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BIOGRAPHY

Little is known about Vitruvius' life. His first name ''Marcus'' and his Cognomen '' Pollio '' are uncertain as they are only mentioned by Cetius Faventinus . Most inferences about his life are extracted from his only surviving work ''De Architectura''.


Born a free Roman citizen, most likely at Formiae in Campania , he served the Roman Army under Julius Caesar in Spain and Gaul . As an army engineer he specialized in the construction of war machines for sieges. In later years the emperor Augustus , through his sister Octavia Minor , sponsored Vitruvius, entitling him with a pension to guarantee his financial independence. His date of death is unknown, which suggests that he had enjoyed only little popularity during his lifetime.



DE ARCHITECTURA

The author of '' at Fanum Fortunae, now the modern town of Fano . The basilica has disappeared so completely that its very site is a matter of conjecture.

'', by Leonardo da Vinci]]
Vitruvius is most famous for asserting in his book '', as drawn magnificently 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 on 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 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 .


REDISCOVERY

His book '', 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.


REFERENCES IN MODERN CULTURE

  • William McDonough has made reference to Vitruvius in the context of the concept of solar energy relating to architecture in a TED Talk {Link without Title} .

  • Scott Berkun referenced Vitruvius' innovations in his book called "The Myths of Innovation" and also in his video discussion of the book. {Link without Title}




LISTS OF NAMES GIVEN IN BOOK VII INTRODUCTION


List of physicists
Thales , Democritus , Anaxagoras , Xenophanes

List of philosophers
Socrates , Plato , Aristotle , Zeno , Epicurus

List of kings
Croesus , Alexander The Great , Darius

on plagiarism
Aristophanes , Ptolemy I Soter , Attalus

on abusing dead authors
Zoilus , Homeromastix , Ptolemy I Soter , Philadelphus

on divergence of the visual rays
Agatharcus , Aeschylus , Democritus , Anaxagoras

List of writers on temples
Silenus , Theodorus , Chersiphron and Metagenes , Pytheos , Ictinus and Carpion , Theodorus the Phocian , Hermogenes , Arcesius , Satyrus and Pytheos

List of Artists
Leochares , Bryaxis , Scopas , Praxiteles , Timotheus ( Timotheos )

List of writers on laws of symmetry
Nexaris , Theocydes , Demophilus , Pollis , Leonidas , Silanion , Melampus , Sarnacus , Euphranor

List of writers on machinery
Diades Of Pella , Archytas , Archimedes , Ctesibius , Nymphodorus , Philo Of Byzantium , Diphilus , Democles , Charias , Polyidus , Pyrrus , Agesistratus

List of writers on architect
Fuficius , Terentius Varro , Publius Septimius

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


NOTES



REFERENCES


  • 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.




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