Ten books on architecture covering temples, theatres, baths, harbours, water supply, clocks, and siege engines. The only surviving ancient treatise on architecture, it shaped the Renaissance revival of classical building.
Start ReadingThe education of the architect and the principles of architecture. Vitruvius defines the discipline: it encompasses structure, beauty, and function.
Building materials: bricks, sand, lime, pozzolana, stone, and timber. Practical knowledge drawn from Vitruvius's professional experience.
Temples and the orders of architecture. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders described in detail. Proportions and measurements.
More on temples: the Corinthian and Tuscan orders, circular temples, and altars. The relationship between divine requirements and architectural form.
Public buildings: forums, basilicas, treasuries, prisons, and council chambers. The architecture of civic life.
Private houses. The Roman house: atrium, tablinum, peristyle. How to orient rooms for light and climate. Farmhouses and villas.
Interior decoration: stucco, painting, and the colours used in Roman wall-painting. Vitruvius objects to the fantastical scenes becoming fashionable.
Water. How to find it, test it, and transport it. Aqueducts, pipes, cisterns, and wells. The health effects of different water sources.
Astronomy, sundials, and water clocks. The measurement of time and the construction of instruments for telling it.
Machines. Cranes, hoists, water-wheels, siege engines, and the scorpion and ballista. The engineering that built and defended the Roman world.