Columns are commonly employed to support beams or arches that support the top portions of walls or ceilings. In architecture, a "column" is a structural element with proportional and ornamental characteristics. It provides support for an elevated structure such as a roof or balcony and may be free-standing or part of a larger structure such as a wall or building frame. The word comes from the Latin columna, meaning "straw", which was used to make the hollow tubes in which they were once commonly made. People have been using columns for support since at least 300 B.C., when Greek architects began to use them in their buildings. At that time, a column was simply a tall, slender object placed in a room to support something overhead. Over time, these objects took on many forms: trees, statues, even entire rooms! By the Renaissance era, columns had become quite elaborate, with fluted shafts, carved capitals, and other decorative elements added. During this period, columns also began to be used as evidence in court cases; each party would have a column of witnesses who could testify about events that occurred during an altercation. In modern construction, columns are often required to support load-bearing walls, roofs, and open spaces in between. They can also be used as visual accents by themselves without any supporting function.