- chapter 35: The architectural heritage of Etruria –
that were reused or incorporated into other buildings. Models of buildings, used as votive
offerings, would give some indication of building traditions,^25 and the continued use of
terracotta decoration, including large-scale statues, on Etruscan as well as Roman temples
must have impressed each generation of builders and craftsmen.^26 These traditions of
construction and decoration of buildings were, of course, not limited to the immediate
area around Rome. Many temples that refl ected local traditions as well as those inspired by
contact with Etruria and Rome were built in Umbria and in the Samnite communities.^27
With a keen architect’s eye, Vitruvius outlines the construction of a temple from
the ground up (3.4), with solid foundations providing the support for the cella and
surrounding columns. Although the proportions of the elements could vary, he carefully
defi nes the details of the steps in front and the podium on the remaining three sides
(in buildings where there were no steps around all four sides). The elements of the
podium are described, from the bottom up, as a plinth (quadra), base moulding (spira),
dado (truncus), cornice (corona), and ‘lysis’ (? cavetto moulding). As is often the case with
Vitruvius’ descriptions of architectural details, there are many variables to the basic
sequence of elements, that is, the crowning and base mouldings, separated by a vertical
dado of varying height (Figure 35.5).^28
Although the use of mouldings is shared by Greek, Roman, and Etruscan architectural
traditions, the Etruscan varieties are distinctly different from others, both in their form,
proportions, and use.^29 The most common type is a round, similar to a Greek ovolo, but
used as a base moulding, usually very large. This round, often referred to as the Etruscan
round, occurs in a variety of monuments, including temples in Etruria proper but also in
neighboring areas, including Latium and Rome, and it can be argued that it may have
been part of different architectural traditions, both Latin and Etruscan, if indeed the two
can be separated.^30
To Vitruvius, and to the Roman world around him, a podium was an essential part
of a temple, and such temples could be found in many towns within Italy and in parts
of the Mediterranean dominated by Rome. While many of the early temples in Rome,
including the Capitoline temple, the temples of Saturn and of Castor in the Roman forum
(Figure 35.6), and the Archaic temple at S. Omobono, were built on podia of varying
Figure 35.5 Temple podia (courtesy T. N. Howe, from Rowland and Howe 1999, Figure 45).