Etruscan Architecture

The study of Etruscan architecture suffers greatly in comparison with its Greek and Roman counterparts because of the building materials used. Whereas Greek temples, such as the Parthenon in Athens, and Roman public buildings, such as the immense bath complex of Caracalla in Rome, immediately catch the attention and admiration of students and travelers, Etruscan architectural remains consist for the most part of underground tombs, foundation walls, models of huts and houses, and fragments of terracotta roof decoration. At the same time, thanks to the description by the Roman architectural historian Vitruvius (Ten Books on Architecture 4.7.1–4), the proportions and layout of the so-called Tuscan temple are well known and have been much admired and studied during the Renaissance and later. The perception of Etruscan architecture has, however, changed much since the advent of large-scale excavations in the late 19th century, and since the 1950s new evidence has produced important results for our understanding of the architectural traditions in ancient Italy.