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Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio Quotes

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Famous Marcus Vitruvius Pollio Quotes

“Harmony is an obscure and difficult musical science, but most difficult to those who are not acquainted with the Greek language; because it is necessary to use many Greek words to which there are none corresponding in Latin.”

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Book:The Architecture of M. Vitruvius Pollio in Ten Books, Translated from the Latin by J. Gwilt
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“Economy denotes the the proper management of materials and of site, as well as a thrifty balancing of cost and common sense in the construction of works. ...the architect does not demand things which cannot be found or made ready without great expense. For example: it is not everywhere that there is plenty of pitsand, rubble, fir, clear fir, and marble... Where there is no pitsand, we must use the kinds washed up by rivers or by the sea... and other problems we must solve in similar ways.”

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Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
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“At Halicarnassus, the house of that most potent king Mausolus, though decorated throughout with Proconnesian marble, has walls built of brick which are to this day of extraordinary strength, and are covered with stucco so highly polished that they seem to be as glistening as glass. That king did not use brick from poverty; for he was choke-full of revenues, being ruler of all Caria.”

UseSeemsHousePovertyWallKingsBuiltExtraordinaryGlassesThis DayCoveredRulersBricksRevenueChokeMarblePolished
Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
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“The winter oak... is very useful in buildings but when in a moist place it takes in water to its centre... and so it rots. The Turkey oak and the beech both... take in moisture to their centre and soon decay. White and black poplar, as well as willow, linden, and the agnus castus... are of great service from their stiffness... they are a convenient material to use in carving.”

WellsUseBlackWaterWhiteBuildingMaterialsWinterDecayCentreTurkeysConvenientOaksCarvingGreat ServiceMoistureStiffness
Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
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“Dimension stone, flint, rubble, burnt or unburnt brick, use them as you find them. For it is not every neighborhood or particular locality that can have a wall built of burnt brick like that at Babylon, where there was plenty of asphalt to take the place of lime and sand, and yet possibly each may be provided with materials of equal usefulness so that out of them a faultless wall may be built to last forever.”

MayUseLastsForeverParticularMaterialsWallEqualBuiltStonesPlentyDimensionsSandNeighborhoodBricksUsefulnessBabylonRubbleLimesLocalityAsphalt
Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
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“Bricks will be most serviceable if made two years before using; for they cannot dry thoroughly in less time. When fresh undried bricks are used in a wall, the stucco covering stiffens and hardens into a permanent mass, but the bricks settle and the motion caused by their shrinking prevents them from adhering to it, and they are separated from their union with it. At Utica in constructing walls they use brick only if it is dry and made five years previously, and approved as such by the authority of a magistrate.”

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Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
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“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.”

MeanUseLightDifficultLevelsTeachPlansSkyBuildingParticularTheoryMethodArchitectureFixedAcquireSquaresQuartersAssistanceCompassGeometryInvolvingReadinessSymmetryOpticsDifficult Questions
Author:Marcus Vitruvius Pollio
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