Knowra De architectura De architectura A ten-book treatise on architecture, engineering, and design written by the Roman architect Vitruvius in the first century BCE. It is the only architectural treatise to survive from antiquity.
Vitruvian triad : Vitruvius’s three standards for a building: firmitas, utilitas, and venustas—durability, utility, and beauty. These three aims condense the treatise’s account of what architecture should achieve.
Vitruvian architecture : The architectural principles and design practices described by Vitruvius, including proportion, site choice, and building construction. This body of design principles is the treatise’s central subject.
Vitruvius : A Roman architect and engineer of the first century BCE, known as the author of De architectura. He composed the treatise and addressed it to the emperor Augustus.
Renaissance architecture : European architecture from the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, marked by renewed study of classical forms and proportion. Renaissance architects used Vitruvius as a major source for recovering classical design.
Roman theater : A Roman performance venue with a semicircular auditorium, stage building, and architectural arrangements for spectators. Vitruvius gives a detailed account of theater design and its acoustics.
Architectural orders : Systems of classical architectural forms defined by characteristic proportions and details, including the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. Vitruvius explains the orders and the proportions governing their design.
Roman aqueduct : A system that carried water to Roman settlements through channels, tunnels, and bridges, often using gravity. Vitruvius discusses water supply and the surveying needed to plan conduits.
Augustus : The first Roman emperor, who ruled from 27 BCE to 14 CE. Vitruvius dedicated the work to Augustus, linking it to the emperor’s building program.
De re aedificatoria : A treatise on architecture written by Leon Battista Alberti in the fifteenth century, drawing on classical sources including Vitruvius. Alberti recast architectural theory for Renaissance readers rather than simply reproducing Vitruvius.
Ancient acoustics : The study and practical management of sound in ancient buildings, especially theaters and performance spaces. The treatise explains how theater form and resonating vessels affect sound.
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