- Ingrid Edlund-Berry –
Yet, regardless of how “Etruscan” the Capitoline temple may be in its execution, the
concept of its location on the Capitoline hill and its role as a religious landmark in
Rome ties in with the location of temples in Etruria proper (Figure 35.3; see Chapter
27). Viewed as a symbol of what Rome stood for, this Roman monument (in Etruscan
clothing) was adopted by city planners in areas of Italy where Roman or Latin colonies
were founded and a major temple was erected as part of a new or modifi ed city plan,
and the tradition was further spread in the Roman cities throughout the Mediterranean.
Ultimately, the Capitolium temple of the Roman Republic belongs in the tradition of
the Etruscan temples, but with a superimposed set of features which may or may not
ever have been used together in an original Etruscan form. The Capitolia, as we see them
in Roman Imperial cities – usually at the end of a forum – tend to be raised high above
the ground, resting on a podium, usually with mouldings, to be approached through the
steps at the front of the building, with the columns placed in front and usually on the
long sides of the temple proper, which contains the main room (cella) as one room, or with
rooms on either side.
In spite of the fact that Etruscan temples do not always fall into the category of Vitruvius’
Tuscan temple, his work continues to inspire our study of Etruscan architecture. It is
thanks to him that we can trace the Etruscan-inspired architectural heritage (“tuscanico
more”) from his time to the Renaisssance and later. For the centuries before Vitruvius, we
will need to rely on the archaeological evidence to provide the Etruscan background for
the development of a Roman architectural tradition that was founded on a mixture of
local traditions and contacts with the world around it.^11
VITRUVIUS AND THE TUSCAN ATRIUMUnlike George Dennis and early travelers to Tuscany who were limited to seeing recent
discoveries of tombs and city walls, we can today view remains of Etruscan houses at a
number of sites, and discover that they, like so many other things Etruscan, represent a
Figure 35.3 View towards the Capitoline hill. Photo: Ingrid Edlund-Berry.