- chapter 35: The architectural heritage of Etruria –
later buildings.^6 Thus, what became known as the “Tuscan Order” in architecture was
studied and copied long before there was any archaeological evidence to confi rm or
modify Vitruvius’ analysis.
With the early nineteenth-century excavations not only reported in scholarly
publications, but also by travelers such as George Dennis, the world of the Etruscans was
brought to light, including the discovery of their architecture, fi rst the tombs and later
their temples and houses.^7 Well acquainted with the text of Vitruvius, archaeologists
and architects eagerly anticipated the discovery of more Etruscan buildings, temples in
particular, but it soon became apparent that the Etruscan architectural heritage known
to Vitruvius did not correspond with the archaeological reality.^8 In particular, the
proportions and plans of excavated Etruscan temples did not correspond with Vitruvius’
defi nition, and architectural historians were at a loss as to how to defi ne either “Etruscan”
or “Etruscan-inspired” forms of architecture.
The effect of this diffi culty in reconciling Vitruvius’ text and the archaeological
remains is perhaps most apparent in the discussion of the Capitoline temple in Rome,
dedicated to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Juno, and Minerva.^9 It is listed by Vitruvius
among the temples that were decorated with roof sculptures in the Etruscan-inspired
style (“tuscanico more” 3.3.5), and based on the excavated remains, the temple has been
reconstructed to include three rooms and a front porch with columns. Since the ancient
texts (Livy, Pliny, and others) include the construction of this major temple among the
achievements of the Etruscan rulers in Rome, the Tarquin dynasty, it has generally been
considered the epitome of all Etruscan temples, only to be dedicated in the fi rst year of
the Roman Republic, in 509 bc.
But, in spite of its presumed Etruscan origin and style, the Capitoline temple
is in many ways an anomaly, in particular because of the size of the foundation, and
the estimated size of the temple itself, assuming that it fi lled the whole surface of
the foundation. It has therefore been suggested that we should consider this temple a
Roman creation, inspired in form and detail from traditions in Etruria as well as in
Latium and in the Greek world, but brought together in a new and unsurpassed
monumentality in Rome.^10 If so, Vitruvius’ choice of words in describing the
pedimental sculptures is very appropriate in that they represented a tradition known
in Etruria, but one that had been disseminated to other areas, including Rome.
Figure 35.2 The Tuscan temple (courtesy P. Gregory Warden and Jess Galloway).