Vitruvius

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was a Roman writer, architect and engineer, active in the 1st century BC. He was the author of De architectura, known today as The Ten Books of Architecture, a treatise in Latin on architecture, and perhaps the first work about this discipline. He is believed to have served in the Roman army, probably under his sponsor, the emperor Caesar Augustus. Little is known about his life, though as he describes himself as an old man in his works, it is possible that he was active during the rule of Julius Caesar as well.

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Mainly known for his writings, Vitruvius was himself an architect. Frontinus mentions him in connection with the standard sizes of pipes (Aq. I.25). The only building, however, that we know Vitruvius to have worked on is, as he himself tells us (de Arch. V.i.6), a basilica at Fanum Fortunae, now the modern town of Fano. The basilica has disappeared so completely that its very site is a matter of conjecture.

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Vitruvius is sometimes loosely referred to as the first architect. It rather more accurate to describe him as the first Roman architect to have written on his field. He was less an original thinker or creative intellect than a codifier of existing architectural practice. It should be noted, though, that Vitruvius had a wider scope than would be usual for architects today. Roman architects practised a wide variety of disciplines; they could be described as being engineers, architects, artists, and craftsmen combined.

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Roman: Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and several geographic locations....

Writer: The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. Skilled writers demonstrate skills in using language to portray ideas and images, whether producing fi...

Architect: An architect, also known as a building designer, is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a building's construction, whose role is to guide decisions affecting those building aspects that are of aesthetic, cultural or social concern. More generally, an architect is the desig...

Vitruvius related Images and Photos (experimental)

Castle Howard from 'Vitruvius Britannicus' by Colen Campbell Engraved by Hendrik Hulsbergh