Architecture History, Theory and Preservation by Arleen Pabón-Charneco

Author:Arleen Pabón-Charneco
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-10-12T00:00:00+00:00

6 In the Tuscan Manner

Etruscan Architecture

Of all precedents influencing Ancient Rome’s magnificent architectural and urban production, Etruscan concepts and ideals play a fundamental role. Considered their ancestors in more ways than one, it is evident that the dozens of examples scattered throughout the Italian Peninsula served as sources of inspiration for the Republic that became one of the largest empires ever organized. The relevance of this three-dimensional presence is amply demonstrated by the fact that Vitruvius wrote considerably about “Tuscan” typologies and aesthetic principles, categorizing the works as expressions of Tuscanicae dispositiones, the Etruscan architectural “manner,” style and “disposition” (Vitruvius, De architectura, V, 7, 1–5). Analyzing in detail specific religious types, he granted authorship of the Tuscan architectural order to the civilization. While Vitruvius was able to visit a number of sites and buildings constructed by the Etruscans, by the time of his writing (1st century BC) they were considered historic architectural expressions showcasing multiple mysterious aspects.

Etruscan architecture evidences intimate ties with Egypt and Mycenae, as well as Ancient Greece. Their obsession with death produced hundreds of mausolea, paralleling the first two cultures’ interest in the typology. Their interpretation, however, is sui generis, something that characterizes all of the culture’s architectural creation. Obtaining inspiration from varied sources, they transformed them into their own by means of imaginative modifications. Since they believed that the afterlife was an extension of daily life, pantheons were used by generations and aligned along streets creating vast cities of the dead, known as necropolises. These districts are organized by means of streets and blocks where family tombs are sited. Plaza-like spaces additionally dot the area. The appropriation of urban concepts to organize cemeteries at this stage in history reflects a unique perspective on death.

Figure 6.1  Acropolis, Orvieto, Italy Regarding religious architecture, Ancient Greece and not Egypt or Mycenae served as the source of inspiration, an influence confirmed by Vitruvius. In spite of existing similarities, differences are drastic regarding the building’s relationship to its context. Another resemblance between the two civilizations is that Etruscan city-states are sited on acropolises and heavily defended with impressive fortifications in frank imitation of city-states in Mycenae and Ancient Greece. Adept at using both the trabeated and arcuated structural systems, their masonry and wood constructions reflect borrowed ideals from the second civilization. The closeness between the two is understandable given the fact that Greek colonies dotted the region known as Magna Graecia in the southern Italian Peninsula during the Etruscan heyday. Used by Ovid (1st century BC–1st century) and several Roman sources, the name encompasses Greek settlements in the modern districts of Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania and Sicily. Since in some areas, the colonial power’s presence is dated prior to the 8th century BC, an exchange of architectural ideas is expected. Cultural intersection between the Etruscans and Ancient Greeks explains why architectural artifacts, such as the temples, share striking similarities. Commercial ties between the two cultures were robust leading to urban and architectural appropriations, even if transformed to suit their unique personality. Sharing the territories of the Italian Peninsula, cross-referential inspiration is readily understandable.

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