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Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio Quotes

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Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, a renowned Roman architect, engineer, and writer, lived from 81 BC to 15 AD. He is considered one of the founders of Roman architecture and is best known for his work 'De Architectura', which has had a profound impact on the development of architecture throughout history.

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Famous Marcus Vitruvius Pollio Quotes

“The [engineer] should be equipped with knowledge of many branches of study and varied kinds of learning, for it is by his judgement that all work done by the other arts is put to test. This knowledge is the child of practice and theory.”

Should Kind Children Art Done Practice Study Theory Art Is Tests Judgement Branches Engineers Work Done

Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

“Music, also, the architect ought to understand so that he may have knowledge of the canonical and mathematical theory, and besides be able to tune ballistae , catapultae, and scorpiones to the proper key. For to the right and left in the beams are the holes in the frames through which the strings of twisted sinew are stretched by means of windlasses and bars, and these strings must not be clamped and made fast until they give the same correct note to the ear of the skilled workman.”

Giving May Mean Made Able Left Theory Keys Ought Ears Notes Bars Holes Mathematical Tunes Strings Architect Twisted Beam Workmen

Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

“As regards the efficacy of the art and the theories of it, I promise and expect that in these volumes I shall undoubtedly show myself of very considerable importance not only to builders but also to all scholars.”

Art Shows Theory Promise Importance Regard Scholar Volume I Promise Builder Efficacy

Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

“In the midst of all this great variety of subjects, an individual cannot attain to perfection in each, because it is scarcely in his power to take in and comprehend the general theories of them.”

Individual Subjects Theory Perfection Variety Midst

Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

“Pytheos made a mistake by not observing that the arts are each composed of two things, the actual work and the theory of it. One of these, the doing of the work, is proper to men trained in the individual subject, while the other the theory is common to all scholars.”

Men Art Made Two Individual Common Mistake Subjects Theory Two Things Scholar Observing Made A Mistake

Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

“Geometry is of much assistance in architecture, and in particular it teaches us the use of the rule and compasses, by which especially we acquire readiness in making plans for buildings in their grounds, and rightly apply the square, the level, and the plummet. By means of optics the light in buildings can be drawn from fixed quarters of the sky. Difficult questions involving symmetry are solved by means of geometrical theories and methods.”

“Remembering that Eratosthenes of Cyrene, employing mathematical theories and geometrical methods, discovered from the course of the sun, the shadows cast by an equinoctial gnomon, and the inclination of the heaven that the circumference of the earth is two hundred and fifty-two thousand stadia, that is, thirty-one million five hundred thousand paces.”

Two Earth Remember Courses Heaven Millions Sun Five Theory Thousand Hundred Shadow Method Casts Mathematical Thirty Fifty Pace Inclination Employing

Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

“Architects should be educated, skillful with the pencil, instructed in geometry, know much history, have followed the philosophers with attention, understand music, have some knowledge of medicine, know the opinions of the jurists, and be acquainted with astronomy and the theory of the heavens”

Knows Should Heaven Attention Opinion Theory Medicine Philosopher Astronomy Educated Architect Pencils Geometry Skillful Jurists

Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

About the Author

Born: 81 BC
Died: 15
Known for: Author
Quotes: 105

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Books & Sources

The Architecture of M. Vitruvius Pollio in Ten Books, Translated from the Latin by J. GwiltRelated source material

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