Marcus Cetius Faventinus

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Marcus Cetius Faventinus probably wrote a technical publication in Latin in the 3rd century on various topics in architecture and construction. He relied largely on the Ten Books on Architecture (De architectura libri decem) by Vitruvius .

The author

Two manuscripts are entitled M. Ceti Faventini artis architectonicae privatis usibus adbreviatus liber . The name can only be deduced from this. Since on the one hand Faventinus the work of Vitruvius, which in the 1st century BC Was created, used and on the other hand Palladius used the script in the 4th century AD, the lifetime of the author is limited to this time interval. There is no further information. The author does not refer to his own experience in his work and does not reveal any autobiographical details. In the brief foreword he expresses the intention to write mediocri sermone (= in colloquial language) privatis usibus (= for private use, i.e. for the simple owner or builder). Hence one can surmise that he was more of a man of practice than theory.

The content

Faventinus divides his book into 29 sections of very different lengths. Often a topic is dealt with in several successive sections. He describes a large part of the techniques that are needed in the construction of a house, such as making lime, bricks, building masonry, preparing lumber. The provision of water through well construction or aqueducts , the alignment of a house to the wind directions (with a compass rose), and the planning of a bathroom are also taught. All information is short and factual without any poetic or other accessories. In the last chapter, the construction of a sundial is presented in a practical way - without astronomical explanations as Vitruvius brings it - because most of them just want to know what time it is (... quota sit solum requirunt) .

Relation to the De architectura libri decem of Vitruvius

In his preface Faventinus refers to Vitruvius and alii auctores (other authors). In fact, Faventinus mainly uses Vitruvius as a source. Only in chapter 29 De horologii institutione (= on the construction of time indicators ) does Faventinus use a different source for a longer text, although Vitruvius also deals with the subject. Faventinus dispenses with all topics that relate to public buildings, such as Vitruvius 'book 3 About temples and there are also all areas that are only indirectly related to architecture, such as Vitruvius' book 5, chapter 4 The Doctrine of Harmony .

But Faventinus also sets its own accents and repeatedly deviates from Vitruvius. An example of this is Chapter 28 De normae inventione (= The construction of the right angle ). Vitruvius deals with the subject in the preface to Book IX and draws on the Pythagorean theorem . Faventinus gives imprecisely and without reference to a Greek mathematician, but practical

Sumantur itaque tres regulae, ita duae sunt pedibus binis et tertia habeat pedes duo unicas X ... facientes trigoni

"You take 3 rulers, two 2 feet, one 2 feet 10 inches ... and make a triangle"

Tradition and survival

In three medieval manuscripts, Vitruvius's work is followed immediately by the text discussed here under the heading De diversis fabricis architectonicae . In two other manuscripts it is not passed down in this direct connection with the Vitruvian text under the title M. Ceti Faventini artis architectonicae privatis usibus adbreviatus liber . In the Middle Ages, the name Faventinus, unlike Vitruvius, was forgotten. Intensive text comparisons show, however, that both the texts of Palladius and Isidore of Seville are not derived from Vitruvius, but directly from Faventinus.

Text output

  • Valentin Rose : Vitruvii de architectura libri decem , Teubner, Leipzig 1867, pp. 285–313: De diversis fabricis architectonicae ( full text ).
  • Fritz Krohn : Vitruvii de architectura libri decem. Teubner, Leipzig 1912, pp. 262-283.
  • Hugh Plommer : Vitruvius and later Roman building manuals , Cambridge 1973, pp. 39-85 (with English translation).
  • Marie-Thérèse Cam: Cetius Faventinus. Abrégé d'architecture privée (= Collection des universités de France. Série latine 363). Les Belles Lettes, Paris 2001, ISBN 978-2-251-01423-4 (with French translation).
  • Kai Brodersen and Christiane Brodersen: Cetius Faventinus. The Roman home / De architectura privata , Latin and German. Marix-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-7374-0998-8

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Hugh Plommer: Vitruvius and later Roman building manuals , Introduction, 1
  2. ^ Paul Gensel: Cetius. In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume III, 2, Stuttgart 1899, Sp. 2013.
  3. ^ Hugh Plommer: Vitruvius and later Roman building manuals , Introduction
  4. ↑ Valentin Rose: Vitruvii de architectura libri decem , foreword.
  5. ↑ Hugh Plommer: Vitruvius and later Roman building manuals , Introduction, 1.
  6. ↑ Herman Nohl : Palladius and Fauentinus in their relationship to one another and to Vitruvius .
personal data
SURNAME Cetius Faventinus, Marcus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Faventinus, Marcus Cetius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman specialist writer
DATE OF BIRTH between 1st century BC BC and 4th century
DATE OF DEATH between 1st century BC BC and 4th century