the apex, and the open pediment, with a gap in the cornice along the base. Both triangular and segmental pediments can have "broken" and "open" forms.

Pediments are found in ancient Greek architecture as early as 580 BC, in the archaic Temple of Artemis, Corfu, which was probably one of the first. Pediments return in Renaissance architecture