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Vitruvius, Marcus

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Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers

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Alternate Name

Pollio, Marcus

BornFundi (Fondi, Campania, Italy), circa85 BCE

Died circa 15 BCE

Vitruvius is best known for his writings on architecture, but he also wrote on astronomy, describing the understanding of his time and its usefulness in making sundials.

Vitruvius was born amid the death throes of the Roman Republic to an old South Italian family prominent at Fundi (midway between Rome and Naples). Trained in architecture, as a young man he served in the army corps of engineers under Caesar, first in Gaul (known service includes Larignum 56 BCE and Marseilles 48 BCE), then in North Africa (at Zama in 46 BCE). After his general’s assassination, Vitruvius joined the troops of Octavian (the future Augustus), on active duty as an artillery engineer; by 33 BCE he was an aqueduct official.

Vitruvius wrote one known work, a handbook (institutio) in ten books on “architecture” – that is civil engineering – from selection of a city site through design and construction to maintenance...

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Selected References

  • Aicher, Peter J. (1999). “Vitruvius.” In Dictionary of Literary Biography. Vol. 211. Ancient Roman Writers, edited by Ward W. Briggs, pp. 366–370. Detroit: Gale Group.

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  • Baldwin, Barry (1990). “The Date, Identity, and Career of Vitruvius.” Latomus 4: 425–434.

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  • Granger, Frank (ed. and trans.) (1931–1934). On Architecture, by Vitruvius. 2 Vols. London: W. Heinemann. (Translation with facing Latin.)

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  • Russo, Lucio (1994). “The Astronomy of Hipparchus and His Time: A Study Based on Pre-Ptolemaic Sources.” Vistas in Astronomy 38: 207–248, esp. 225–230. (caveat lector.)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Paul T. Keyser

Authors
  1. Paul T. Keyser
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA

    Thomas Hockey

  2. University of California, Irvine School of Physical Sciences, Irvine, CA, USA

    Virginia Trimble

  3. Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Thomas R. Williams

  4. Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, USA

    Katherine Bracher

  5. York Univesity, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Richard A. Jarrell

  6. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Jordan D. Marché II

  7. University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    JoAnn Palmeri

  8. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Daniel W. E. Green

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Keyser, P.T. (2014). Vitruvius, Marcus. In: Hockey, T., et al. Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9917-7_1427

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