Vitruvius: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
m Robot - Moving category Latin writers to Latin-language writers per CFD at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2010 May 29. |
Eliminated the majority of the page, which more properly belongs under engineering, various items of military history, and the page for De Architectura. There was too much untenable speculation. Tag: blanking |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''Marcus Vitruvius Pollio''' ( |
'''Marcus Vitruvius Pollio''' (mid-late 1st c. BCE) was an [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[architect]] and writer, best known for his [[Ten Books on Architecture]] ([[De Architectura]], in Latin), which he dedicated to the [[Roman emperor]] [[Augustus]]. By Vitruvius' own description<ref name="autogenerated1">De Arch. Book 1, preface. section 2</ref> Vitruvius had served as an attendant and repairer of different kinds of war machines, but his precise post is unknown. |
||
[[File:Vitruvius.jpg|thumb|400px|A 1684 depiction of Vitruvius (right) presenting [[De Architectura]] to [[Augustus]]]] |
[[File:Vitruvius.jpg|thumb|400px|A 1684 depiction of Vitruvius (right) presenting [[De Architectura]] to [[Augustus]]]] |
||
== Biography == |
== Biography == |
||
[[File:Da Vinci Vitruve Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|right|300px| <center>''[[Vitruvian Man]]'' by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], an illustration of the human body inscribed in the circle and the square derived from a passage about geometry and human proportions in Vitruvius's writings</center>]] |
[[File:Da Vinci Vitruve Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|right|300px| <center>''[[Vitruvian Man]]'' by [[Leonardo da Vinci]], an illustration of the human body inscribed in the circle and the square derived from a passage about geometry and human proportions in Vitruvius's writings</center>]] |
||
Little is known about Vitruvius' life. His first name ''Marcus'' and his [[cognomen]] ''[[Pollio]]'' are uncertain. Cetius Faventinus speaks of "Vitruvius Polio aliique auctores" in his epitome; it is possible that the cognomen derives from this mention by Cetius, meaning Vitruvius, Polio, and others. Most inferences about his life are extracted from his only surviving work ''[[De Architectura]]'', though he appears to be known to [[Pliny the Elder]] |
Little is known about Vitruvius' life beyond the scarce details provided by [[De Architectura]]. His first name ''Marcus'' and his [[cognomen]] ''[[Pollio]]'' are uncertain. <ref>Cetius Faventinus speaks of "Vitruvius Polio aliique auctores" in his epitome; it is possible that the cognomen derives from this mention by Cetius, meaning Vitruvius, Polio, and others.</ref> Most inferences about his life are extracted from his only surviving work ''[[De Architectura]]'', though he appears to be known to [[Pliny the Elder]], who names Vitruvius in the lengthy table of contents <ref> That is, the first book of his [[Natural History]]: 1.53, 1.118, 1.121.</ref> The first-century CE writer Sextus Julius [[Frontinus]], however, refers to "Vitruvius the architect" in his late 1st century work ''[[On Aqueducts]]'' (1.25) |
||
Likely born a free Roman citizen, Vitruvius served the [[Roman army]] under [[Julius Caesar]] with the otherwise unknown Marcus Aurelius, Publius Minidius, and Gnaeus Cornelius. Descriptions of various lands and peoples throughout ''De Architectura'' have led to speculation that he was well traveled, particularly as a result of his military service, but it is hardly certain that these accounts are first-hand.<ref> See, e.g., Fleury 1990 xiv-xvi.</ref> Similar speculation has led to the suggestion that he was the [[Mamurra]] mentioned in [[Catullus]]' poem 29. <ref>Thielscher in [[''RE'']]</ref>. This, too, has been thoroughly and rightfully questioned, even if the men shared similar social anxieties and aspirations.<ref> Baldwin 1990</ref>. Upon the recommendation of Augustus' sister [[Octavia Minor]], Vitruvius was awarded what may have been a [[pension]] to guarantee financial independence.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> |
|||
Likely born a free Roman citizen, by his own account Vitruvius served the [[Roman army]] under [[Julius Caesar]] with the otherwise unknown Marcus Aurelius, Publius Minidius, and Gnaeus Cornelius. These names vary depending on the edition of ''De architectura''. Publius Minidius is also written as Publius Numidicus and Publius Numidius, speculated to be the same Publius Numisius inscribed on the Theatre of Heraclea.<ref>Niccolò Marcello Venuti “Description of the First Discoveries of the Ancient City Of Heraclea, Found Near Portici A Country Palace Belonging To The King Of The Two Sicilies” published by R. Baldwin, translated by Wickes Skurray, 1750. p62 [http://www.archive.org/stream/adescriptionfir00venugoog/adescriptionfir00venugoog_djvu.txt]</ref> As an [[army engineer]] he specialized in the construction of [[ballista]] and [[Scorpio (dart-thrower)|scorpio]] [[artillery]] [[Roman siege engines|war machines]] for [[siege]]s. It has been speculated that Vitruvius served with Julius Caesar's Chief Engineer [[Lucius Cornelius Balbus (major)|Lucius Cornelius Balbus]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= Trumbull |first= David |title= Classical Sources, Greek and Roman Esthetics Reading: The Grand Tour Reader; Vitruvius Background: Life of Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (c. 90-20 B.C.E.) |work= An Epitome of Book III of Vitruvius |year= 2007 |url= http://medieval.ucdavis.edu/GRAND.TOUR/Lecture02.html |accessdate= 11/18/2009}}</ref> The locations where he served can be reconstructed from, for example, descriptions of the building methods of various "foreign tribes". Although he describes places throughout ''De Architectura'', he does not say he was present. His service likely included [[Africa Province|north Africa]], [[Hispania]], [[Gaul]] (including [[Gallia Aquitania|Aquitaine]]) and [[Pontus]]. |
|||
| ⚫ | Although Vitruvius suggests that he himself an architect, he mentions only one building over which he himself had primary responsibility, i.e., the basilica complex at [[Fanum Fortunae]] <ref>[http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Vitruvius/5*.html#1.6 (''De Arch.'', Book V.i.6)] {{la icon}} but with link to English translation, accessed August 2008</ref> a [[basilica]] completed in 19 BC.<ref>Fausto Pugnaloni and Paolo Clini "Vitruvius Basilica in Fano, Italy, journey through the virtual space of the reconstructed memory" GISdevelopment.net last accessed 3/8/2008[http://www.gisdevelopment.net/application/archaeology/general/archg0019.htm]</ref> The ''Basilica di Fano'' (to give the building its Italian name) has disappeared so completely that its very site is a matter of conjecture, although various attempts have been to visualise it.<ref>P. Clini "VITRUVIUS’ BASILICA AT FANO: THE DRAWINGS OF A LOST BUILDING FROM DE ARCHITECTURA LIBRI DECEM" The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol. XXXIV, Part 5/W12 pp121 - 126 2002 [http://www.commission5.isprs.org/wg4/workshop_ancona/proceedings/26.pdf]</ref> The early Christian practice of converting Roman basilica (public buildings) into cathedrals implies the basilica may be incorporated into the [[cathedral]] located in Fano. |
||
To place the role of Vitruvius the military engineer in context, a description of ''The Praefect of the camp'' or army engineer is quoted here as given by [[Flavius Vegetius Renatus]] in ''The Military Institutions of the Romans'': |
|||
<blockquote>The Praefect of the camp, though inferior in rank to the [Praefect], had a post of no small importance. The position of the camp, the direction of the entrenchments, the inspection of the tents or huts of the soldiers and the baggage were comprehended in his province. His authority extended over the sick, and the physicians who had the care of them; and he regulated the expenses relative thereto. He had the charge of providing carriages, bathorses and the proper tools for sawing and cutting wood, digging trenches, raising parapets, sinking wells and bringing water into the camp. He likewise had the care of furnishing the troops with wood and straw, as well as the rams, onagri, balistae and all the other engines of war under his direction. This post was always conferred on an officer of great skill, experience and long service, and who consequently was capable of instructing others in those branches of the profession in which he had distinguished himself.<ref>Flavius Vegetius Renatus "The Military Institutions of the Romans" Translated from the Latin by Lieutenant John Clarke, Text written in 390 A.D. British translation published in 1767. Copyright Expired, http://www.pvv.ntnu.no/~madsb/home/war/vegetius/</ref></blockquote> |
|||
At various locations described by Vitruvius, battles and [[Siege#Greco-Roman and medieval siege warfare|sieges]] occurred. Of the battlegrounds of the [[Gallic War]] there is reference to the siege of [[Avaricum]] 52 BC, the [[Battle of Gergovia]] 52 BC, the [[Battle of Alesia#Siege and battle|Battle of Alesia]] 52 BC, and the siege of [[Uxellodunum]] 51 BC (all centred on sieges of large Gallic ''[[oppida]]''). Of sites involved in [[Caesar's civil war]], we find the [[Siege of Massilia]] 49BC,<ref>Vitruvius mentions Massilia several times, and the siege itself in ''Book X''. </ref> the [[Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC)|Battle of Dyrrhachium]] of 48 BC (Albania), the [[Battle of Pharsalus]] 48 BC (Greece), the [[Battle of Zela]] of 47 BC (Turkey) and the [[Battle of Thapsus]] 46 BC in Caesar's [[Africa Province|African]] campaign.<ref>[http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/vitruv.htm "Vitruvius" from Pegasos website] accessed August 2008</ref> A [[Roman legion|legion]] that fits the same sequence of locations is the [[Legio VI Ferrata]], of which ballista would be an auxilia unit. |
|||
During this same time period a Roman military officer [[Mamurra]] also served as ''praefectus fabrum'' in [[Hispania]], [[Gaul]] and [[Pontus]] under Julius Caesar. Some have suggested that these two men may be the same, though there is no mention of [[Caesar's invasions of Britain]] in ''De Architectura'', nor of other things with which Mamurra was associated, [[Equestrian (Roman)|equestrian]] military practices and personal wealth. Additionally Caesar appears to have outlived Mamurra, whereas Vitruvius dedicated ''De Architectura'' to the emperor [[Augustus]]. In later years the emperor Augustus, through his sister [[Octavia Minor]], sponsored Vitruvius, entitling him with what may have been a [[pension]] to guarantee financial independence.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
If ''De architectura'' was written by one author or is a compilation completed by subsequent librarians and copyists, remains an open question. The date of his death is unknown, which suggests that he had enjoyed only little popularity during his lifetime.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}}<!-- though as he describes himself as an old man in his works, [for why this is removed, SEE User Talk: ChrisO]--> |
|||
| ⚫ | [[Gerolamo Cardano]], in his 16th book ''De subtilitate rerum'', ranks Vitruvius as one of the 12 persons, whom he supposes to have excelled all men in the force of genius and invention; and would not have scrupled to have given him the first place, if it could be imagined that he had delivered nothing but his own discoveries.<ref> [http://archimedes.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/toc/toc.cgi?page=1388;dir=hutto_dicti_078_en_1795;step=textonly Hutton, Charles Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary 1795] </ref> |
||
== ''De Architectura libri decem'' (De architectura) == |
|||
[[File:Greekhse1.jpg|left|thumb|Greek house plan after Vitruvius]] |
|||
Vitruvius is the author of ''[[De architectura]]'', known today as ''The Ten Books on Architecture'',<ref>Vitruvius, Pollio (transl. Morris Hicky Morgan, 1960), ''The Ten Books on Architecture''. Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-20645-9.</ref> a treatise written of [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] on [[architecture]], dedicated to the emperor Augustus. In the preface of Book I, Vitruvius dedicates his writings so to give personal knowledge of the quality of buildings to the emperor. Likely Vitruvius is referring to [[Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa#Life in public service|Marcus Agrippa]]'s campaign of public repairs and improvements. This work is the only surviving major book on architecture from [[classical antiquity]]. This text ''"influenced deeply from the [[Early Renaissance]] onwards artists, thinkers, and architects, among them [[Leon Battista Alberti]] (1404-72), [[Leonardo Da Vinci]] (1452-1519), and [[Michelangelo]] (1475-1564)."''<ref>{{Citation |last1= Liukkonen |first1= Petri |title= Vitruvius ([[floruit|fl.]] 46-30 B.C.) |year= 2008 |url= http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/vitruv.htm |accessdate= November 14, 2009 }}</ref> The next major book on architecture, [[Leone Battista Alberti|Alberti's]] reformulation of ''Ten Books'', was not written until 1452. |
|||
Vitruvius is famous for asserting in his book ''De architectura'' that a structure must exhibit the three qualities of ''firmitas, utilitas, venustas'' — that is, it must be solid, useful, beautiful. According to Vitruvius, architecture is an imitation of nature. As birds and bees built their nests, so humans constructed housing from natural materials, that gave them shelter against the elements. When perfecting this art of building, the Ancient Greek invented the architectural orders: [[Doric order|Doric]], [[Ionic order|Ionic]] and [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]]. It gave them a sense of proportion, culminating in understanding the proportions of the greatest work of art: the human body. This led Vitruvius in defining his [[Vitruvian Man]], as drawn later by [[Leonardo da Vinci]]: the human body inscribed in the circle and the square (the fundamental geometric patterns of the cosmic order). |
|||
Vitruvius is sometimes loosely referred to as the first architect, but it is more accurate to describe him as the first Roman architect to have written surviving records of his field. He himself cites older but less complete works. He was less an original thinker or creative intellect than a codifier of existing architectural practice. It should also be noted that Vitruvius had a much wider scope than modern architects. [[Roman architecture|Roman architects]] practised a wide variety of disciplines; in modern terms, they could be described as being [[engineer]]s, architects, [[landscape architects]], [[artist]]s, and [[craftsmen]] combined. Etymologically the word architect derives from Greek words meaning 'master' and 'builder'. The first of the Ten Books deals with many subjects which now come within the scope of [[landscape architecture]]. |
|||
== Roman technology == |
|||
[[File:Archscrew2.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Drainage wheel from Rio Tinto mines]] |
|||
Books VIII, IX and X form the basis of much of what we know about Roman technology, now augmented by archaeological studies of extant remains, such as the [[water mill]]s at [[Barbegal]] in [[France]]. |
|||
=== Machines === |
|||
The work is important for its descriptions of the many different machines used for engineering structures such as [[Hoist (device)|hoists]], [[Crane (machine)|cranes]] and [[pulley]]s, as well as war machines such as [[catapult]]s and [[ballistae]], and [[siege engine]]s. As a practising engineer, Vitruvius must be speaking from personal experience rather than simply describing the works of others. He also describes the construction of [[sundials]] and [[water clocks]], and the use of an [[aeolipile]] (the first [[steam engine]]) as an experiment to demonstrate the nature of atmospheric air movements (wind). |
|||
=== Aqueducts === |
|||
His description of [[aqueduct]] construction includes the way they are surveyed, and the careful choice of materials needed, although [[Frontinus]] writing a century later gives much more detail of the practical problems involved in their construction and maintenance. Vitruvius was writing in the first century BC when many of the finest [[Roman aqueducts]] were built, and survive to this day, such as those at [[Segovia]] and the [[Pont du Gard]]. The use of the [[inverted siphon]] is described in detail, together with the problems of high pressures developed in the pipe at the base of the siphon, a practical problem with which he seems to be acquainted. His book would have been of great assistance to [[Frontinus]], a general who was appointed in the late first century AD to administer the many aqueducts of [[Rome]]. He discovered a discrepancy between the intake and supply of water caused by illegal pipes inserted into the channels to divert the water. |
|||
=== Materials === |
|||
He describes many different [[construction material]]s used for a wide variety of different structures, as well as such details as [[stucco]] painting. [[Concrete]] and [[Lime (material)|lime]] receive in-depth descriptions, the longevity of many Roman structures being mute testimony to the Romans' skill in building materials and design. |
|||
Vitruvius is well known and often cited as one of the earliest surviving sources to have advised that [[lead]] should not be used to conduct drinking water, recommending clay pipes or masonry channels. He comes to this conclusion in Book VIII of De Architectura after empirical observation of the apparent [[laborer]] illnesses in the [[lead]] foundries of his time. <ref>{{cite journal |author= Hodge, Trevor, A. |title= Vitruvius, Lead Pipes and Lead Poisoning |scholar= American Journal of Archaeology |publisher= Archaeological Institute of America |volume= 85 |issue= 4 |date= October 1981 |pages= 486–491 |url= http://www.jstor.org/stable/504874 |accessdate= 2009-11-14 }}</ref> |
|||
Vitruvius gives us the famous story about [[Archimedes]] and his detection of adulterated [[gold]] in a royal crown. When Archimedes realised that the volume of the crown could be measured exactly by the displacement created in a bath of water, he ran into the street with the cry of [[Eureka (word)|Eureka!]], and the discovery enabled him to compare the density of the crown with pure gold. He showed that the crown had been alloyed with silver, and the king defrauded. |
|||
=== Dewatering machines === |
|||
[[File:VitruviusTenBooksMHMorgan1914p295.gif|thumb|left|200px|Design for an Archimedean water-screw]] |
|||
He describes the construction of [[Archimedes' screw]] in Chapter X, although doesn't mention Archimedes by name. It was a device widely used for raising water to irrigate fields and dewater mines. Other lifting machines he mentions include the endless chain of buckets and the [[reverse overshot water-wheel]], a spectacular example of a sequence of such wheels being shown above. Remains of the water wheels used for lifting water have been discovered in old mines such as those at [[Rio Tinto (river)|Rio Tinto]] in [[Spain]] and [[Dolaucothi]] in west [[Wales]]. The former now is shown in the [[British Museum]], and the latter in the [[National Museum of Wales]]. The remains were discovered when these mines were re-opened in modern mining attempts. |
|||
=== Surveying instruments === |
|||
That he must have been well practised in surveying is shown by his descriptions of surveying instruments, especially the water level or [[chorobates]], which he compares favourably with the [[Groma surveying|groma]], a device using [[plumb line]]s. They were essential in all building operations, but especially in aqueduct construction, where a uniform gradient was important to provision of a regular supply of water without damage to the walls of the channel. He also developed one of the first odometers, consisting of a wheel of known circumference that dropped a pebble into a container on every rotation. |
|||
=== Central heating === |
|||
[[File:Hypocaustum.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Ruins of the hypocaust under the floor of a Roman villa. The part under the [[exedra]] is covered.]] |
|||
He describes the many innovations made in building design to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants. Foremost among them is the development of the [[hypocaust]], a type of [[central heating]] where hot air developed by a fire was channelled under the floor and inside the walls of [[public bath]]s and [[villa]]s. He gives explicit instructions how to design such buildings so that [[fuel efficiency]] is maximised, so that for example, the [[caldarium]] is next to the [[tepidarium]] followed by the [[frigidarium]]. He also advises on using a type of regulator to control the heat in the hot rooms, a [[bronze]] disc set into the roof under a circular aperture which could be raised or lowered by a [[pulley]] to adjust the ventilation. Although he does not suggest it himself, it is likely that his dewatering devices such as the [[reverse overshot water-wheel]] was used in the larger baths to lift water to header tanks at the top of the larger ''thermae'', such as the [[Baths of Diocletian]] and the [[Baths of Caracalla]]. |
|||
== Rediscovery == |
|||
[[File:Battle of Thapsus.jpg|thumb|right|[[Battle of Thapsus]] as depicted in an engraving after [[Andrea Palladio]]]] |
|||
[[File:pantheon-panini.jpg|thumb|180px|right|The interior of the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]] (from an 18th-century painting by [[Giovanni Paolo Panini|Panini]]). Although built after Vitruvius' death, its excellent state of preservation makes it of great importance to those interested in Vitruvian architecture]] |
|||
His book ''[[De architectura]]'' was rediscovered in 1414 by the Florentine humanist [[Poggio Bracciolini]]. To [[Leon Battista Alberti]] (1404-1472) falls the honour of making this work widely known in his seminal treatise on architecture ''[[De re aedificatoria]]'' (ca. 1450). The first known edition of Vitruvius was in Rome by Fra Giovanni Sulpitius in 1486. Translations followed in Italian (Como, 1521), French (Jean Martin, 1547,<ref>[http://architectura.cesr.univ-tours.fr/Traite/Notice/ENSBA_LES1785.asp?param= Architectura - Les livres d'Architecture] {{fr icon}}</ref> English, German (Walter H. Ryff, 1543) and Spanish and several other languages. The original illustrations had been lost and the first illustrated edition was published in [[Venice]] in 1511 with [[woodcut]] illustrations, based on descriptions in the text, probably by [[Fra Giovanni Giocondo]].<ref>[http://architectura.cesr.univ-tours.fr/Traite/Notice/CESR_2994.asp?param= Architectura - Les livres d'Architecture<!-- Bot generated title -->]; Center for Palladian Studies in America, Inc., [http://www.palladiancenter.org/predecessors.html Palladio's Literary Predecessors]</ref> Later in the sixteenth-century [[Andrea Palladio]] provided illustrations for [[Daniele Barbaro]]'s commentary on Vitruvius (which appeared in Italian and Latin versions). However, the most famous illustration remains a fifteenth-century one, Da Vinci's ''[[Vitruvian Man]]''. |
|||
The surviving ruins of Roman antiquity, the [[Roman Forum]], temples, theatres, triumphal arches and their reliefs and statues gave ample visual examples of the descriptions in the Vitruvian text. This book then quickly became a major inspiration for [[Renaissance]], [[Baroque]] and [[Neoclassical architecture]]. [[Brunelleschi]], for example, invented a new type of [[Hoist (device)|hoist]] to lift the large stones for the dome of the cathedral in [[Florence]] and was prompted by De Architectura as well as viewing the many surviving Roman monuments like the [[Pantheon (Rome)|Pantheon]] and the [[Baths of Diocletian]] in [[Rome]]. |
|||
== Lists of names given in Book VII Introduction == |
|||
In book seven's introduction Vitruvius goes through great lengths to present his credentials for writing ''De Architectura''. Similar in concept to a modern day reference section, the author's position as one who is knowledgeable and educated is established. The topics listed range across many fields of expertise reflecting that in Roman times as today construction is a diverse field. It is apparent that many ancient [[lost works]] and their authors are known only because they are referred to by other authors whose works have survived. Vitruvius makes the further point that the work of some of the most talented is unknown, while many who are of lesser talent but greater political position are famous. This theme runs through Vitruvius’s ten books repeatedly and here in the introduction to Chapter 7, he illustrates this by naming (in addition to some very well known names), some of the most talented individuals in history: |
|||
* ''List of physicists'' [[Thales]], [[Democritus]], [[Anaxagoras]], [[Xenophanes]] |
|||
* ''List of philosophers'' [[Socrates]], [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]], [[Zeno of Elea|Zeno]], [[Epicurus]] |
|||
* ''List of kings'' [[Croesus]], [[Alexander the Great]], [[Darius]] |
|||
* ''On plagiarism'' [[Aristophanes]], [[Ptolemy I Soter]], [[Attalus]] |
|||
* ''On abusing dead authors'' [[Zoilus|Zoilus Homeromastix]], [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] |
|||
* ''On divergence of the visual rays'' [[Agatharchus]], [[Aeschylus]], [[Democritus]], [[Anaxagoras]] |
|||
* ''List of writers on temples'' [[Silenus]], [[Theodorus(greek)|Theodorus]], [[Chersiphron]] and [[Metagenes]], [[Ictinus]] and [[Carpion]], [[Theodorus the Phocian]], [[Hermogenes of Priene|Hermogenes]], [[Arcesius]], [[Satyros|Satyrus]] and [[Pythis|Pytheos]] |
|||
* ''List of Artists'' [[Leochares]], [[Bryaxis]], [[Scopas]], [[Praxiteles]], Timotheus ([[Timotheos]]) |
|||
* ''List of writers on laws of symmetry'' [[Nexaris]], [[Theocydes]], [[Demophilus]], [[Pollis]], [[Leonidas (disambiguation)|Leonidas]], [[Silanion]], [[Melampus]], [[Sarnacus]], [[Euphranor]] |
|||
* ''List of writers on machinery'' [[Diades of Pella]], [[Archytas]], [[Archimedes]], [[Ctesibius]], [[Nymphodorus]], [[Philo of Byzantium]], [[Diphilus]], [[Democles]], [[Charias]], [[Polyidus of Thessaly]], [[Pyrrus]], [[Agesistratus]], [[Abdaraxus]] |
|||
* ''List of writers on architecture'' [[Fuficius]], [[Marcus Terentius Varro|Terentius Varro]], [[Publius Septimius (writer)]] |
|||
* ''List of architects'' [[Antistates]], [[Callaeschrus]], [[Antimachides]], [[Pormus]], [[Cossutius]] |
|||
* ''List of greatest temple architects'' [[Chersiphron of Gnosus]], [[Metagenes]], [[Demetrius]], [[Paeonius the Milesian]], [[Ephesian Daphnis]], [[Ictinus]], (Philo) [[Philon]], [[Cossutius]], [[Gaius Mucius]] |
|||
== Legacy == |
== Legacy == |
||
*The importance of [[De Architectura]] to [[Renaissance]] and later notions of [[Classical architecture]] cannot be overstated. |
|||
| ⚫ | *[[Gerolamo Cardano]], in his 16th book ''De subtilitate rerum'', ranks Vitruvius as one of the 12 persons, whom he supposes to have excelled all men in the force of genius and invention; and would not have scrupled to have given him the first place, if it could be imagined that he had delivered nothing but his own discoveries.<ref> [http://archimedes.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/cgi-bin/toc/toc.cgi?page=1388;dir=hutto_dicti_078_en_1795;step=textonly Hutton, Charles Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary 1795] </ref> |
||
* A small [[Vitruvius (crater)|lunar crater]] has been named after Vitruvius and also an elongated lunar mountain [[Mons Vitruvius]] close-by. This crater was near the valley that served as the landing site of the [[Apollo 17]] mission. |
* A small [[Vitruvius (crater)|lunar crater]] has been named after Vitruvius and also an elongated lunar mountain [[Mons Vitruvius]] close-by. This crater was near the valley that served as the landing site of the [[Apollo 17]] mission. |
||
* The [[Design Quality Indicator]] (DQI) tool for the measurement of the design quality of buildings uses Vitruvius's principles. |
* The [[Design Quality Indicator]] (DQI) tool for the measurement of the design quality of buildings uses Vitruvius's principles. |
||
Revision as of 19:41, 19 July 2010
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (mid-late 1st c. BCE) was an Roman architect and writer, best known for his Ten Books on Architecture (De Architectura, in Latin), which he dedicated to the Roman emperor Augustus. By Vitruvius' own description[1] Vitruvius had served as an attendant and repairer of different kinds of war machines, but his precise post is unknown.
Biography
Little is known about Vitruvius' life beyond the scarce details provided by De Architectura. His first name Marcus and his cognomen Pollio are uncertain. [2] Most inferences about his life are extracted from his only surviving work De Architectura, though he appears to be known to Pliny the Elder, who names Vitruvius in the lengthy table of contents [3] The first-century CE writer Sextus Julius Frontinus, however, refers to "Vitruvius the architect" in his late 1st century work On Aqueducts (1.25)
Likely born a free Roman citizen, Vitruvius served the Roman army under Julius Caesar with the otherwise unknown Marcus Aurelius, Publius Minidius, and Gnaeus Cornelius. Descriptions of various lands and peoples throughout De Architectura have led to speculation that he was well traveled, particularly as a result of his military service, but it is hardly certain that these accounts are first-hand.[4] Similar speculation has led to the suggestion that he was the Mamurra mentioned in Catullus' poem 29. [5]. This, too, has been thoroughly and rightfully questioned, even if the men shared similar social anxieties and aspirations.[6]. Upon the recommendation of Augustus' sister Octavia Minor, Vitruvius was awarded what may have been a pension to guarantee financial independence.[1]
Although Vitruvius suggests that he himself an architect, he mentions only one building over which he himself had primary responsibility, i.e., the basilica complex at Fanum Fortunae [7] a basilica completed in 19 BC.[8] The Basilica di Fano (to give the building its Italian name) has disappeared so completely that its very site is a matter of conjecture, although various attempts have been to visualise it.[9] The early Christian practice of converting Roman basilica (public buildings) into cathedrals implies the basilica may be incorporated into the cathedral located in Fano.
Legacy
- The importance of De Architectura to Renaissance and later notions of Classical architecture cannot be overstated.
- Gerolamo Cardano, in his 16th book De subtilitate rerum, ranks Vitruvius as one of the 12 persons, whom he supposes to have excelled all men in the force of genius and invention; and would not have scrupled to have given him the first place, if it could be imagined that he had delivered nothing but his own discoveries.[10]
- A small lunar crater has been named after Vitruvius and also an elongated lunar mountain Mons Vitruvius close-by. This crater was near the valley that served as the landing site of the Apollo 17 mission.
- The Design Quality Indicator (DQI) tool for the measurement of the design quality of buildings uses Vitruvius's principles.
See also
References
- ^ a b De Arch. Book 1, preface. section 2
- ^ Cetius Faventinus speaks of "Vitruvius Polio aliique auctores" in his epitome; it is possible that the cognomen derives from this mention by Cetius, meaning Vitruvius, Polio, and others.
- ^ That is, the first book of his Natural History: 1.53, 1.118, 1.121.
- ^ See, e.g., Fleury 1990 xiv-xvi.
- ^ Thielscher in ''RE''
- ^ Baldwin 1990
- ^ (De Arch., Book V.i.6) Template:La icon but with link to English translation, accessed August 2008
- ^ Fausto Pugnaloni and Paolo Clini "Vitruvius Basilica in Fano, Italy, journey through the virtual space of the reconstructed memory" GISdevelopment.net last accessed 3/8/2008[1]
- ^ P. Clini "VITRUVIUS’ BASILICA AT FANO: THE DRAWINGS OF A LOST BUILDING FROM DE ARCHITECTURA LIBRI DECEM" The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol. XXXIV, Part 5/W12 pp121 - 126 2002 [2]
- ^ Hutton, Charles Mathematical and Philosophical Dictionary 1795
- Indra Kagis McEwen, Vitruvius: Writing the Body of Architecture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004. ISBN O-262-63306-X
- B. Baldwin, "The Date, Identity, and Career of Vitruvius." In Latomus 49 (1990), 425-34.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vitruvius.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Vitruvius.
- The Ten Books on Architecture online: cross-linked Latin text and English translation
- The Ten Books on Architecture at the Perseus Classics Collection. Latin and English text. Images. Latin text has hyperlinks to pop-up dictionary.
- Palladio's Literary Predecessors
- Latin text, version 2
- An Abridgment of the Architecture of Vitruvius
- Ten Books on Architecture at Project Gutenberg (Morris Hicky Morgan translation with illustrations)
- Vitruvius on line: *http://architectura.cesr.univ-tours.fr/Traite/Auteur/Vitruve.asp?param=
- Leonardo da Vincis Vitruvian man as an algorithm for the approximation of the squaring of the circle
- Vitruvius' theories of beauty - a learning resource from the British Library
- Shockwave-Animation: The Odometer of Vitruv
- Discussion of the inventions of Vitruvius
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- Spanish site dedicated to Roman technology, especially aqueducts and mines
Categories:
- 1st-century BC births
- 1st-century BC Romans
- 1st-century deaths
- Ancient Roman architects
- Ancient Roman architecture
- Ancient Roman military technology
- Ancient Roman military engineers
- Ancient Roman soldiers
- Architectural theoreticians
- Classical antiquarian architecture writers
- Classical Latin literature
- Civil engineers
- Golden Age Latin writers
- History of mining
- Individuals in Caesar's Gallic Wars (Roman)
- Italian civil engineers
- Italian military engineers
- Julius Caesar
- Latin-language writers
- Roman military writers