Writing De Architectura And The Ten Books On Architecture

One man that was part of many of these guilds was Vitruvius Pollio. He most well known for writing De Architectura or the Ten books on Architecture. It is a compilation of how he thinks architecture should be done. Some of the books include subject on materials, religious, public, and domestic structures, mechanics, clockwork, and panting. This work was originally written in Latin, and dedicated to Octavius, the emperor at the time. Vitruvius wrote these books in the last period of his life, after working for Julius Caesar, and being trusted with the design of siege engines and artillery by Augustus. Once retired, he became Octavia’s patron, and used this time to work on De Architectura. In this writing he points out that an architect†¦show more content†¦Many of the ideas in this book about proportion, and construction are illustrated in the Pantheon. Arguably, one of the most influential structures of Rome was the Pantheon because of its immense size, and the use of concrete for the massive dome. This structure was named the Pantheon most likely because Pliny the elder, a spectator during the time of Vespasian s rule saw this and referred to it as the â€Å"Pantheum†. Although the version of the Pantheon that Pliny the elder saw is not the Pantheon currently in Rome, there are many accounts of what it looked like, and why it was built. Agrippa’s Pantheon, the version that Pliny witnessed, or the original pantheon was built during the Pax Romana. This was a time of peace for the Romans, and to lead them in their endeavors was Emperor Augustus. During this time culture flourished because of there was no need to worry about necessities. From 31 BCE to 14CE the Pantheon was constructed to honor the Julian clan. The result of this was a south-facing rectangular building, with the Thermae of Agrippa, or the Roman public baths to the south. This temple was decastyle, meaning that is had 10 columns on each side. Pliny also mentioned that Diogenes of Athens was commissioned by Agrippa to create the caryatid columns. Caryatid columns are much like sculptures, in that they depict a person, but this person is standing in order to form a column to support another structure. To much dismay this temple was destroyed in the